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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 Board of Fire Commissioners Minutes - All ,v City of Lansing �) 1i' Board of Fire Commissioners ° 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 I � J (517) 483-4200 S r �EItCT : Fax (517) 483-4488 Virg Bernero, Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief www.lansin.qfire.com LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS 2009 REGULAR MEETINGS DATE TIME LOCATION ADDRESS V .�c�tation S '2 _ '2114 N.:Grand RiverAve I February 11t" 6:00 P.M. Station 3 639 W. Hillsdale March 111" 6 OO P.M. Station 4 1435 E. Miller Rd April 8th 6:00 P.M.. Station 5 1821 Todd Aver May 13t" 6:00 P.M. Station 6 5135 Pleasant Grove Rd . June loth 6:00 P.M. Station 7 629 N. Jenison i July 8t" �`f �; 6 00 P M � Station.8 815 Marsiall�St. tt RUIN August 12th 6:00 P.M. Station 9 520 Glendale St. i Ser tember9tn x i� i p,. 6 00 R M LFD Maintenance e y .. _ 3 Grove`Rd 708 Pleasan i October 14ttjh - 6:00 P.M. .LFD Training. 3015:Alpha St - '1 (v44 A pp December 9th 6:00 P.M. Station 1 120 E. Shiawassee' Please contact`Patti Starnes in Lansing Fire Administration at 517-483.4564 or pstarnes(cDlansingmi.gov for more information. City of Lansing VkOlS-",G '{ Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street t' Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 ` ' r Fax(517)483-4488 Jpl�E Dg4� Virg Bernero,Mayor www.lansingfire.com Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING November 10, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on November 10, 2009, at the Lansing Fire Station #48 Emergency Services room located at 815 Marshall Street, Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Helen Keeney— Chair Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet Jody Washington Robert Hudson COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Louis Vinson III — Vice Chair Yvonne Young McConnell Robert Brown Jr. - OTHERS PRESENT Fire Chief Tom Cochran - Assistant Fire Chief Tim James - Administrative Assistant, Rosamaria Rosas -� Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins - r` Rachel Marshall, Americorps VISTA/MSU graduate ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA None APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Ferro and supported by Commissioner Hudson to accept the October minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS None Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 1 of 12 PRESENTATIONS None ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Department Update: We are facing some serious budget issues. I have not gotten a hard number yet from the Finance department. I am estimating a shortage of 400 — 600 thousand dollars on this year's budget. It was reported in the News for next year's budget but it is actually for 2009-2010 years. This is a result of the cuts in revenue sharing which is roughly 1.8 million. Again, numbers are not hard numbers and anticipating 1 million dollars in loss due to taxes and short fall at the first of the year. I think everyone knows what is going in the State of Michigan. We are starting to see this impact coming into the City of Lansing. We have done a really good job at being able to control our costs. Overtime costs are below what they were last year and that is thanks to all the divisions and the work that they have done. But it is starting to catch up to us and I anticipate even more of impact in the 2010/2011 budget year and I don't know what those numbers will be. Again most of you are all very involved people and have been staying up with the news so it not a surprise to any of us. Just today they announced in Grand Rapids that they are facing major cuts to public safety upwards 24-26 firefighters and 41 police officers. We all know what is going on with State Police this is now coming down to the City of Lansing. I don't have any answers for you as far as what that impact will be. I don't have a hard number. Chief James and I have been having a lot of discussion on trying to address this issue. But be assured whatever we do, we will capture and maintain our core services of what the fire department is all about. I know that the Mayors administration met with the City Unions today and had some discussion with them. I don't know what those discussions were. There has been some discussion the City had asked for any voluntary furlough days that any employees were willing to give. I know a few people expressed some interest. I think a great deal of why it has not gone anywhere as much it could have is that there was great concern anticipated by the employees in general that these would become mandatory at some point. Similar as to what the State has been doing. I wish I had more information for you, but I don't. Be assured as I do get more information I will share that with the Fire Board. Commissioner Ferro: Chief do you have to come up with a plan at some point. Did they tell you any dates you have come up with? Chief Cochran: All I know is that it will come out of this year's budget. Again my number is just some discussion Chief James and I have had. We don't have a hard number, I have not received those numbers. I have not been given a deadline as to when I have to have that done. We've got some ideas as to some things we are hoping to do. That is a huge number, which will have a large impact to our department and throughout the City of Lansing. Commissioner Hudson: Did you see today's article? Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 2 of 12 Chief Cochran: I was going to get to that, I saw you pull the newspaper out. Are you referring to Derrick Melow? Commissioner Hudson: I believe so where it compared us to Ann Arbor. Chief Cochran: The article that Hudson is referring to is Derrick Melow is the Assistant Editor to Editorial Page. Comments that were made, I am not sure from were they came from to be honest with you. I serve on the Elder Death Review panel; I think I have shared with some of you before. I was talking to Dr. Dean Sienko, County Medical Examiner as best we can as marketing this. There is a group of people from the Attorney's General office, AME office, Police and law enforcement from different agencies. We do a review of suspicious deaths of the elderly. Sgt. Tracy Ruiz, Lansing Police Department is a real driving force with this project. I was at that meeting and Chief Taliffaro from East Lansing was there, we didn't actually discuss it there but we met a little later we were contact with each. He didn't know anything about this letter either. The letter states, I paraphrase it from Ted Staten, East Lansing City Manager, talking about the need to combine stations and services with East Lansing Fire and the sticking point is that he made a statement that it is the Lansing Firefighters Union. I don't know where this is all coming from again that was not the case. Some other discussion we had awhile ago, in trying to get some things done. I am not going to point the fingers or blame, so I guess I'm not going to make a statement to that affect. But Hudson also was talking about they were compared us to Ann Arbor Fire. The fact that Ann Arbor Fire while the City of Lansing just a little large then Ann Arbor Fire square miles and population. Our department is twice as big as their fire department, but they don't talk about services for one thing. Ann Arbor doesn't do EMS transport, so it was not really a fair article. Without a doubt I have really pushed for it with the Metro Chiefs. I can't take any credit for this, a lot of this was done long before I came into this position. Former Chief Martin, Chief Taliffaro, Meridian Fire and Delta Fire were involved. They actually did a Regional study talking about doing some services. It was a great plan Chief James as well as Chief Atkins were also involved along with some other people from the fire departments. The thing that bothers me a great deal is that the Metro Departments are and have done a lot of regional efforts. We do a lot with a special TR use and trench collapse with our Haz Mat team. We have had this discussion before we have talked about theses teams that we have here in Lansing. Again thanks to Chief James and Chief Atkins for all the work they have done with this and making things happen. We don't sell that well enough, I don't think. The favorite Fire Rig in the City of Lansing for Mayor Virg Bernero is at Station #6 what we call the Squad the Haz Mat vehicle which has Metro Fire Department on it. Mayor Bernero loves that vehicle, he sees that and he reminds me of that all the time. One of the other things that we have done which is huge is that we have combined our training calendars. I have mentioned this before there is a web site for the Metro fire departments that you can go to and access the Annual Training Calendar. It also includes Delhi Fire Department, so we have extended that to a fifth department. There is a lot that we have been doing with EMS credits it just makes it a lot easier to offer those credits. My point is there are a number of calls that we have made as a Metro Team. The most recent was the tornados in Williamston. We do a lot, there is more that we could do. Obviously with these budget times, there is more that we are going to have to do. But we will preserve those core services with the Fire Department which are Fire and EMS response and Rescue and Haz-Mat. Chief James and I have had some discussion; we have some ideas as to how we are going to get there. But I need to get that hard number so I know Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 3 of 12 what to work towards. With that being said as always, I've tried to be positive and up beat we have great people here. We are going to do all that we can to preserve firefighter's positions and support the divisions that are there to work with the fire department. As I get more information, I promise you I will e-mail that information to you. Commissioner Keeney: How many anticipated retirements do you have between now and the next budget year? Chief Cochran: Well it depends on how you look at it Helen. I think we have seven positions currently right now that are open and funded. There are four of us that are eligible being: Chief James and I, and two of our current Battalion Chiefs Todd Ness and Dave Ford they have stated that they will be leaving in the spring. Chief James and I have not made any statement to that affect. So that would be eleven is the way I look at it. Four that can and seven positions that I believe that are open. There is always the discussion between Human Resource and the Fire Department if those numbers are correct. We actually have two people that on long term injury leave. They have tried to get duty disability and that's two of those positions and then we have a few others that have retired, three other that have retired. Chief Cochran: Chief James do you have anything? Chief James: I guess when we start the discussion certainly the Union will be at the table with us. I know that we will have some good discussion and good input from them. I know that they have some good collaborated ideas not only the Firefighters Union but, also the other Unions that are represented within the fire department to come to the table and talk about their ideas. I know that they have shared them in the past also with Jerry Ambrose. We will look at every option with the primary goal to preserve and save the core mission of the fire department. We all know that is going to be tuff, there is no doubt about it. The Mayor is committed that those core services of Fire and EMS services will be there, with the Unions being on board with that. Chief Cochran: Chief James and I both are very committed to a collaborative effort and trying to be open and transparent. I will admit I am a big believer in transparency and I don't have all the answers. But I have a lot of bright people working here. We hopefully will get ideas from them. They are a little reluctant at times because they all belong to the Union. In the Union there is a contract that is in place and I certainly understand and honor that but these are very extenuating circumstances and we don't know where this is going to end. Commissioner Hudson: I don't know if you know the answer but, with a lot of these training classes for the different areas of service that we provide are those all duplicated within each fire department in our region? Chief Cochran: We have our in house training at the stations, which the Captain or Lieutenant might perform that day as part of our daily training. We have the Lansing Fire Training that's offered. The next two weeks we are doing firefighter right to know and infectious control that are required...that we have to do. There are other things that go on. Recently they just held the heavy duty extraction Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 4 of 12 school. A lot of those are pushed out to the Metro partners. What they are trying to do at the Metro is have an Annual calendar which they are still working on. Then there are those things that we have to train together for teams such as: Trench Collapse, Confined Space, Haz Mat and that will be offered at the Metro level. Then some of these other classes like the heavy extraction class that will be offered to them if they want to send their personnel. There is a multi tier approach to this. It starts in the stations then goes on up. EMS is overseen by Officer Greg Haman from Meridian Fire. The EMS continuing education credits have to be submitted and requested to the State. That schedule is put on the Annual calendar, which is rotated from the various departments with the class locations. For example like the Infectious Control and Firefighter right to Know is a requirement. We submitted and have been approved to have EMS credits for those classes. As I have mentioned before that a paramedic has to have 45 continuing credits in a three year period and an EMT has to have 30 credits. On top of the 45 credit the Medics need, every two years they have to be ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certified) of which they get the condensed class. I believe they get 8 to 10 credits. They also have to be certified within the Tri-County by Dr. Orr the Medical Director for the Tri-County Emergency Medical Control Authority. Dr. Orr authorizes each of the Responders to the License Level. Commissioner Hudson: I was just thinking about how the surrounding elementary schools have tried to combine the schools. Instead of having one here and one there they have picked the third one and combined them. We don't have a whole lot of room because we have done most of that for like Haz Mat training. Delhi is not going to have their own training program and Lansing has it's own training program. It is a regional thing where we are already trying to consolidate all the classes into an area and that type of thing. So there is no big cost savings there. Chief Cochran: I don't believe there is a lot of cost savings. The real bonus is that we are a Metro Team working together. I have to give credit to a number of other people for all their work. Commissioner Hudson: Someone had mentioned to me that there would be like about a 3 Y2 million dollar savings if we become Regional overnight. I know we have talked about it before, but it seems a little excessive. Chief James: It was in the Lansing Township proposal. Chief Cochran: We had developed what I believe was real solid fair plan. The plan still exists which is very viable. I attended the Lansing Township Board, and talked to two couples. We were going to offer their firefighters our pay scale and retirement. It would have been more efficient, due to the fact that they have to go through Lansing to get to some of their areas which is not safe. Since some of Lansing Fire stations are closer to those locations then Lansing Township Commissioner Washington: We have to regionalize not only fire but Police along with attitudes have to change from all the surrounding areas. Especially in these economic times today. Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 5 of 12 Chief Cochran: We actually went to Lansing Community College and met with City Managers, Mayor's, Politicians and Chiefs. I stated that they are the ones that need to make this happen. I as the Fire Chief can not make this happen. I went to the Lansing Township and made that proposal, that's where that came from. I think we are looking at any where from 8 to 12 million dollars for next year. I attended a meeting today the Governor was there, we were talking about funding for school aid. It is unfortunate that politicians don't make the decisions that need to be made. Commissioner Ferro: Chief until we get a regional solution can we have revenue generated with the training. Can we charge the other fire departments that train with us? Chief Cochran: I don't think that is a good idea. I believe we have built real solid relationships and to do something like would tear all that down. It would make that gap even greater. Chief Atkins: I think what you would see is that they would all work together and just leave us out. Chief James: It's utilizing everybody's resources to make this training happen. It's not like Lansing has all the resources. We have to call on their personnel to help teach the classes, utilize some of their equipment and their space. My feeling is that they would completely pull away from us and leave us on our own. Chief Cochran: It took us about 12-13 years to building our trust and relationship, and to go backwards it would not be worth the revenue. Commissioner Perez-Banuet: What is the annual budget? Chief Cochran: Our total budget is 29 million dollars, 80 -85 % of that is personnel cost. We generate about 3 million dollars in EMS revenue, which certainly doesn't pay for the service but it helps to offset it. Chief James: I believe the gross revenue it generates for the EMS service is about 6.3 million. But we only see about 3.1 million of that. Chief Cochran: If you have any ideas contact Tim or myself. I will keep you updated, as I get any more information. Commissioner Hudson: Is the computer system able to generate an average cost for the different types of situations? It doesn't have to be a firm number. I know the Postal Services compares prices for services compared to other department. Chief James: The State of Michigan is currently collecting data to compare to the National Association. There only 41 communities participating in this program. We should be able to provide that information in about 2 years. Questions from the Commissioners: Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 6 of 12 Commissioner Perez Banuet: Is there a different standard being the Capitol City? Are we required to have more because we have government buildings? Chief Cochran: We are not required to have more, but we do have more government buildings to protect than Ann Arbor. That is where revenue sharing came from and that is what it's supposed to pay. They have never given us 50% which was promised to the Cities, Townships and Counties. Now they have eliminated that revenue which was to be given to us. Commissioner Kenney. Is this cut in stone, because if you listen to Governor Granholm she said don't worry about that because I'll find the money some place. Chief Cochran: I would say it is not cut in stone there is definitely a lot of politics that are taking place. Everyone has got their own agenda, we can sit here all night and discuss the issue but this is a global economic issue. Chief Cochran: My fear is for the younger generation, because they have put the effort into their education. Their scholarship has been taken from them after it was promised to them. I like to thank Michigan State University because they have picked up the $500 that was allotted for this year. But the student will be responsible for that portion next year. Emergency Management Update by Trent Atkins: Interns and volunteers: Rachel Marshall has started with us a couple a months ago. She is the Community Planner with our office through the Americorps. She is committed to our department for about a year, but potentially for two years. Rachel position is looking at special needs for the community and how to better communicate with them and met their needs as it relates to disaster. We have one other Community Planner in office now again through Americorps. She is working specifically with dolthing.us program. The idea is if you do one thing a month for twelve months you would be prepared for a disaster. The program actually started here in this office with Ronda Oberlin and Ken Jones who was the Emergency Manager prior to me. It since has become its own private non-profit organization it is funded by several grants. It is mostly here in Michigan, but you see dol thing groups popping all over the county. If everything works out right we will bring on a Homeland Security Planner on January 1, 2010, with Homeland Security Funding. A third Americorps Planner will work with Neighborhood Groups and Small Businesses. We are trying to take advantage of some of the stimulus money that is out there. There is absolutely no cost to the City for those two years after that there is no commitment to keep those positions. Americorps Intern Rachel Marshall: Gave a brief introduction of her duties, during her assignment with Emergency Management. Ms. Marshal is also looking at the social media aspect of warning messages for the community. The ID Program — Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins reported that the really great thing about this program is that if right now we were to have a flood or tornado in Lansing we would be able to identify special population. Currently we have no idea where our special population is. This program we would be able to identify in a Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 7 of 12 neighborhood or specifically to a group where we would need to put our resources when it comes to evacuation. Who is going to need the assistance because they are shut in due to their physical impairment? We are also looking at the translation of documents, with the different languages within our city. We started working with Michigan State University Criminal Justice Program since last fall we have been getting at least 1 intern every term. People have been asking why are we getting criminal justice students? More then 50 % of our job down here is working with homeland security, we deal a lot with critical infrastructural and grants. We provide them with a lot of opportunities to not only to work here on projects but the interns also work with event planning. Most recent was our Silver Bells event regarding security, intelligence gathering and response. The interns also get an opportunity to go out to the Michigan Intelligence Operation Center. They spent a day with different departments such as; Bomb Squad, Forensic Lab, Lansing Police Department. Also Ms. Marshal has been working with Brad Drury from our Fire Marshal Division with our recent Homicide investigations. This past summer we had two interns. Actually in the spring our department will be getting two more interns. We are trying to be creative; it is tough times and we are not going to get more resources at this point. But the community still has to be served. We have to try to reduce that risk within the community the best we can, so if the Feds and the Colleges want to offer us assistance we are going to take it. Chief Cochran: Included in your packet is a recent draft recruitment brochure. Patti and I worked on this project with Denise assisting. We took an old one and updated it with recent pictures. We are actually going to change some of these pictures on it so this isn't most current draft. Thursday from 6-8 pm at the North Precinct is Public Safety Career Day that I will be attending. Commissioner Josephine Washington: Can I ask you why? When we can't pay the people that we have it makes no sense? Chief Cochran: I am going to be positive and more forward. There will be opportunities at some point. The idea being is that the impact we need to make is not just in the high schools but also in the middle school in trying to getting young people to focus on these careers. It used to be, that you could just walk into these jobs without to much experience and that has changed a great deal. You just can't walk into a firefighter position any longer off the street. The idea being we are trying to get these people here locally and we have some good resources to do that. We ask that they get experience from different departments and services as far as fire and EMS so when they come here they will have little seasoning. Because this job is unlike any other job that they will ever have they need to have a good idea what this job is all about. Commissioner Josephine Washington: So this is not recruiting? I mean it's okay if it is, but I was just wondering. Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 8 of 12 Chief Cochran: It is not recruiting specific to yes, we are going to hire in the spring. I had every intension of looking to hire in the spring. Obviously that is probably going to change because of what is going on. But at some point will have to hire again so we can't just sit back and not do anything we need to move forward. That is my attitude, I could retire and walk away from this or I could sit in my office and say okay we are going to cut positions. But we are trying to find a way. One, work with it and deal with it and try to keep those core services as Chief James and I said. And two, to me when there are negatives and bad things that happen. There are always opportunities and hopefully we can find some opportunities to move forward. We will move forward as I said we have a great department and our resources are most important. Resources are people and we have a lot of really good people here. So we will continue to providing what we do and we will still make those calls. You also have your calendar for 2010. 1 know that we changed them a little bit with regards to any Holiday's; I know Patti looked at that. But if there are any issues, let us know please. Chief James: If not at this meeting but next meeting they do need to be approved so she can them post with the City Clerk. Chair Helen Keeney: Do we want to take the time to look at our calendar that you were given tonight. If there are not any problems we can get it approved tonight. Chief Cochran: I think you can go ahead and approve them. Department Update: Chief Cochran: I talked about career day on Thursday. Business offices are closed tomorrow for the holiday. The purchase order has been cut for our 12-Lead Cardiac Monitors, we have selected Philips. They were actually the number one choice in the process. There were three monitors that were field tested. The group of personnel selected the Philips Monitor and that happened to be the lowest bid. So there are 9 of those monitors. They have state of the art technology they have Bluetooth capabilities. The reading can be sent directly to the Hospitals and to their hand held devices. We will also be purchasing 14 automatic externals defibrillators. Alicia Perez-Banuet: Did you say 9 or 12 monitors? Chief Cochran: 9 of the 12 lead monitors also 14 automatic externals defibrillators. Chair Helen Keeney: That's has been approved? Chief Cochran: The purchase order has been cut for monitors, which came out of Capital improvement funds. We are also moving forward on I haven't got a Purchase Order yet on new Tough Books, our EMS reporting computers. The Panasonic Toughbooks that the EMT's and Medics use in the field are close to 5 years old so we needed to replace those and we had money in our computer technology budget. We are working towards getting that done, I have not seen a purchase order yet. Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 9 of 12 Chief James: The new fire truck is making progress. You can go to Crimson Fire Apparatus online if you would like to see some pictures. They had some updated pictures on their website a couple of weeks ago. They do not have a final completion date for us, but I would expect some time in March we will see that arrive here for us finish and train personnel on. The ambulances are in the process of being built at this time. We are looking on a delivery date some time in January. There are five being built, once again in the collaboration with Meridian, Delta, East Lansing and Grand Ledge. All five of the Chiefs are having one ambulance built. Commissioner Ferro: The Dot thing, is that a 501 C3 a non-profit organization that is based here in Lansing? Chief Trent Atkins: The RSVP is a retired group of individual's; the project was funded by grant money. The program started here in Lansing. Commissioner Ferro: That brings up the idea of a 501 C3 to generate funds for the Fire Department. Maybe there are some other ways to generate funding so we are not dependent on the City. COMMITTEE REPORTS: None OLD BUSINESS: Chief Cochran: I will be meeting with Bob Brown, to organize a guide for new members. I do plan on meeting with you Commissioner Jody Washington. I'm sorry that I have had to cancel. Commissioner Jody Washington: Status on Security Badges? Chief Cochran, I will follow up with Bill Oberst. Commissioner Helen Keeney-Chair. Follow-up of photographs of Fire Board Members for the fire stations? Chief Cochran: I will check with Bill Oberst and Patti. GENERAL ORDER: Chief Cochran: If I might suggest we should move to approve 2010 Calendar for Fire Board Member meeting. Approval of Fire Board Calendar for 2010, motion by Commissioner Ferro and supported by Commissioner Hudson. A unanimous vote was taken for approval of the 2010 calendar. Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 10 of 12 Emergency Management Update by Chief Trent Atkins: Flood Plain Homes - We got our first appraisal on our home that we are buying with the PDM for the flood plain. We are going to be buying 72 homes that are in the flood plain. We are hoping that this next year we are going to get a little more grant funding. We are working on a project with the Coast Guard. We are looking at upgrading early warning for flooding, which are over 100 years old. We hope to secure some funding through their grant process to update all those river gauges and to create an early warning system. We recently received our Storm Ready status. Lansing has been identified through NOA and has been given Storm Ready Community Status. The idea is that we prepare the community. We have taken a number steps to mitigate flooding in the community. In return they have given us a couple of big signs, which will be placed at Station #1 and Station #8. What this means to the community is that it reduces that cost of flood insurance for those in the flood zone. Health Department update on the flu clinics -There have been about 12,000 people in the City of Lansing vaccinated. Community notification - We have been working with the community ever since the tornado a couple years ago. We have had the outdoor warning sirens. What we found is that there is really a gap in notify the community of special information. The pens that you have, it has Nexle.com on them. Nixie is a mass notification tool for the community. We have our outdoor warning sirens that tell people to go inside and turn their TV and radios on. Then we have Nixie which is a program that people opt in they sign up for. They can receive text, cell phone, email messages which fills the gap for the reverse 911. We are looking to do a live Reverse 911 on December 1st. However we are having some serious technical difficulties. It is housed in East Lansing and their server went down today. They are looking at least a week to repair, we obviously have some concerns. Nixie - The one thing I would like for you all to take out of this regarding Nixie is that the pens the magnets and everything that you see here is paid for by grant funds. This is not coming out of the City budget. You really need to encourage the community to sign up for Nixie. There are a lot of communities on Nixie including: Shiawassee County, Livingston County, Meridian Township, East Lansing, Delta Township. The idea with Nixie is that where ever you are traveling you'll get information, such as road closures and events notification. Polly Com PVX System - is a video conferencing system. There are about 6 units in the city now between the Lansing Police and Fire Department. We purchased 20 units and 20 software licenses to put a USB camera on key personnel laptops. We also have the funding to put these on the computers at the fire stations. They can log in from anywhere into our system and have video conference capabilities. Codespear -We are in the process of buying Code Spear licenses for every employee in the City of Lansing. It is a paging system that contacts your cell or home phone that will send a message that there is overtime. We can call the Dive Team, Start Team, Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 11 of 12 Haz-Mat Team with a message through this paging system and this system will eventually replace the system that we currently have in place. Hascollect- We are doing training next week for our new program called HAS Collect. Which is going to replace our Emergency Alerting System, you are familiar now with what you hear on the radio "Had this been actual emergency". This system is strictly web based and runs through the National Weather Service. This system is available through the television, all FM and weather stations so we will be able to get that message out. Hotline -We have in place a 483 info hot line. Which is a phone tree, you can call in wanting to know what to do with debris in your yard, or want to report debris. City TV is working through the firewalls that we will be able to hit government TV with information during an emergency. AM radio station - We recently specked out an AM Radio Station within the City of Lansing. Which will include three tower's within the City located in the north, south and in the middle of the city. The AM Radio Station can not only transmit 24 hours information about happening within the city. But we can also put out emergency messages. So the idea is that we will be able to direct people to traffic issues. NEW BUSINESS: none ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Commissioner Keeney to adjourn the meeting. A unanimous vote was taken to adjourn the meeting at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Rosamaria Rosas Date: November 10th 2009 Approved by the Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners on Tuesday January 13th 2010 Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 12 of 12 �1 S_I City of Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E.Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 I (517)483-4200 c H I G Fax (517)483-4488 Virg Bernero,Mayor www.fansingfire.com Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING November 10, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on November 10, 2009, at the Lansing Fire Station #48 Emergency Services room located at 815 Marshall Street, Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Helen Keeney— Chair Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet Jody Washington Robert Hudson C-J COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Louis Vinson III —Vice Chair =�' Yvonne Young McConnell Robert Brown Jr. c I? OTHERS PRESENT Fire Chief Tom Cochran -; Assistant Fire Chief Tim James Administrative Assistant, Rosamaria Rosas Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins Rachel Marshall, Americorps VISTA/MSU graduate ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA None APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Ferro and supported by Commissioner Hudson to accept the October minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS None Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 1 of 12 PRESENTATIONS None ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Department Update: We are facing some serious budget issues. I have not gotten a hard number yet from the Finance department. I am estimating a shortage of 400 — 600 thousand dollars on this year's budget. It was reported in the News for next year's budget but it is actually for 2009-2010 years. This is a result of the cuts in revenue sharing which is roughly 1.8 million. Again, numbers are not hard numbers and anticipating 1 million dollars in loss due to taxes and short fall at the first of the year. I think everyone knows what is going in the State of Michigan. We are starting to see this impact coming into the City of Lansing. We have done a really good job at being able to control our costs. Overtime costs are below what they were last year and that is thanks to all the divisions and the work that they have done. But it is starting to catch up to us and I anticipate even more of impact in the 2010/2011 budget year and I don't know what those numbers will be. Again most of you are all very involved people and have been staying up with the news so it not a surprise to any of us. Just today they announced in Grand Rapids that they are facing major cuts to public safety upwards 24-26 firefighters and 41 police officers. We all know what is going on with State Police this is now coming down to the City of Lansing. I don't have any answers for you as far as what that impact will be. I don't have a hard number. Chief James and I have been having a lot of discussion on trying to address this issue. But be assured whatever we do, we will capture and maintain our core services of what the fire department is all about. I know that the Mayors administration met with the City Unions today and had some discussion with them. I don't know what those discussions were. There has been some discussion the City had asked for any voluntary furlough days that any employees were willing to give. I know a few people expressed some interest. I think a great deal of why it has not gone anywhere as much it could have is that there was great concern anticipated by the employees in general that these would become mandatory at some point. Similar as to what the State has been doing. I wish I had more information for you, but I don't. Be assured as I do get more information I will share that with the Fire Board. Commissioner Ferro: Chief do you have to come up with a plan at some point. Did they tell you any dates you have come up with? Chief Cochran: All I know is that it will come out of this year's budget. Again my number is just some discussion Chief James and I have had. We don't have a hard number, I have not received those numbers. I have not been given a deadline as to when I have to have that done. We've got some ideas as to some things we are hoping to do. That is a huge number, which will have a large impact to our department and throughout the City of Lansing. Commissioner Hudson: Did you see today's article? Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 2 of 12 Chief Cochran: I was going to get to that, I saw you pull the newspaper out. Are you referring to Derrick Melow? Commissioner Hudson: I believe so where it compared us to Ann Arbor. Chief Cochran: The article that Hudson is referring to is Derrick Melow is the Assistant Editor to Editorial Page. Comments that were made, I am not sure from were they came from to be honest with you. I serve on the Elder Death Review panel; I think I have shared with some of you before. I was talking to Dr. Dean Sienko, County Medical Examiner as best we can as marketing this. There is a group of people from the Attorney's General office, AME office, Police and law enforcement from different agencies. We do a review of suspicious deaths of the elderly. Sgt. Tracy Ruiz, Lansing Police Department is a real driving force with this project. I was at that meeting and Chief Taliffaro from East Lansing was there, we didn't actually discuss it there but we met a little later we were contact with each. He didn't know anything about this letter either. The letter states, I paraphrase it from Ted Staten, East Lansing City Manager, talking about the need to combine stations and services with East Lansing Fire and the sticking point is that he made a statement that it is the Lansing Firefighters Union. I don't know where this is all coming from again that was not the case. Some other discussion we had awhile ago, in trying to get some things done. I am not going to point the fingers or blame, so I guess I'm not going to make a statement to that affect. But Hudson also was talking about they were compared us to Ann Arbor Fire. The fact that Ann Arbor Fire while the City of Lansing just a little large then Ann Arbor Fire square miles and population. Our department is twice as big as their fire department, but they don't talk about services for one thing. Ann Arbor doesn't do EMS transport, so it was not really a fair article. Without a doubt I have really pushed for it with the Metro Chiefs. I can't take any credit for this, a lot of this was done long before I came into this position. Former Chief Martin, Chief Taliffaro, Meridian Fire and Delta Fire were involved. They actually did a Regional study talking about doing some services. It was a great plan Chief James as well as Chief Atkins were also involved along with some other people from the fire departments. The thing that bothers me a great deal is that the Metro Departments are and have done a lot of regional efforts. We do a lot with a special TR use and trench collapse with our Haz Mat team. We have had this discussion before we have talked about theses teams that we have here in Lansing. Again thanks to Chief James and Chief Atkins for all the work they have done with this and making things happen. We don't sell that well enough, I don't think. The favorite Fire Rig in the City of Lansing for Mayor Virg Bernero is at Station #6 what we call the Squad the Haz Mat vehicle which has Metro Fire Department on it. Mayor Bernero loves that vehicle, he sees that and he reminds me of that all the time. One of the other things that we have done which is huge is that we have combined our training calendars. I have mentioned this before there is a web site for the Metro fire departments that you can go to and access the Annual Training Calendar. It also includes Delhi Fire Department, so we have extended that to a fifth department. There is a lot that we have been doing with EMS credits it just makes it a lot easier to offer those credits. My point is there are a number of calls that we have made as a Metro Team. The most recent was the tornados in Williamston. We do a lot, there is more that we could do. Obviously with these budget times, there is more that we are going to have to do. But we will preserve those core services with the Fire Department which are Fire and EMS response and Rescue and Haz-Mat. Chief James and I have had some discussion; we have some ideas as to how we are going to get there. But I need to get that hard number so I know Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 3 of 12 what to work towards. With that being said as always, I've tried to be positive and up beat we have great people here. We are going to do all that we can to preserve firefighter's positions and support the divisions that are there to work with the fire department. As I get more information, I promise you I will e-mail that information to you. Commissioner Keeney: How many anticipated retirements do you have between now and the next budget year? Chief Cochran: Well it depends on how you look at it Helen. I think we have seven positions currently right now that are open and funded. There are four of us that are eligible being: Chief James and I, and two of our current Battalion Chiefs Todd Ness and Dave Ford they have stated that they will be leaving in the spring. Chief James and I have not made any statement to that affect. So that would be eleven is the way I look at it. Four that can and seven positions that I believe that are open. There is always the discussion between Human Resource and the Fire Department if those numbers are correct. We actually have two people that on long term injury leave. They have tried to get duty disability and that's two of those positions and then we have a few others that have retired, three other that have retired. Chief Cochran: Chief James do you have anything? Chief James: I guess when we start the discussion certainly the Union will be at the table with us. I know that we will have some good discussion and good input from them. I know that they have some good collaborated ideas not only the Firefighters Union but, also the other Unions that are represented within the fire department to come to the table and talk about their ideas. I know that they have shared them in the past also with Jerry Ambrose. We will look at every option with the primary goal to preserve and save the core mission of the fire department. We all know that is going to be tuff, there is no doubt about it. The Mayor is committed that those core services of Fire and EMS services will be there, with the Unions being on board with that. Chief Cochran: Chief James and I both are very committed to a collaborative effort and trying to be open and transparent. I will admit I am a big believer in transparency and I don't have all the answers. But I have a lot of bright people working here. We hopefully will get ideas from them. They are a little reluctant at times because they all belong to the Union. In the Union there is a contract that is in place and I certainly understand and honor that but these are very extenuating circumstances and we don't know where this is going to end. Commissioner Hudson: I don't know if you know the answer but, with a lot of these training classes for the different areas of service that we provide are those all duplicated within each fire department in our region? Chief Cochran: We have our in house training at the stations, which the Captain or Lieutenant might perform that day as part of our daily training. We have the Lansing Fire Training that's offered. The next two weeks we are doing firefighter right to know and infectious control that are required...that we have to do. There are other things that go on. Recently they just held the heavy duty extraction Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 4 of 12 school. A lot of those are pushed out to the Metro partners. What they are trying to do at the Metro is have an Annual calendar which they are still working on. Then there are those things that we have to train together for teams such as: Trench Collapse, Confined Space, Haz Mat and that will be offered at the Metro level. Then some of these other classes like the heavy extraction class that will be offered to them if they want to send their personnel. There is a multi tier approach to this. It starts in the stations then goes on up. EMS is overseen by Officer Greg Haman from Meridian Fire. The EMS continuing education credits have to be submitted and requested to the State. That schedule is put on the Annual calendar, which is rotated from the various departments with the class locations. For example like the Infectious Control and Firefighter right to Know is a requirement. We submitted and have been approved to have EMS credits for those classes. As I have mentioned before that a paramedic has to have 45 continuing credits in a three year period and an EMT has to have 30 credits. On top of the 45 credit the Medics need, every two years they have to be ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certified) of which they get the condensed class. I believe they get 8 to 10 credits. They also have to be certified within the Tri-County by Dr. Orr the Medical Director for the Tri-County Emergency Medical Control Authority. Dr. Orr authorizes each of the Responders to the License Level. Commissioner Hudson: I was just thinking about how the surrounding elementary schools have tried to combine the schools. Instead of having one here and one there they have picked the third one and combined them. We don't have a whole lot of room because we have done most of that for like Haz Mat training. Delhi is not going to have their own training program and Lansing has it's own training program. It is a regional thing where we are already trying to consolidate all the classes into an area and that type of thing. So there is no big cost savings there. Chief Cochran: I don't believe there is a lot of cost savings. The real bonus is that we are a Metro Team working together. I have to give credit to a number of other people for all their work. Commissioner Hudson: Someone had mentioned to me that there would be like about a 3 1/2 million dollar savings if we become Regional overnight. I know we have talked about it before, but it seems a little excessive. Chief James: It was in the Lansing Township proposal. Chief Cochran: We had developed what I believe was real solid fair plan. The plan still exists which is very viable. I attended the Lansing Township Board, and talked to two couples. We were going to offer their firefighters our pay scale and retirement. It would have been more efficient, due to the fact that they have to go through Lansing to get to some of their areas which is not safe. Since some of Lansing Fire stations are closer to those locations then Lansing Township Commissioner Washington: We have to regionalize not only fire but Police along with attitudes have to change from all the surrounding areas. Especially in these economic times today. Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 5 of 12 Chief Cochran: We actually went to Lansing Community College and met with City Managers, Mayor's, Politicians and Chiefs. I stated that they are the ones that need to make this happen. I as the Fire Chief can not make this happen. I went to the Lansing Township and made that proposal, that's where that came from. I think we are looking at any where from 8 to 12 million dollars for next year. I attended a meeting today the Governor was there, we were talking about funding for school aid. It is unfortunate that politicians don't make the decisions that need to be made. Commissioner Ferro: Chief until we get a regional solution can we have revenue generated with the training. Can we charge the other fire departments that train with us? Chief Cochran: I don't think that is a good idea. I believe we have built real solid relationships and to do something like would tear all that down. It would make that gap even greater. Chief Atkins: I think what you would see is that they would all work together and just leave us out. Chief James: It's utilizing everybody's resources to make this training happen. It's not like Lansing has all the resources. We have to call on their personnel to help teach the classes, utilize some of their equipment and their space. My feeling is that they would completely pull away from us and leave us on our own. Chief Cochran: It took us about 12-13 years to building our trust and relationship, and to go backwards it would not be worth the revenue. Commissioner Perez-Banuet: What is the annual budget? Chief Cochran: Our total budget is 2on dollars inEMmilIion dollars, 80 -85 % of that is personnel cost. S revenue,ue, which certainly doesn't pay for the We generate about 3 mil service but it helps to offset it. Chief James: I believe the gross revenue it generates for the EMS service is about 6.3 million. But we only see about 3.1 million of that. Chief Cochran: If you have any ideas contact Tim or myself. I will keep you updated, as I get any more information. nerate e cost for Commissioner Hudson Is the computer system able It doesn't have to be atfirme an numberl know the the different types of situations? he Postal Services compares prices for services compared to other department. Chief James: The State of Michigan is currently collecting data to compare to the National Association. There only 41 communities participating in this program. We should be able to provide that information in about 2 years. Questions from the Commissioners: Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 6 of 12 Commissioner Perez Banuet: Is there a different standard being the Capitol City? Are we required to have more because we have government buildings? Chief Cochran: We are not required to have more, but we do have more government buildings to protect than Ann Arbor. That is where revenue sharing came from and that is what it's supposed to pay. They have never given us 50% which was promised to the Cities, Townships and Counties. Now they have eliminated that revenue which was to be given to us. Commissioner Kenney: Is this cut in stone, because if you listen to Governor Granholm she said don't worry about that because I'll find the money some place. Chief Cochran: I would say it is not cut in stone there is definitely a lot of politics that are taking place. Everyone has got their own agenda, we can sit here all night and discuss the issue but this is a global economic issue. Chief Cochran: My fear is for the younger generation, because they have put the effort into their education. Their scholarship has been taken from them after it was promised to them.00 that was allotted forr this year. niversity because they have picked up the $5But the student will be responsible for that portion next year. Emergency Management Update by Trent Atkins: Interns and volunteers: Rachel Marshall has started with us a couple a months ago. She is the Community Planner with our office through the Americorps. She is committed to our department for about a year, but potentially for two years. Rachel position is looking at special needs for the community and how to better communicate with them and met their needs as it relates to disaster. We have one other Community Planner in office now again through Americorps. She is working specifically with dolthing.us program. The idea is if you do one thing a month for twelve months you would be prepared for a disaster. The program actually started here in this office with Ronda Oberlin and Ken Jones who was the Emergency Manager prior to me. It since has become its own private non-profit organization it is funded by several grants. It is mostly here in Michigan, but you see dolthing groups popping all over the county. If everything works out right we will bring on a Homeland Security Planner on January 1, 2010, with Homeland Security Funding. A third Americorps Planner will work with Neighborhood Groups and Small s out the en There isvabsolutely e are tryinn no take todvantage of some the City for those of the stimulus money that two years after that there is no commitment to keep those positions. Americorps Intern Rachel Marshall: Gave a brief introduction of her duties, during her assignment with Emergency Management. Ms. Marshal is also looking at the social media aspect of warning messages for the community. The ID Program — Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins reported that the really great thing about this program is that if right now we were to have a flood or tornado in Lansing we would be able to identify special population. Currently we have no idea where our special population is. This program we would be able to identify in a Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 7 of 12 neighborhood or specifically to a group where we would need to put our resources when it comes to evacuation. Who is going to need the assistance because they are shut in due to their physical impairment? We are also looking at the translation of documents, with the different languages within our city. We started working with Michigan State University Criminal Justice Program since last fail we have been getting at least 1 intern every term. People have been asking why are we getting criminal justice students? More then 50 % of our job down here is working with homeland security, we deal a lot with critical infrastructural and grants. We provide them with a lot of opportunities to not only to work here on projects but the interns also work with event planning. Most recent was our Silver Bells event regarding security, intelligence gathering and response. The interns also get an opportunity to go out to the Michigan Intelligence Operation Center. They spent a day with different departments such as; Bomb Squad, Forensic Lab, Lansing Police Department. Also Ms. Marshal has been working with Brad Drury from our Fire Marshal Division with our recent Homicide investigations. This past summer we had two interns. Actually in the spring our department will be getting two more interns. We are trying to be creative; it is tough times and we are not going to get more resources at this point. But the community still has to be served. We have to try to reduce that risk within the community the best we can, so if the Feds and the Colleges want to offer us assistance we are going to take it. Chief Cochran: draft recruitment brochure. Patti and I worked on Included in your packet is a recent this project with Denise assisting. We took an old one and updated it with recent pictures. We are actually going to change some of these pictures on it so this isn't most current draft. Thursday from 6-8 pm at the North Precinct is Public Safety Career Day that I will be attending. Commissioner Josephine Washington: Can I ask you why? When we can't pay the people that we have it makes no sense? Chief Cochran: I am going to be positive and more forward. There will be opportunities at some point. The idea being is that the impact we need to make is not just in the high schools but also in the middle school in trying to getting young people to focus on these careers. It used to be, that you could just walk into these jobs without to much experience and that has changed a great deal. You just can't walk into a firefighter position any longer off the street. The idea being we are trying to get these people here locally and we have some good resources to do that. We ask that they get experience from different departments and services as far as fire and EMS so when they come here they will have little seasoning. Because this job is unlike any other job that they will ever have they need to have a good idea what this job is all about. Commissioner Josephine Washington: So this is not recruiting? I mean it's okay if it is, but I was just wondering. Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 8 of 12 Chief Cochran: It is not recruiting specific to yes, we are going to hire in the spring. I had every intension of looking to hire in the spring. Obviously that is probably going to change because of what is going on. But at some point will have to hire again so we can't just sit back and not do anything we need to move forward. That is my attitude, I could retire and walk away from this or I could sit in my office and say okay we are going to cut positions. But we are trying to find a way. One, work with it and deal with it and try to keep those core services as Chief James and I said. And two, to me when there are negatives and bad things that happen. There are always opportunities and hopefully we can find some opportunities to move forward. We will move forward as I said we have a great department and our resources are most important. Resources are people and we have a lot of really good people here. So we will continue to providing what we do and we will still make those calls. You also have your calendar for 2010. 1 know that we changed them a little bit with regards to any Holiday's; I know Patti looked at that. But if there are any issues, let us know please. Chief James: If not at this meeting but next meeting they do need to be approved so she can them post with the City Clerk. Chair Helen Keeney: Do we want to take the time to look at our calendar that you were given tonight. If there are not any problems we can get it approved tonight. Chief Cochran: I think you can go ahead and approve them. Department Update: Chief Cochran: I talked about career day on Thursday. Business offices are closed tomorrow for the holiday. The purchase order has been cut for our 12-Lead Cardiac Monitors, we have selected Philips. They were actually the number one choice in the process. There were three monitors that were field tested. The group of personnel selected the Philips Monitor and that happened to be the lowest bid. So there are 9 of those monitors. They have state of the art technology they have Bluetooth capabilities. The reading can be sent directly to the Hospitals and to their hand held devices. We will also be purchasing 14 automatic externals defibrillators. Alicia Perez-Banuet: Did you say 9 or 12 monitors? Chief Cochran: 9 of the 12 lead monitors also 14 automatic externals defibrillators. Chair Helen Keeney: That's has been approved? Chief Cochran: The purchase order has been cut for monitors, which came out of Capital improvement funds. We are also moving forward on I haven't got a Purchase Order yet on new Tough Books, our EMS reporting computers. The Panasonic Toughbooks that the EMT's and Medics use in the field are close to 5 years old so we needed to replace those and we had money in our computer technology budget. We are working towards getting that done, I have not seen a purchase order yet. Fire Board Minutes of November 10, 2009 Page 9 of 12 Chief James: The new fire truck is making progress. You can go to Crimson Fire Apparatus online if you would like to see some pictures. They had some updated pictures on their website a couple of weeks ago. They do not have a final completion date for us, but I would expect some time in March we will see that arrive here for us finish and train personnel on. The ambulances are in the process of being built at this time. We are looking on a delivery date some time in January. There are five being built, once again in the collaboration with Meridian, Delta, East Lansing and Grand Ledge. All five of the Chief's are having one ambulance built. Commissioner Ferro: The Dot thing, is that a 501 C3 a non-profit organization that is based here in Lansing? Chief Trent Atkins: The RSVP is a retired group of individual's; the project was funded by grant money. The program started here in Lansing. Commissioner Ferro: That brings up the idea of a 501 C3 to generate funds for the Fire Department. Maybe there are some other ways to generate funding so we are not dependent on the City. COMMITTEE REPORTS: None OLD BUSINESS: Chief Cochran: I will be meeting with Bob Brown, to organize a guide for new members. I do plan on meeting with you Commissioner Jody Washington. I'm sorry that I have had to cancel. Commissioner Jody Washington: Status on Security Badges? Chief Cochran, I will follow up with Bill Oberst. Commissioner Helen Keeney-Chair. Follow-up of photographs of Fire Board Members for the fire stations? Chief Cochran: I will check with Bill Oberst and Patti. GENERAL ORDER: Chief Cochran: If I might suggest we should move to approve 2010 Calendar for Fire Board Member meeting. Approval of Fire Board Calendar for 2010, motion by Commissioner Ferro and supported by Commissioner Hudson. A unanimous vote was taken for approval of the 2010 calendar. Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 10 of 12 Emergency Management Update by Chief Trent Atkins: Flood Plain Homes -We got our first appraisal on our home that we are buying with the PDM for the flood plain. We are going to be buying 72 homes that are in the flood plain. We are hoping that this next year we are going to get a little more grant funding. We are working on a project with the Coast Guard. We are looking at upgrading early warning for flooding, which are over 100 years old. We hope to secure some funding through their grant process to update all those river gauges and to create an early warning system. We recently received our Storm Ready status. Lansing has been identified through NOA and has been given Storm Ready Community Status. The idea is that we prepare the community. We have taken a number steps to mitigate flooding in the community. In return they have given us a couple of big signs, which will be placed at Station #1 and Station #8. What this means to the community is that it reduces that cost of flood insurance for those in the flood zone. Health Department update on the flu clinics -There have been about 12,000 people in the City of Lansing vaccinated. Community notification - We have been working with the community ever since the tornado a couple years ago. We have had the outdoor warning sirens. What we found is that there is really a gap in notify the community of special information. The pens that you have, it has Nexle.com on them. Nixie is a mass notification tool for the community. We have our outdoor warning sirens that tell people to go inside and turn their TV and radios on. Then we have Nixie which is a program that people opt in they sign up for. They can receive text, cell phone, email messages which fills the gap for the reverse 911. We are looking to do a live Reverse 911 on December 1st. However we are having some serious technical least a week to repair,difficulties. it is housed in East Lansing obviously have some ar went down today. They are looking a concerns. Nixie - The one thing I would like for you all to take out of this regarding Nixie is that the pens the magnets and everything that you see here is paid for by grant funds. This is not coming out of the City budget. You really need to encourage the community to sign up for Nixie. There are a lot of communities on Nixie including: Shiawassee County, Livingston County, Meridian Township, East Lansing, Delta Township. The idea with Nixie is that where ever you are traveling you'll get information, such as road closures and events notification. Polly Com PVX System - is a video conferencing system. There are about 6 units in the city now between the Lansing Police and Fire Department. We purchased 20 units and 20 software licenses to put a USB camera on key personnel laptops. We also have the funding to put these on the computers at the fire stations. They can log in from anywhere into our system and have video conference capabilities. Codespear -We are in the process of buying Code Spear licenses for every employee in the City of Lansing. It is a paging system that contacts your cell or home phone that will send a message that there is overtime. We can call the Dive Team, Start Team, Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 11 of 12 Haz-Mat Team with a message through this paging system and this system will eventually replace the system that we currently have in place. Hascollect -We are doing training next week for our new program called HAS Collect. Which is going to replace our Emergency Alerting System, you are familiar now with what you hear on the radio "Had this been actual emergency". This system is strictly web based and runs through the National Weather Service. This system is available through the television, all FM and weather stations so we will be able to get that message out. Hotline -We have in place a 483 info hot line. Which is a phone tree, you can call in wanting to know what to do with debris in your yard, or want to report debris. City TV is working through the firewalls that we will be able to hit government TV with information during an emergency. AM radio station -We recently specked out an AM Radio Station within the City of Lansing. Which will include three R dio Station can not only transm t 24 hours r's within the City locad in the north, southand in the middle of the city. The A information about happening within the city. But we can also put out emergency messages. So the idea is that we will be able to direct people to traffic issues. NEW BUSINESS: none ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Commissioner Keeney to adjourn the meeting. A unanimous vote was taken to adjourn the meeting at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Rosamaria Rosas Date: November 10th, 2009 Approved by the Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners on Tuesday January 13th 2010 Fire Board Minutes of November 10,2009 Page 12 of 12 �.� City of Lansing yp,1�SY1�rG Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street '' J Lansing MI 48933 r (517)483-4200 F! '-,j`I . Fax(517)483-4488 4E ns4 Virg Bernero,Mayor www.lansingfire.com Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING October 14, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on October 14, 2009, at the Lansing Fire Station #41 community room located at 120 E. Shiawassee St. Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Helen Keeney— Chair Louis Vinson III — Vice Chair Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet Yvonne Young McConnell COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Jody Washington } Robert Hudson k ; OTHERS PRESENT Fire Chief Tom Cochran Administrative Assistant, Patti Starnes Battalion Chief William Christiansen . ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA r.. None APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Brown and supported by Commissioner Young- McConnell to accept the September minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS LFD Newsletter— Chief Cochran discussed the LFD Fall newsletter with the Board. He thanked Patti Starnes for her work on the newsletter. Chief Cochran discussed the articles in the newsletter under Administrative Comments. November meeting change notice —The November meeting has been changed to Tuesday, November 10th at 6 p.m. at fire station #48 (EOC) located at 815 Marshall St. Fire Board Minutes of October 14th, 2009 Page 1 of 5 Updated Commissioner Committee Assignment and phone list was distributed. PRESENTATIONS none ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Department Update: • Fire Prevention open house was held on Saturday October 3rd. Chief Cochran thanked the Commissioners for attending the event. He thanked inspector Bobbie Fockler for the great job she did on the open house along with the secretaries in the Lansing Fire Department. • All promotions have been filled. • Borderline Fun Fest—The fundraiser began 27 years ago after the fire at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Lansing. Lansing Fire and Police and East Lansing Fire and Police worked the fire incident together. The owners showed their appreciation by hosting a barbeque for both departments. The tradition was started and today the event is an annual fundraiser for the 100 Club and the Old News Boys. • Commissioner Jody Washington was featured in the LFD Newsletter. • Interns —There are currently 2 interns working in the EOC (Rachel Marshall, Americorps VISTA/MSU graduate and Brittany Crawford, MSU Criminal Justice student). We are hoping to add more interns in the future. • Big rig extrication class took place last month. Coincidentally the next day there was an incident at the Meijer parking lot in which a driver of a mini van drove his vehicle into a semi. • Chief Cochran gave an update on the Public Information Officer program which is headed up by Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins. The department PIO's are Margaret Murphy, Eric Weber, Steve Mazurek, Monique Drury and Steve Babcock. • Chief Cochran discussed the newsletter article by Firefighter Steve Babcock regarding the headstone dedication that took place at Mt. Hope Cemetery on September 19th by the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. Harmon Paddleford was a founding member of the Lansing Fire Department and in 1861 was elected foreman of Torrent Engine Company#1. He died of Typhoid while serving in the Company A of the 20th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. The Lansing Fire department Honor Guard, Station 6, Battalion 41 and 49 attended the ceremony. Firefighter Steve Babcock is a member the LFD museum committee and is continually researching the history of the Lansing Fire department. • H1 N1 city procedure update —The Emergency Management division under the direction of Trent Atkins along with others from the City of Lansing have done a great job coordinating the city wide procedures. Meetings have been taking place regularly with the City of Lansing departments to formulate a plan. Laminated posters have been sent out with procedures listed. The City of Lansing is doing a bulk purchase of sanitizing supplies. The LFD EMS rescue personnel are a little further down the line on the list of priority. Discussion followed regarding the H1 N1 vaccine. BC Christiansen commented that the EMS Fire Board Minutes of October 141h, 2009 Page 2 of 5 personnel to have protective gear that use to protect themselves while waiting for the vaccine to become available. Commissioner Chairperson Keeney discussed some of the conflicting information that has been reported on the news. • Chief Cochran reported that the postings are now closed for the Fire Prevention division. They are working through some issues with the postings. Chief Cochran discussed the 45 day trial period that IAAF members are entitled too. They can go back to their position within 45 days and not lose seniority. Chief Cochran also discussed rotating career track in which Battalion Chiefs would rotate through the divisions to gain an understanding of the various divisions within the Lansing Fire Department. But that is a contractual item that would need to be worked through. • Chief Cochran reported that some grievances have been resolved. • Chief Cochran reported the he and Patti Starnes are working on a draft Recruitment Brochure that will be geared to the Lansing Fire Department. Chief Cochran is excited about it and should have the brochures printed soon to be used at job fairs etc. There is a jobs fair coming up on November 14cn • Chief Cochran reported that this Friday one of our platforms will be in the MSU Homecoming parade. The MSU women's basketball team will be riding on the truck. • Food Pantry will be held this Saturday at the Bread Harvest church on S. Washington. • The Jr. Achievement 5k will take place at Hawk Island this Sunday. The Lansing Fire Department will be providing EMS coverage for the event. • City Hall OnThe Road will take place on Thursday, October 22"d at 6:00 pm at the South Precinct. Questions from the Commissioners: Commissioner Perez Banuet asked how the John Dyer ride went. Commissioner Chair Keeney and BC Christiansen reported that the Union gave her $10,000. Commissioner Chair Keeney reported that the cooking was fantastic. Matt Holzhei roasted a pig. The event had a good turnout. Commissioner Vice-Chair Vinson asked about the Firefighter who passed out at the 911 memorial. Chief Cochran reported that he was fine. He was just dehydrated. Commissioner Chair Keeney commented that the paper reported the Everttdale fire as a homicide. Chief Cochran cannot comment because the case is still open. Chief Cochran reported that he serves on the Elder Death Review panel with Dr. Sienko and it is very interesting. They have extended the invitation and are trying to expand to other agencies as well. Chief Cochran reported that Sgt. Tracy Ruiz from the Lansing Police department is involved with the elderly consortium TRIAD. They work with the area elderly population. They will be providing Christmas baskets again this year. The baskets will be filled on December 15tn starting at 9:00 a.m. at fire station #48. The Board is invited assist with filling the baskets. Commissioner Perez-Banuet asked who Chief Cochran is looking for as far as prospective new hires. Chief Cochran responded that he would like to hire homegrown Fire Board Minutes of October 14tn, 2009 Page 3 of 5 talent from the area. He wants to get the Firefighter job requirements out to students. He is trying to expand LFD's recruitment. Chief Cochran reported that he has been to every high school and some of the middle schools for career day. He is working towards getting a recruitment video up and running featuring some younger people in the department. He wants a video that will relate the fire service to students. Commissioner Vice-Chair Vinson asked if the information will be on the website. Chief Cochran responded that yes it will be on the website. He intends to put as much information electronically on the website as possible. Chief Cochran also said he would like the website updated and more fluid. Commissioner Vinson suggested using interns to update the website and possibly create a Facebook page. Discussion followed regarding web communication on sites such as Linkedn. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Chief Cochran and Commissioner Brown Jr. will be meeting to create a new commissioner orientation. OLD BUSINESS: none GENERAL ORDER: BC Christiansen explained the RIT (Rapid Intervention Team). Which is rescue your own. The training will take place next week out at the Training Tower. It runs Tuesday- Friday at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. BC Christiansen invited the Board to come out and watch the training. Chief Cochran reported that he is working with PND Director Bob Johnson to get access to the Deluxe Inn to use for training. They would be able to practice an in depth rapid intervention, tech rescue, confined space etc. The training would be very realistic. They can not practice with live burns in the City of Lansing but they do have a smoke room that they use for training at the Training tower. BC Christiansen reported that some out counties do practice with live burns but there are a lot of regulations involved. Chief Cochran reported that he does not have any new information on revenue sharing. It is still up in the air. Chief Cochran will be starting to work on the budget. He would like some ideas by the end of the year and would like to have the Board involved. Commissioner Brown discussed LFD's public image and public relations. He reported that it is a big boost to get reports on everything LFD has been involved around our community and believes it is paying off. Chief Cochran thanked Commissioner Brown for his positive comments and noted that he is big believer in community service. Chief Cochran said it has a lot to do with the Firefighters who are out in the community every day. Commissioner Brown asked if all stations had auto door closers. Chief Cochran reported that a lot of them have been taken out. Stations 41,47, 46 and 44 still have Fire Board Minutes of October 14th, 2009 Page 4 of 5 auto door openers. They have had problems too. Sometimes they stick and have mechanical errors. NEW BUSINESS: none ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Commissioner Brown and supported by Vice-Chair Vinson to adjourn the meeting. A unanimous vote was taken to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: -,+ , �t` �;` '�rt � �" Date: November 10th, 2009 Approved November 10th. 2009 Fire Board Minutes of October 14(h, 2009 Page 5 of 5 ` City of Lansing VNNsuvo Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 s (517)483-4200 .=s Fax(517) 483-4488 Virg Bernero,Mayor www.lansingfire.com Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING September 9, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on September 9th, 2009, at the Lansing Fire Department Maintenance Division located at 3708 Pleasant Grove Rd., Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Helen Keeney— Chair Louis Vinson III — Vice Chair Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet Jody Washington COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Yvonne Young McConnell OTHERS PRESENT Fire Chief Tom Cochran Administrative Assistant, Patti Starnes Maintenance Chief Bill Oberst - Battalion Chief Paul Smith Dave Keeney ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA None APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Ferro and supported by Commissioner Brown to accept the August minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS none Fire Board Minutes of September 9tn,2009 Page 1 of 3 PRESENTATIONS Recently retired Battalion Chief Tim Moede asked Chief Cochran to give the Commissioners copies of his book "Answering the Call". Chief Cochran presented the board members with signed copies of his book. ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Department Update: Muscular Dystrophy fundraiser "Fill the Boot" —The Lansing Fire Department raised just under $17,000 for the campaign. Chief Cochran thanked Engineer Jim Garlitz for organizing the fundraiser. He did a great job. Promotions: Recently the Lansing Fire Department has had a number of retirements which in turn left positions open for promotions. The promotions were approved by City of Lansing Administration within 2 weeks. Chief Cochran offered those being promoted the opportunity to invite their family to their promotion. Dan Oberst was promoted to the Chief of Training and his mother and wife attended and pinned his badges on. Captain Ron Finley is the most recent retirement which is effective September 3`d. The "critical need" paperwork to fill his open position has been forwarded to the Mayors office for approval. Chief Cochran expects a quick turn around time. Training Captain Brad Clemens has chosen to return to the Suppression division. This leaves the Training division with Dan Oberst, Chief of Training and Denise Acker Secretarial Specialist. Training Chief Oberst and Assistant Chief James worked together on the position justification. We received the approval to post and there are currently 2 Training Captain positions are posted through September 13tn Chairperson Helen Keeney asked when the department will be hiring firefighters. Chief Cochran hopes to hire in the spring of 2010. All in all Chief Cochran is pleased with the promotions being approved so quickly. Mayor Bernero has been very supportive of the Lansing Fire Department. We continue to hire and make promotions. Things are going well. Update on Everettdale and Barnes Ave. fires —The Fire Marshal division is close to wrapping up the investigations on both fires. Information has not been released yet. The information will be made public as soon as they can. Fires have been pretty quiet recently. There was a small fire on Gardenia. Battalion Chief Smith commented on the small cooking fire that took place oh Holmes Rd. last week. Chief Cochran introduced Bill Oberst, Chief of Maintenance and Battalion Chief Paul Smith. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Chief Cochran discussed the new Fire Commissioner orientation process. It is listed under the duties of the Personnel committee. Commissioner Brown said they should Fire Board Minutes of September 9fn, 2009 Page 2 of 3 come up with something as a committee. Commissioner Brown and Chief Cochran will work on it. Chairperson Keeney appointed Commissioner Jody Washington to the Buildings and Equipment Committee. OLD BUSINESS: none GENERAL ORDER: Bill Oberst asked the Commissioners to check their ID badges and make sure they are working properly. 9/11 Memorial will be held on Friday, September 11 th at Wentworth Park. The march begins at the Lansing Center at 9:30 a.m. Chief Cochran invited the Board to attend. Parking will be limited due to construction. In honor of the 9/11 a local company is delivering breakfast to Stations #44, #46 and #49. Fire Prevention Week Open House will be held on Saturday October 3rd from 10 a.m. — 2:00 p.m, at fire station #48 located at 815 Marshal St. Chief Cochran invited the Commissioners to attend. Some of the events will be: extrications, high angle, kids hose events, food, trucks etc. John Dyer Memorial ride will take place on September 12th, 2009. They are trying to raise enough money for the endowment fund in memory of Battalion Chief John Dyer. Chief Cochran gave a Fire Act grant update. Bill Oberst and Mike Hamel worked on the grant application along with Weiland Davco. The grant is 15 million maximum and 5 million per project. We have submitted requests for rehabbing Station #42, #48 and #49 and are hoping for a "green" building project. We should know by the end of September. Commissioner Keeney asked for an update on the GM property. Chief Cochran reported that GM has made an offer to the City of Lansing for the City of Lansing to purchase GM property. Bill Oberst discussed the plans for the 3 stations if the grant is received. Commissioner Washington asked to be excused for the October meeting. Vice-Chairperson Vinson asked to be excused for the November and December meetings. NEW BUSINESS: none ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Commissioner Brown and supported by Commissioner Ferro to adjourn the meeting. A unanimous vote was taken to adjourn the meeting at 7:04 p.m. f' Respectfully Submitted by: '� rt �t ` -' Date: October 14th, 2009 Fire Board Minutes of September P, 2009 Page 3 of 3 r City of Lansing ti� s�NG Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)4834200 � , 2 Fax(517)4834488 Virg Bernero,Mayor www.lansingfire.com Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING Au ust 12, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on August 12th, 2009, at Fire Station #49 located at 520 Glendale St., Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Helen Keeney— Chair Louis Vinson III —Vice Chair Jody Washington Frank Ferro Yvonne Young McConnell Alicia Perez-Banuet COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Robert Brown Jr. Robert Hudson OTHERS PRESENT Fire Chief Tom Cochran Assistant Fire Chief Tim James Secretary, Patti Starnes ' ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA None APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Frank Ferro and supported by Yvonne McConnell to accept the July minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS Communications — FEMA Financial First Aid Kit was given to the board. Fill The Boot Totals —The MDA fundraiser went very well. Jim Garlitz and Eric Weber have taken on this campaign and have done a phenomenal job coordinating it. So far the LFD campaign has raised $13527 for Jerry's Kids. Other area departments are also running their own campaigns. LFD will be doing a few more fundraisers including Fire Board Minutes of August 12', 2009 Page 1 of 4 one outside the Lugnut stadium. The donation numbers continue to grow under the direction of Firefighter Garlitz and Engineer Weber. PRESENTATIONS Chief Cochran welcomed new commissioner Josephine "Jody" Washington to the Fire Board. Chief Cochran would like to meet with her for an orientation and tour of the department. Jody reported that she is excited to be on the board and hopes to be a good addition. Helen Keeney welcomed Jody to the board and commented that the firefighters are the best group of people to be around and are eager to get to know the board members. ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Year to Date 6 month comparison - AC James reported that our numbers are very close to last year. In the past we have seen a 4% increase per year. It seems to be stabilizing and that is good for the department right now. Discussed the various types of calls and how the officers list the calls in the report. Chief Cochran asked the board to look over the numbers and come back with any questions at next months meeting. National Night Out - AC James reported that the event kickoff was on Monday at Francis Park. All the local fire and law enforcement were there. The event was sponsored by Target. It was a great evening and very well attended by the citizens of Lansing. That event rolled us into National Night Out on Tuesday evening. . There were about 35 neighborhood events. However they had a few emergency calls to respond to. The crews were able to attend all but about 3 neighborhood parties. Neighborhoods had everything from a couple of picnic tables to bands at their events. It was pleasure for himself and the crews to get out and spend time with the citizens. Chief Cochran reported that this is the first time we have been so involved with the event and it went very well. He thanked Assistant Chief James for attending the event. General Discussion Update on Everettdale fire and the Barnes Ave. fire—The investigations are ongoing and the investigator should be coming out with reports soon. Buyrite Furniture fire —There is no new update. It is still under investigation. Retirements — Chief Cochran reported that a lot of people are retiring right now and he is pleased to say that the Human Resources department and the Mayors office have made sure that the promotions are taking place very quickly. That is really important for the morale of the department. The crews anticipate their promotions and are very pleased to move up. Chief Cochran allows them to invite their families to the promotion ceremonies. It was very important to him when his mom and wife pinned his bars on and he extends that option to the crews if they choose. Captain Curtis Stewart stopped in and was invited to say a few words to the board. He is retiring and his last day is Saturday. Captain Curtis Stewart stated that loves what he does, it doesn't even seem like a job. LFD is the best department around and this is the Fire Board Minutes of August 12', 2009 Page 2 of 4 best job in the world. Helen Keeney said that she will never understand why you do what you do...but thank you. He also volunteers at the railroad history museum. Trains are a hobby of his. Chief Cochran said that Captain Curtis will be greatly missed. He has a great passion for his job. The board wished him well on his retirement. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Committees — Chief Cochran suggested looking at the committee assignments and coming back next month with any changes. Patti Starnes will email the committee list and it will be discussed and decided on next month. OLD BUSINESS: Apparatus Update — We are purchasing an engine and an ambulance —The engine should arrive after the 1 st of the year and the new medic unit should arrive in the next few months. We currently have no reserves. Two ladder trucks are down for repairs. The garage is working to get them repaired as soon as possible. We will respond two all calls with 2 ladder companies. Engine 48 and 44 are the only ladder trucks in service and they will be responding to calls. Our metro partners have been contacted just in case we have to call on them for mutual aid. Yvonne Young McConnell asked where the new engine and ambulance will be stationed. It was reported that the engine will be at station #9 but they are not sure yet on the medic unit. They would like to put a 5th ambulance in service. Helen Keeney asked what is going to be done about not having a reserve in service. Chief Cochran reported that Greg Klco at the Garage is working very hard to get the repairs done. They called a mechanic back in after hours to work on #41. AC James said the new ambulance was purchased a little different than usual. It was purchased under "bid bridge" online in conjunction with 5 area departments who were also purchasing the same ambulance. The online bid process was very interesting to watch. The process only took about a Yz hour. AC James explained the bid process. After the bidding took place the specifications were matched up and the orders were placed. This is the first time in LFD history that we worked with our Metro partners to purchase apparatus. GENERAL ORDER: Chief Cochran commented on the Michigan Municipal League and the article in the Outlook. Chief Cochran thanked the Mayor for his push for regional cooperation. Regionalization efforts were discussed. The Lansing Township proposal was done a few years ago. At this point we are not in regionalization discussions. However, we participate in a lot of regional training and are working with our Metro partners. With the economy and the state revenue sharing difficulties, departments may be more willing to talk about regionalization. Fire Board Minutes of August 12', 2009 Page 3 of 4 AC James reported that an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) vehicle is being purchased for the Metro team through the Homeland Security grant. We are working with the Metro Fire Chiefs and Garage Supervisor, Greg Klco to finish the bid specifications. The project should be ready to go out to bid in a couple of months. BC Moede stopped by to say goodbye to the board. He is retiring on Friday. Chief Cochran commented that BC Tim Moede is a published author. He wrote a book entitled "Answering the Call". The book reflects on his experiences with the Lansing Fire Department. Chief Cochran went on to say that it has been great working with him throughout his career. BC Moede also has a military background. Chief Cochran congratulated him on his 25 years of service to the Lansing Fire Department and the citizens of Lansing. BC Moede explained the background of the book and said it was therapeutic for him. He has seen some bad stuff and had trouble sleeping etc. His pastor told him to journal his thoughts. He had so many stories that he decided to write a book. BC Moede said the he loves job and the Lansing Fire Department. It is the best "job" he has ever had. The board wished him well on his retirement. Helen Keeney thanked Chief Cochran for his involvement in the Senior Fair tomorrow. Yvonne Young McConnell will be sending Chief Cochran a letter regarding the African American parade that is coming up. NEW BUSINESS: The department would like to display portraits of the Fire Board in the Station #1 Administration lobby. Please submit a photo to Patti Starnes if you have one. ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Helen Keeney adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. , Respectfully submitted by on September 9th 2009 Approved September 9th. 2009 Fire Board Minutes of August 12', 2009 Page 4 of 4 L s i r City of Lansing G t Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E.Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 Fax(517)483-4488 '� DO www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING July 15, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on Wednesday, July 15th,2009, at Fire Station #48 located at 815 Marshall St., Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Yvonne Young-McConnell, Helen Keeney, Robert Hudson, Robert Brown, Louis Vinson III, Frank Ferro, Alicia Perez-Banuet COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED none j- t; cr� OTHERS PRESENT ` Chief Cochran -� Trent Atkins, Emergency Management Chief Patti Starnes, Secretary c, Introductions: Station 8 Crew- Daniels, Gillespie, Ruff, Barrera, Nicholson, Kowalesky, Perrone - ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and seconded by Louis Vinson III to accept the July 15th, 2009 Agenda as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Frank Ferro and supported by Robert Brown Jr. to approve the June minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS Email from BC Paul Smith regarding an ambulance run on May 27th, 2009. The family of the patient was very grateful for the care that LFD provided. Mobile food pantry notice for this Saturday July 18th. Chief Cochran commented that the Lansing Fire Department has become an integral part of this whole program. Dr. Joan Jackson is a great person and does a phenomenal job. The crews participate by passing out food. Fire Board Minutes of July 15, 2009 Page 1 of 5 Mike Hamel email regarding empty dwellings in the city— Mike Hamel stepped in and acted as Emergency Manager while Trent Atkins was recovering from shoulder surgery. Chief Atkins reported that the number of empty dwellings in the City of Lansing is a pretty staggering number. PRESENTATIONS Chief Atkins, Emergency Management Chief Houses in flood zone purchased through Federal grant-Trent Atkins distributed a list of 57 homes that the City of Lansing has acquired through a Federal grant. The structures are all in the flood zone and flood way. They were purchased for fair market value and will be torn down. There are plans to use the space as green urban farming and other green projects. This should reduce the flood damage risk to the community. Robert Hudson asked if the homes will be used for training purposes. Trent Atkins said that hasn't come up yet but it is certainly a good question and the homes will be available. Chief Cochran added that we are really fortunate to have Ronda Oberlin in the Emergency Management division. She is a gem not only for the City of Lansing but for the County as well. She does a phenomenal job and is one of the most knowledgeable people in the area regarding flood management. Discussion followed regarding the project. The Potter Park zoo is also in the flood plain. Discussion followed regarding the evacuation point for the zoo at Dakin St. and the flood problems on Lindbergh Drive. MSU Interns-Trent Atkins started the program last winter and it is bigger this year. They have taken on 2 interns from the MSU Department of Criminal Justice. One project they are working on is mini field guides for City of Lansing buildings outside of Lansing City Hall. Vista Volunteer to start Sept 21 st, 2009, They are similar to a domestic peace corp. Vistas are available at no cost to the City of Lansing. She will attend VISTA training in Atlanta, GA and when she returns she will be working on a communications plan focusing on special populations in the area. Elder High Rise Education—Emergency Management is working with the Tri County Office on Aging and Inspector Bobbie Fockler from the Fire Marshal division to provide training to elderly citizens living in high rise buildings. Chief Cochran reported that this is a great project and a long time overdue. Chief Atkins reported.that they have come with creative ways to utilize our personnel more efficiently. Equip for LPDI LFD infrastructure ....we are getting a dedicated black fiber line to Fire Station#8 and to Fire Station#1. Common Ground 2009—The Communication Center ran as usual. There were 27 med calls, 15 transports. Monique Drury will be pulling calls for last 5 years and creating a report. Chief Cochran reported that there were not many arrests either. Robert Hudson asked about attendance. There were anywhere from just under 8,000 -15,000 per night. They had very good attendance overall. Helen Keeney reported that last year there were a total of 81,000 in attendance and this year there were 77,000. However more money is reported to have been made this year even with the lower attendance. Helen Keeney reported that she and her husband were able to tour the command center. She commented on the operation and said that it was a very professional operation. Chief Cochran said that Emergency Manager Trent Atkins did a great job as always, There was a lot of support from the Lansing Fire department and other city departments as well. Nixel—Trent Atkins demonstrated to the Board a new piece of software called NIXEL. The City of Lansing will be implementing the program. We are waiting on Homeland Security grant funds to market the Fire Board Minutes of July 15, 2009 Page 2 of 5 ' 1 program to the public. It is and opt-in program and will require citizens to sign up for free of charge. The program will enhance our community communications. The software will send a message to any text device. Scottsdale, AZ is a huge proprietor of using this equipment. It will allow for real time information. The program has the ability to select everyone or filter certain areas for notification of evacuations, special events, advisories, etc. It is not limited to the City of Lansing, any community can jump on board. Individuals will need to sign up for each community. Chief Cochran discussed the networking that it will allow. We are trying to get funds for a media blitz on how and where to sign up. Trent has shared this with other partners around the community such as Delta and East Lansing etc. You can view the program at the Nixel website. Public Information Officer Public Service Announcements—The PIO's will be meeting next week with the media to develop 4 public service announcements focusing on summer safety. Trent will also be working with IT to put them on the city website. Louis Vinson asked if Trent has worked with MI Municipal League on the project. They may be able to lend assistance for sign up and community awareness. Louis Vinson volunteered to be the contact person on it. Louis Vinson asked how the fireworks went. Trent Atkins reported that they went well and there were no problems. ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS -Chief Cochran LFD Information Bulletin regarding promotions. Chief Cochran discussed the current promotions that just took place: • Rodney Faust—Captain IV • Michael Rose—Lieutenant III • Kerwin Norwood—Engineer II • Jerome Tolbert- Department Financial Officer • Mark Burger- Engineer II • Christopher Waier- Engineer II Retirements: A couple of retirement parties are coming up. Patti Starnes will forward the information to the Board. Battle for Blood.—LFD won again. Chief Cochran and Chief Alley faced off in a free throw competition. . There was also a Fire vs. Police basketball game at Pattengill on Saturday. Battle for Blood is a great program. New Recruit Graduation—Thanks to all who attended. Chief Cochran reported that the graduation went well. The LFD Training Division did a great job with the class. Yvonne Young-McConnell reported that the two young men who helped setup the event did a great job too. Chief Cochran went onto report that Mayor Bernero attended. It was a very nice family oriented event. Chief Stafford reported to Chief Cochran that this was best recruit class he had ever had. Chief Cochran thanked Mayor Bernero and his commitment to public safety. Chief Cochran has been able to hire 40 people since he became Chief of the Lansing Fire Department. Fire Board Minutes of July 15, 2009 Page 3 of 5 i 1121 S Washington update training order that was lifted in order to get the site cleaned up. Chief Cochran discussed the temporary res The site was a public safety and public nuisance problem. Chief Cochran is hoping that the cleanup will move quickly. Chief Cochran discussed the repairs that will have to be made to the remaining structure. The fire was determined to be intentionally set. The investigation is ongoing. Fire Marshal Phil Sabon and his division are working very diligently on the investigation. Robert Hudson reported that the reason he wanted it on the agenda to be discussed was to get clarification on the situation. It seems like the media was presenting it as the City vs. the Building Owner. How does the dept handle that type of thing? He is concerned about the media coverage. Chief Cochran reported that the investigation is ongoing. The media will do what they do. Robert Hudson reported that according to Bill Houghtaling it took about$1000 worth of plywood to secure it. Everettdale fire— It was a very sad situation. A mother and her 2 children were killed in the fire. It was very difficult for the Firefighters and divisions involved in the incident. Chief Cochran personally visited each station to talk about it with the crews. A week later we hosted a Critical Incident Stress Management debriefing with our crews along with the LPD. Our Chaplain Doug Bradshaw is a great Chaplain. He was there to lend support to the crews. Ken Jones who retired from LFD was also there. Ken has a great presence and calmness about him during difficult times. Chief Cochran purposely did not attend but heard it went really well and will continue to work with the crews involved in the incident. COMMITTEE REPORTS None OLD BUSINESS none NEW BUSINESS Vote for Chair and Vice Chair Yvonne Young McConnell received an email from Secretary, Patti Starnes regarding a request for secret ballot voting for Chair and Vice-Chair. Yvonne Young McConnell met with the City Attorney on Monday and according the City Charter and the Open Meetings Act, voting for a chairperson in an open meeting is not considered private and the Board will need to adhere to the Open Meetings Act, Alicia Perez-Banuet thanked Yvonne Young-McConnell for her work on it. Chairperson McConnell opened the floor for Chairperson nominations: Robert Brown Jr. nominated Helen Keeney Yvonne Young McConnell nominated Helen Keeney Helen Keeney nominated Louis Vinson III A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and seconded by Frank Ferro to close the nominations. Nominations were closed. Helen Keeney and Louis Vinson III are the Chairperson nominees. A Vote was taken by a show of hands in the affirmative for Helen Keeney and a vote was taken by a show of hands in the negative for Louis Vinson III. Helen Keeney by majority is voted in as the Chairperson for a 1 year term expiring June 30th, 2010. Chairperson McConnell opened the floor for Vice Chairperson nominations: Frank Ferro nominated Louis Vinson III Yvonne Young McConnell nominated Frank Ferro Fire Board Minutes of July 15, 2009 Page 4 of 5 A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr, and seconded by Helen Keeney to close the nominations. Nominations were closed. A vote was taken by show of hands in the negative for Frank Ferro and a vote was taken by a show of hands in the affirmative for Louis Vinson III. Louis Vinson by majority is voted in as Vice-Chairperson for a 1 year term expiring June 30th, 2010. Chairperson Yvonne McConnell commented that it has been a great 3 years of serving as Board Chairperson. She offered Helen Keeney her assistance with any questions about the Chairperson duties. She will be available to help out. Yvonne Young the elventst on andto say will maket Helen Keeey is a great chairperson extremely dedicated to the Lansing Fire Department, attend Chief Cochran thanked Yvonne Young McConnell for her service to the Board, the Lansing Fire department and the citizens of Lansing while serving as the Board Chairperson. GENERAL ORDER Yvonne Young-McConnell announced to the board that Carlos Barajas' term ended on June 30th, 2009. A new commissioner has been appointed and confirmed to fill the At-Large seat for the Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners effective July 6th, 2009 for a 4-year term to expire June 30, 2013. Chief Cochran spoke about the letter that Bob Johnson, Director of Planning and Neighborhood Development sent to the board members inviting them to participate in the City of Lansing Master Plan. If you are able participate in the Master Plan that would be great. Yvonne Young-McConnell asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was made by Helen Keeney and supported by Louis Vinson III to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p,m. Respectfully Submitted by: August 12, 2009 Patti Starnes, Board Secretary Date APPROVED August 12, 2009 Fire Board Minutes of July 15, 2009 Page 5 of 5 CITY OF LANSING Axsr BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda Wednesday,June 10th 2009 at 6:00 pm A Fire Station#7 ` Z D01' `C � I 629 N.Jenison Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran Chairperson, Third Ward Yvonne Young Call to Order- Roll Call McConnell nd Request for Commissioners to be excused: Vice Chairperson, 2 Robert Hudson Ward Helen Keeney Additions to the Agenda: At Large Review/Approval of Minutes: Carlos Barajas r May Fourth Ward - Robert Brown Jr. Review of Communications: _. f Thank you letter regarding Training Chief John Stafford At-Large Frank Ferro Presentations: First Ward Administrative Comments: Robert Hudson 0 Budget Update • Critical Needs At-Large • Chili Cook-off Alicia Perez-Banuet . LFD/LPD Soccer Game • LFD Year Books At-Large . Deb Pacheco - Retirement Louis Vinson III Secretary Committee Reports: Patti Starnes Fire Chief Old Business: Tom Cochran Assistant Fire Chief New Business: Tim James General Order: • Reminder—vote for chair/vice chair at the July meeting Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4564 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING MI 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 City of Lansing lio Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 ijtj GFax (517) 483-4488 www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING June 10th, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on June 10th, 2009, at Fire Station #47 located at 629 N. Jenison, Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson Carlos Barajas Alicia Perez-Banuet Helen Keeney == Yvonne Young-McConnell T COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED = Louis Vinson III OTHERS PRESENT Chief Cochran Assistant Chief Tim James Station 47 Crew Secretary Denise Acker ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell asked for additions to the Agenda. No additions were noted. A Motion was made by Alicia Perez-Banuet to accept the Agenda as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Helen Keeney and second by Robert Brown Jr. to approve the June minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. Fire Board Minutes of June 10, 2009 Page 1 of 5 Yvonne Young-McConnell had a question regarding the Agenda showing Robert Hudson as being excused when in fact he is in attendance. Mr. Hudson explained he was not sure if he would be able to make the meeting. Thus he showed as excused. COMMUNICATIONS Chief Cochran referred everyone to the back side of the agenda where there was a letter from the President of Morris & McDaniel, Inc. Management Consultants Mr. David M. Morris, Ph.D., J.D. The letter was from Mr. Morris to Chief Cochran expressing his thanks and appreciation for the service of John Stafford, Chief of Training (Lansing Fire Dept) who served as an assessor in the 2008 Fire Driver Project for the Memphis Department of Fire & Rescue. Chief Cochran explained that the assessment was to compile a drivers list like our engineers list for the department. Not knowing their promotional system, a lot of times a promotional center will do the assessments and compile a list and from this list is who would be promoted into the ranks. Chief Stafford performed admirably and was very much appreciated for serving as an assessor. ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS - Chief Cochran Some things not on the agenda: • One: Roberta Fockler had signed the posting for the Fire Prevention position. She has served her 45 days in the position and has chosen to stay in the position. We are in the process of the critical needs work to promote. Roberta was an engineer and is now working to be a Fire Inspector. We are looking at sending her to some programs this fall to get her up and running. She has been working very closely with Fire Marshall Phil Sabon and Inspector Brad Drury and is doing a very good job. • Second: The Sinas Dramis Bike Rodeo was a huge event. Approximately 500 helmets were given away, and 10 to 15 bikes were raffled off. Several events have happened: • The Chili Cook-Off was a huge event. The firefighters won second place in the people's choice (The Silver Ladle). The event was sold out. The downtown area was busy. The events are great for bringing people downtown. • We were approached at a very late time to participate in The National Bone Marrow Registry (a drive for the registry). We had about 5 days to put a team together. Am proud to say we won with a score of 7 to 6. • June 20t" is the mobile food pantry. The Pilgrim Rest Church, 5200 Pleasant Grove Rd. This has become a big event for the Fire Department. More than ever our firefighters are out in the communities being involved with local and neighborhood events. It has been very much appreciated by the public. Fire Board Minutes of June 10, 2009 Page 2 of 5 Budget—Assistant Chief James stated that the 09 has to be amended. Those amendments are due to the declining revenues. The revenues from City Hall were not where we expected them to be. Our share of the budget deficit is around $255,000. Reductions are going to take place in non-operational categories. There will be a place in the fringe benefit area of our budget. We have some vacancies that have went unfilled through-out the course of a year and that is where we will take the $255,000. The 2010/11 budget as approved by the Mayor and the Council, one of the most significant changes is the Ambulance fees. Our Basic Life Support Service is going to remain the same at $600 per run. The Advanced Life Support which has 2 categories (Advanced Life Support 1 and Advanced Life Support 2) and will be charged at a rate of $725 per run. This will leave us a budget shortfall. The 2010/11 budget we still have about $25,000 in budget amendments we will have to make. Right now we have not determined where those will be. Depends on when some of our positions get filled it could come from that. We have a couple of projected retirements and if those positions are not filled right away, the $24,000 could be made up in those salaried accounts. Operationally our budget stayed pretty much in tack the way it was presented. The ambulance fees were the biggest change for the budget when it was presented to the Fire Board. Operationally for 2010/11 we should stay exactly the way we are today. We do have the vacancies in Training and Fire Prevention that we absolutely need to work on getting filled, but on the other side we are blessed to have the 9 new people starting. Frank Ferro asked if the 2010/11 cuts were the result of revenue sharing. Chief Cochran stated that the City took a $546,000 cut. Chief Cochran stated he thanked Mayor Bernero for his support of the Fire Department and public safety. These are tuff times but we have hired 41 Firefighters lost 1 over the last 3 years. We (Chief Cochran / Chief James) originally put in for 12 positions and anticipating being down by 15 positions by the end of the year. So we made this argument and we didn't get the 12 but we did get 9. Lost 1 candidate (Michael Hewartson) due to personal reasons, but working with Teri Singleton and her people was able to get approval for 1 more person. Unfortunately this person started about 1 '/2 weeks later than everybody else, but we will work through that with a little added pressure on Training to accomplish it. Helen Keeney asked if this new person was next in line to be hired and Chief Cochran responded yes. Chief James wanted to explain that on Friday (Memorial weekend) Mr. Hewartson had accepted the position, and on Sunday of the same weekend he called the Personnel Department and declined the offer. When we put this out we had a commitment that they were coming, and on Tuesday morning we had a call telling us he was not coming. It is unfortunate and his loss. But we picked another fine Firefighter to take his spot, and we will get him caught up and have a seamless transition into the Fire Service. Fire Board Minutes of June 10, 2009 Page 3 of 5 Helen Keeney inquired as to the date of the graduation. Chief James responded Friday July loth, 2009 and shooting for 11:00 AM at the Training Academy, hoping to be done by 12:30 thus allowing people to go get lunch. This is tentative to the Mayor's schedule. Chief Cochran was forthcoming with and invitation to the Fire Board members to attend and if any one cared to speak to please let him know. Critical Needs —We are processing the paperwork to fill positions (i.e. Deb Pacheco's) a couple of other retirements that will happen in the near future. We have processed the paperwork for Roberta Fockler's Engineer position. Chief Cochran wanted to speak of Deb Pacheco's retirement. • She was in Suppression longer than any other female on the department • She is the most senior female on the Fire Department • She will be the first woman to retire from the Fire Department with a full pension • She filled the Financial Officer's position upon Mike Lewis' retirement She has worked very closely with Chief Cochran and Assistant Chief James and has been a real asset to the team, and she will be greatly missed. Chief Cochran stated that Captain Pacheco's luncheon is tomorrow at 2 PM and all are welcome to stop by. Jerome Tolbert (most senior person) and Marc Tyler (Tolbert's second) have been working closely with Captain Pacheco to learn the job. General Discussion Chief Cochran stated that we feel strongly about continuity and a seamless transition with people coming into a position. Looking to the future we have created a Battalion Chief's handbook, and are working on the Officer's handbook. We have a booklet put together for the Financial Officer's position and we have tasked the other positions to try and create a booklet for the new people coming into those positions. Chief Cochran stated that there is a project he is working with City TV. It is a 30 minute show that will show a little slice of life in the stations. A ride along with the crews, the Battalion Chiefs, segments on cooking, fire safety, and a number of things. Information on when this will be forwarded to the Board as it becomes available. The fire at Discount Dave's on S. Washington was deemed a suspicious fire and still under investigation. A lot of challenges coming up over the next couple of years: • Budget • Contract expires next year To show some of the hard times that are being dealt with — Dayton Ohio will no longer provide EMS service thus prompting the City to let go 220 —225 Firefighters. Coverage would then be provided by private companies. Fire Board Minutes of June 10, 2009 Page 4 of 5 Discussions on promoting the Fire Department ensued. • There is no money in the budget for PR. • The Fire Department is always promoting itself by its personnel just simply being nice. • The Fire Department promotes itself every time you see a fire engine or an ambulance. Those are moving billboards. • The firefighters being involved in the neighborhoods. Committee Reports: None Old Business: None New Business: None General Order: Reminder— vote for chair/vice chair at the July Meeting Yvonne Young-McConnell asked to move to adjourn, Robert Brown Jr. second. Adjourned at 6:50 PM Approved by the Fire Board on July 15th, 2009 Respectfully Submitted by: June 17th, 2009 Denise Acker - Training Secretary Date Fire Board Minutes of June 10, 2009 Page 5 of 5 CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda Wednesday,May 13th, 2009 at 6:00 pm Fire Station#6 {- fIiG,/ -- 5135 Pleasant Grove Rd Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran Chairperson, Third Ward Yvonne Young Call to Order- Roll Call McConnell Request for Commissioners to be excused: Vice Chairperson, 2"d Robert Hudson Ward - Helen Keeney Additions to the Agenda: At- Large Review/Approval of Minutes: Carlos Barajas April Fourth Ward Review of Communications: Robert Brown Jr. None = cam? At-Large Frank Ferro Presentations: None First Ward Robert Hudson Administrative Comments: New Scotts have been distributed At-Large 0 New Turnout Gear is in and being distributed Alicia Perez-Banuet 0 Hiring Budget At-Large i New Access Cards are being distributed to Suppression Louis Vinson III • Events: - Sinas Dramis Heads up for Safety Saturday May 16th from 10:00 am — 1:00 pm @ Secretary Fire Station#8 815 Marshall St. Patti Starnes Sesquicenternial Parade at 11:30 am Saturday May 16th Capitol Bancorp 5K Run/Walk Saturday May 161h at 9:50 a.m. Fire Chief Mobile Food Pantry May 16th @ 8 am at Pattengill Tom Cochran LFD Memorial Service on Saturday May 23`d at 11:30 am (Mt. Hope Cemetery) Assistant Fire Chief Committee Reports: Tim James Old Business: New Business: General Order: Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4564 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING MI 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 City of Lansing �x��� c Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 Fax (517) 483-4488 www.lansingfire.com 3 Virg Bernero,Mayor _ Tom Cochran,Fire Chief e.� C> 1 C—' OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING May 131h, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on May 13th, 2009, at Lansing Fire Department Fire Station #46 located at 5135 Pleasant Grove Rd. Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Present Yvonne Young - McConnell - Chair Helen Keeney— Vice Chair Carlos Barajas Robert Brown Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet Louis Vinson III Commissioners Excused Robert Hudson Others Present Tom Cochran, Fire Chief Tim James, Assistant Fire Chief Patti Starnes, Admin Secretary Additions to the Aqenda Chairperson Young-McConnell asked for additions to the May Agenda. No additions were noted. A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Frank Ferro to accept the May Agenda as written. Fire Board Minutes of May 13th, 2009 1 Chief Cochran is pleas . to announce that we are approvea j hire 9 people. We are waiting on the results of the physicals and then the names will be released. New hires will start on May 26tn, 2009. By the end of year we will have close to 15 vacancies. Budget wrap-up was today. The budget was approved except for the ambulance fee increase. The fee is currently $600. The fees will most likely increase to $800 for ALSI and ALSII response. City Council was concerned with self pays and those with no insurance. Our billing company will work with those individuals. Patients can also apply for a hardship case. Chief Cochran had one today that he took care of. The patient paid $300 towards her bill on a payment plan and her circumstances changed so he contacted the billing company and accepted her $300 as payment in full and closed her account. Chief Cochran reported that new access cards are being distributed. Bill Oberst is working on it. New cards will be distributed to the Board. Upcoming Events: • Lewton Elementary— school fair May 15tn • Station 8 - Bike rodeo hosted by Sinas Dramis Law Firm May 16t" • 150t" Sesquicentennial Celebration parade at 11:30 am May 16tn Downtown - Walk/Run at 9:30 a.m. May 16tn • Food Pantry at Pattengil Middle School May 16th • Memorial Day Parade at 10:30 a.m. May 23rd • Firefighter Memorial service at Mt. Hope Cemetery at 11:30 am May 23rd Assistant Chief James reported that the projected graduation date is July 10tn Chief Cochran reported that Roberta Fockler is working in the Fire Marshal division and has begun her 45 days. She seems to be enjoying the job and is jumping right into it. Captain/DFO Deb Pacheco will be retiring on June 12t". Jerome Tolbert will be taking her place as Department Financial Officer. RSVP for the luncheon on June 11t" at 12 pm at station 1. If you can't make it send Deb an email or a phone call. Bob Brown discussed the visibility of the Lansing Fire Department. We have been talking for years on how to be more visible to the public. This weekend's events are a great example of LFD's visibility in the community. Yvonne Young-McConnell commented on the food bank that Lansing Fire Department participated in at Trinity AME. The kids were so excited to see a "fireman". LFD was a great presence at the event. Dr Joan Jackson Johnson does a great job with the program. AC James talked about the metro relationships that we have and how important they are. Last Saturday we trained with the tanker task force in Eaton rapids. It was great training and we may need their services someday. Alicia Perez-Banuet commented on the presentation from the Union event and Sandy Allen. It was a great event and very well done. Fire Board Minutes of May 13t", 2009 3 ` \ CITY OF LANSING ti BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS 1 Meeting Agenda Wednesday March 11th 2009 at 6.00 pm {_• Fire Station#44 AIDE -j-'- 1435 E.Miller Rd. Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran Chairperson, Third Ward Yvonne Young McConnell Call to Order - Roll Call Vice-Chairperson, 2nd Ward Request for Commissioners to be excused: Helen Keeney Louis Vinson III — on vacation At- Large Carlos Barajas Additions to the Agenda: " r_a Fourth Ward Review/Approval of Minutes: Robert Brown Jr. February ` T At-Large Frank Ferro Review of Communications: Thank you Grand River/Capitol Fire _ -� A.� First Ward 2009 Strategic Plan Robert Hudson 2008 Stats c At-Large Alicia Perez-Banuet Presentations: At-Large Administrative Comments: Louis Vinson III o Budget Update Secretary ■ CIP Patti Starnes o Firefighter Hiring Process Fire Chief ■ PAT Testing Tom Cochran ■ Interviews Assistant Fire Chief Committee Reports: Tim James Old Business: New Business: General Order: Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4564 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING MI 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 AN SIN City of Lansing � G , 1 'q d � Board of Fire Commissioners ' 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517) 483-4200 rI t Fax (517)483-4488 � D � www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero, Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING March 11th, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on March 11th, 2009, at Lansing Fire Department Fire Station #44 located at 1435 E. Miller Rd. Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Present Carlos Barajas, Frank Ferro, Robert Hudson, Helen Keeney, Yvonne Young McConnell, Alicia Perez-Banuet, Robert Brown Jr., Alicia Perez-Banuet Commissioners Excused Louis Vinson III Others Present Tom Cochran, Fire Chief Tim James, Assistant Fire Chief Patti Starnes, Board Secretary Additions to the Agenda Chairperson Young-McConnell asked for additions to the agenda. No additions were noted. Agenda accepted as written. Review/Approval of Minutes Chairperson Young-McConnell asked for any corrections to the February minutes. No corrections were reported. A motion was made by Commissioner Keeney and supported by Commissioner Ferro to approve the February minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. 1 reported that we do have a ,_ _ good information and we are continuing to track the numbers with our Image Trend and Sunpro programs. Commissioner Barajas asked about the recoup of medical costs and if an at fault driver could be charged for a call. Chief Cochran reported that we do have cost recovery for haz-mat. The townships have ability to do cost recovery and have more flexibility than cities do. That is why we utilize cost recovery through the county. Chief Cochran said that his point is well taken and we will continue to look at cost recovery options. Commissioner Hudson reported that citizens do have the option to fight the charges. Administrative Comments: Budget —Chief Cochran reported that the budget has been forwarded to the Mayor. We do not have final approval or numbers from the mayor yet. Chief Cochran has a meeting on Friday and will probably ask for a special meeting by the Fire Board to discuss the budget and ask for a motion on it. It should go before City Council in 2 weeks. CIP Funding (Capital Improvement Projects) AC James reported that we have had a rolling 6 year projection on our CIP requests which are all inclusive figures. For instance for 2010 the request was 1.587 million. However our priority is $250,000 to replace monitors and aed's. That will probably be a go for us. EMS BC Haueter has been researching the new equipment. Commissioner Barajas asked how the equipment is tested. Chief Cochran reported that equipment is tested in the stations and in the field. He explained a 12- lead monitor to the Board. We are looking at the ability to transmit info from the field to the hospital via blue tooth technology. The hospital will make the decision on whether to activate the cath lab for the incoming patient. Chief Cochran reported that some of the negatives with purchasing monitors and AED's with grants, etc. is that they last 4-5 years and then they will need to be replaced. Commissioner Keeney asked whether we could partner with the hospitals. Commissioner Hudson asked if we could partner with other depts. Chief Cochran and AC James are looking into programs such as the "heart safe" cities initiative. It is a huge commitment but the program has made a big difference in how CPR is administered. Chief Cochran is very optimistic regarding the funding for the monitors. Some work may also be done at Station #9. We would like to remodel the bathrooms for male/female facilities. Commissioner Hudson asked if we sell our old fire trucks. Chief Cochran said we are looking into trading them and we have also donated equipment to smaller departments. If there is value we will try to sell if not we will donate. Commissioner Hudson would like to hear more about the donations in the media. Chief Cochran agreed and said that he is absolutely right we need to sell ourselves. Firefighter Hiring Chief Cochran reported that we are in the hiring process. We have taken the applications. We started with 160 applicants and after review it was narrowed down to 3 impact a child's life. Comm ,loner Keeney talked about the huge commitment that it really takes to be a mentor. She mentors 2 children and it is a huge commitment. Committee Reports none Old Business none New Business none General Order none Adiournment A motion was made by Commissioner Brown and supported by Commissioner Barajas to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Date: April8th, 2009 Patti Starnes Approved: April 8th, 2009 5 CITY OF LANSING NSYVG BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS + Meeting Agenda 1'1 Wednesday,February 11111 2009 at 6:00 pm �I `�j/ Fire Station#41 FdKE ns4� J, 120 E.Shiawassee St. Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran r_ Chairperson, Third Call to Order - Roll Call Ward Yvonne Young Request for Commissioners to be excused: . McConnell none Vice-Chairperson, 2nd ;.. Ward Additions to the Agenda: Helen Keeney r, At- Large Review/Approval of Minutes: Carlos Barajas January Fourth Ward Review of Communications: Robert Brown Jr. At-Large Presentations: Frank Ferro Metro Training Update by Assistant Chief James First Ward Administrative Comments: Robert Hudson o Budget Update At-Large o Grant Update Alicia Perez-Banuet o Promo Test Postings At-Lage o Firefighter Hiring Process Louis Vinson III o High Visibility PPE SOG Louis o State of the City Secretary o State of the State Patti Starnes Committee Reports: Fire Chief Tom Cochran Old Business: Assistant Fire Chief New Business: Tim James General Order: Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4564 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING MI 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 tr \ ` City of Lansing t,xsg ' Board of Fire Commissioners ZZ Au 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 � -` (517) 483-4200 \,. J,s Fax (517) 483-4488 Ar�E DE4� www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING February 11 th, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on February 11th, 2009, at Lansing Fire Department Fire Station #41 located at 120 E. Shiawassee St. Vice-Chair Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Commissioners Present Vice-Chair Helen Keeney, Robert Brown Jr., Carlos Barajas, Frank Ferro, Robert Hudson, Alicia Perez-Banuet, Louis Vinson III, Commissioners Excused Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell Others Present Fire Chief, Tom Cochran Assistant Fire Chief, Tim James Board Secretary, Patti Starnes Communications Fireproof movie — Chief Cochran reported that the Livestrong program is involved in many activities. Also, our Chaplain Pastor Doug Bradshaw is doing a great job for our department. He recently spoke at the memorial for Walt Horizny. He is also involved in our Livestrong program. His church, (Williamston Free Methodist), along with the Livestrong program, has worked with the Williamston Sun Theatre to allow Firefighters and their spouses to attend the Fireproof movie for free on Saturday, Feb 21st and 22nd. Vermontville is doing the same thing. Presentations AC James presented a power point presentation to the Board on the Metro Lansing Fire Departments Operation and Training program. City of Lansing Board Of Fire Commissioner Minutes of February 11 th, 2009 1 AC James brought up some of the problems affecting other cities with high foreclosure rates. The arson rates are very high too. In Lansing we have seen a huge increase in car fires. Robert Hudson asked how long it takes to train someone to be an arson investigator. Chief Cochran says there are required classes and it takes about a year. Robert Hudson asked if on duty firefighters can handle arson investigations. Chief Cochran said it is difficult to designate a crew to arsons because they are frequently called away to other emergency calls. Chief Cochran said right now the Fire Marshal can only fulfill the essential job requirements and nothing extra. A lot of the extra things can no longer be done. AC James reported that we are only in the schools in the fall. It would be great to do safety training in the schools a few times a year to talk about things like: pool safety, bicycle safety, winter safety etc. The kids, elderly and special needs really need our education services. Discussion followed regarding the Fire Marshal Division. Helen Keeney reported on the Orchard Court fire. She saw one of our inspectors out at 8 pm doing an investigation. She reported that they are working very hard to meet the needs of the department and the citizens of Lansing. Chief Cochran reported that we are now at a point where services will be impacted. Frank Ferro asked if we could put any projects into the Fed Stimulus plan. Chief Cochran said Randy Hannan from the Mayors office is spearheading the stimulus request. We have put in several requests for the Fire Dept. Grant Update We are moving forward with ordering the new turnouts. 156 set of turnouts and the SCBAS are in the system. The health and wellness portion of the grant which includes exercise equipment for the stations is also moving forward. The remaining piece is the health screening portion. There is a meeting coming up on it. Everything else is moving along well. Promo Test Postings As required by contract we have postings up for upcoming promotional tests for: Training Chief, Fire Marshal, Dept Financial Office and Fire Officer Firefighter Hiring Process Firefighter position has been posted. We would like to hire 8 new firefighters this spring. We are working with HR on it. High Visibility PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) SOG (Standard Operating Guidelines) We have implemented a Firefighter safety initiative to increase visibility when working in the roadway. We have purchased reflective vests to be worn and they are on the apparatus. AC James showed the vests to the Board and showed an example of a reflective fluorescent overcoat to be used when not fighting fire. We will need about City of Lansing Board Of Fire Commissioner Minutes of February 91 th, 2009 3 Please Post Virg Bernero, Mayor Tom Cochran, Fire Chief NOTICE OF MEETING CANCELLATION THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS HAS BEEN CANCELED WHEN : SATU RDAY, JAN UARY 24T" z�o�� 9: 00 a. m . LOCATION : FIRE STATION #1 COMMUNITY ROOM RE : STRATEGIC PLANNING Please contact Patti Starnes in Lansing Fire Administration @ 483-4564 for further information. SI� i "\ City of Lansing ti��Sa�G r Board of Fire Commissioners i - 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 Fax (517) 483-4488 www.lansingfire.com Bernero, Mayor ww.lansingfire.com Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING January 14th, 2009 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on January 14th, 2009, at Lansing Fire Department Fire Station #42 located at 2114 N. Grand River Ave. Vice Chair Helen Keeney called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Commissioners Present Carlos Barajas, Frank Ferro, Robert Hudson, Helen Keeney, Alicia Perez-Banue# Louis Vinson III , Commissioners Excused } Robert Brown Jr. Yvonne Young McConnell n Others Present Tim James, Assistant Fire Chief Patti Starnes, Board Secretary Station 2 Crew: Captain Hufnagel A/Engineer Vogt Firefighter Salinaz Additions to the Agenda None Review/Approval of Minutes Vice Chair Helen Keeney asked for any corrections to the December minutes. No corrections were reported. A motion was made by Frank Ferro and supported by Alicia Perez-Banuet to approve the December minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. 1 Review of Communict ns • Thank you letter from Elizabeth, Jose and Esteban Sanchez Sink for the "fire truck ride" home from preschool. He won the ride in a raffle at the October Fire Prevention open house. • 2007 Annual Report on mini-CD was distributed to the Board. Assistant Chief James thanked Denise Acker for putting the report together and creating the cd's for distribution. There is a commitment from the Chief's to get the 08 Annual report out by March. • Do One Thing calendars were given the Board compliments of Trent Atkins and the Do One Thing committee. The program focuses on disaster preparation and encourages families to do one thing a month to prepare for natural disasters. • Thank you letter from Ingham County TRIAD regarding their annual project "No Senior Without Christmas". The letter commended the following LFD Staff Members: Lt. Dave Doerr, Lt Arnie Rios, Lt Jwan Randle, Engineer Wade Elton. The letter was sent from Sgt. Traci Ruiz from the Lansing Police Department. Vice Chair Helen Keeney offered the Fire Board's assistance on any volunteer projects. Presentations: • Assistant Chief James asked Captain Hufnagel to introduce his crew to the Board. Captain Hufnagel introduced himself, A/Engineer Ellen Vogt and Firefighter Dan Salinaz. Captain Hufnagel reported that Station 2 is one of 3 extrication stations and they are responsible for airport response mutual aid. They are a single engine company. Assistant Chief James reported that next to station 6, Station 2 has the largest response area in the city. It is a very diverse area with factory, residential, apartment and industrial construction. It used to be one of the busier stations but has slowed down due the industrial areas being phased out through the reduction in manufacturing. Frank Ferro asked if they do a lot of airport response. Captain Hufnagel reported that they sometimes respond with foam, and they use the airport for practice so as not to disturb the water hydrants in the neighborhoods. • Vice Chair Helen Keeney asked the Board to introduce themselves to the station crew. • Assistant Chief James presented badges to Frank Ferro and Louis Vinson III. On behalf of Chief Cochran and the City of Lansing he thanked them for their support and dedication to the Lansing Fire Department and the citizens of Lansing. • Radios —Assistant Chief James gave a radio demonstration to the board. Each board member was given a radio and Assistant Chief James showed them the various functions, groups and frequencies. Assistant Chief James answered questions from the board regarding the radios and batteries. We are currently working with the manufacturer to get better batteries. 2 • Preliminary Run Numbers - Assistant Chief James presented the board with snapshot of the last 3 years. EMS runs were up about 430 runs over the last 3 years. The numbers are preliminary and have not been completely reviewed. Chuck Fulger is working on the final report. o Helen Keeney asked about good intent calls. Assistant Chief James reported that good intent calls are calls from a concerned citizen that turn out to be no emergency. o Alicia Perez-Banuet asked about severe weather calls. Assistant Chief James reported that they could be tornadoes, trees down, with injuries etc. o Assistant Chief James reported that False calls are maliciously false calls. One thing we did was remove the radio box alarms from the river trail. That cut down on a lot of false calls. o Carlos Barajas mentioned that the responses are more efficient this year than last year. Good job. • Budget — Fire Administration received the target numbers today. They should have preliminary budget prepared by Jan 23r . The Chief's intention is to present the budget to the Finance committee in February and then to the full board at the February meeting. It is supposed to be to the Mayor by Jan 23rd. Then they will make corrections and send back and the board will review it. There will be some reductions this year. • Promotions —The Mayor signed off on Captain Deb Pacheco's promotion. She is now the Department Financial Officer. The Critical Needs paperwork for the other promotions has been sent to the Mayor for approval. • Assistant Chief James reported that the new Firefighters are in the stations. He apologized for not having the full graduation due to the snow storm. The City Clerk, Chris Swope did come down to Station #1 that Friday for the swearing in of the firefighters and they were in the stations on Monday. o Alicia Perez-Banuet asked if this recruit class was all males. Assistant Chief James reported that yes they were all males. The last couple of year's female applicants have been down. Assistant Chief James reported that they are talking to and trying to recruit more females. We are moving our recruiting up higher on the priority list and plan on doing more recruiting in high school and junior high. o Vice Chair Helen Keeney encouraged the board members to attend the next recruit testing. It is really great to see. She thinks the world of our firefighters. It is very interesting and people do not realize what they go through to become a firefighter. 3 Committee Reports None Old Business Strategic Planning meeting will be held on Saturday January 24th at 9:00 a.m. in the Station 1 community room. It should last about 3 hours. New Business None General Order • Carlos Barajas wished everyone a happy new year. • Louis Vinson III reported that he got the coaching job for East Lansing. He now coaches the 7th grade boy's basketball team. Adjournment A motion was made by Carlos Barajas and supported by Robert Hudson to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Date: q9k-5h�,� February 11 th, 2009 Patti Starnes Approved: February 11 th 2009 4