White River Township Fire Protection District

 

Pre-Meeting Report for August 3, 2004

 

Compiled July 22, 2004

 

 

  

  1. Kim has reviewed the September calendar and cannot find where a September FPDB meeting has been scheduled.  She believes this goes back to when the dates were originally set at the beginning of this year and September was left “open” so we could plan that meeting around any budget hearings we might have needed to have at that time.  If anyone shows this being scheduled in their calendars, please let her know ASAP.  Otherwise, please bring your calendars with you to the August 3rd meeting so a date can be set.

 

  1. As of 7/20/04, Don Young has officially been demoted to the rank of lieutenant (permanent rank is also lieutenant) and has been assigned to the fire prevention division by Chief Tibbetts.  This is the position that originally was going to be filled by Kevin Skipper at the first of the year as a newly created M-F position.  Because we are essentially filling this position six months early, I wasn’t sure what we needed to do budgetarily since it technically is an unfunded position until the first of the year.  I put some time on the agenda in case it needed to be addressed.

 

  1. Some time also has been allotted at the August meeting to discuss the other upcoming promotions and new-hire positions.  To refresh everyone’s memory, we are hiring 15 engineers and 5 lieutenants, promoting 4 current lieutenants to captain, and promoting 1 current lieutenant to battalion chief (to fill the vacancy left by Don).  We probably need to settle the permanent rank issue ahead of time so there are no questions once conditional offers are sent out.  It is the intent that the lieutenant and captain positions will be permanent rank appointments of the same and the engineers will have an initial permanent rank of probationary firefighter.  According to the safety board documents, the battalion chief position will be an appointed rank with their permanent rank remaining what it is now.  Another thing to consider is now that there is a new rank (captain), we might think about changing the permanent rank of Joel Thacker and the new battalion chief to Captain (one step below their appointed rank).  Carey Slauter already has a permanent rank of battalion chief from an earlier decision.  Mark Hart and Joe Settles have been doing a lot of research on this topic over the last six months or so, so they may be able to provide some guidance if necessary.  They should be at the meeting.

 

  1. Career hiring process update
    1. The career hiring process for Lieutenants and Engineers is still on schedule, and all background checks have been completed.  A final list will be presented to the board at the August meeting for approval to send out conditional offers of employment.
    2. The captain’s process will begin on August 4th with solicitation of letters of intent.  After testing and interviews, the 4 finalists will be named at the September FPDB meeting for final approval.
    3. Chief Tibbetts has posted the open position of battalion chief on 7/22 and responses showing an interest in the position are due back to him, along with a resume, by 8/2.  He, Chief Cassin and Chief Slauter will be conducting the interviews and performance reviews, then filling the position as soon as feasibly possible thereafter.
    4. There has been some discussion by the staff regarding the M-F Training Chief position that is slated for 2005.  This position may need to take on some additional staff responsibilities relating to EMS because of the large workload in that area.  Also, no timeline has yet been set on the process for this promotion, but it looks like it will begin in the next few months.

 

  1. Building construction updates. 
    1. Station 51 (new building)
      1. Nothing new to report from our end.
    2. Station 52 (addition)
      1. The building plan has been revised to fit within the allotted budget amount.  The plans should be back from the architect any time.  We will then proceed with the bid process.  The addition includes a weight room, small training room, utility room, and a unisex restroom.
      2. The new restroom in the main bunk room is almost complete.
    3. Station 53 (minor improvements)
      1. Stair treads and cove base molding has arrived and will be installed within the next few weeks.
      2. Work is beginning on installation of the deck.  Once permits are obtained, work will begin on this.
      3. New windows and door have been installed in the upstairs crew area.

 

  1. The project regarding the planned hiring of the part-time personnel from the volunteer corporation is on hold until the September meeting.  With all of the other projects going on, neither us nor the attorney’s office have had adequate time to devote to this issue.

 

  1. In the 7/22 Senior Staff meeting, Chief Cassin asked everyone to begin thinking on policy development for take home vehicles and determining which officers receive that privilege.  Currently, all chief officers are assigned a vehicle, with one in reserve (pool) – for a total of 7 vehicles.  Each year we replace 2 vehicles on rotation so that we maximize our salvage value (each vehicle ends up being 4 years old at time of re-sale).  This year we are replacing the two ’99 Tahoes, which are the two oldest of the fleet.  We were also buying a 3rd vehicle to be used by the new Fire Prevention Lieutenant that was to begin working on January 1st.  Because of the Don Young issue and that position taking effect sooner, we need to move up the purchase of that 3rd vehicle.  This shouldn’t be a problem because it (the vehicle) was already budgeted.  The only difference is that this vehicle would become a 2nd pool vehicle and not a take-home vehicle.  This way, it would remain that only chief officers are assigned take-home vehicles.  We began researching vehicles and speaking to the dealer we have worked with in the past following the last meeting.  We’ve also been looking at the Explorer instead of the Expedition because there is not much difference in size but a significant difference in price (less expensive).  Some discussion should also be had on the Training Chief position for the first of the year and whether a vehicle is issued or not.  If so, then we maybe might consider ordering it now with the other 3 to realize a bigger discount.

 

  1. As you have probably heard by now, the radio tower was damaged by a 2nd lightning strike occurring July 8th.  Damage was minimal and expenses totaling just over $2400 were paid out of the general fund.  Also, all three stations now have media converters (fiber isolation kits) installed and are protected from the outside (at least in theory).  We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

 

  1. The radio tower upgrade project remains on hold but should now be $2300 less since all three stations now have the media converters installed bringing the total to $22,699.

 

  1.  The strategic plan is almost a reality (we’ve all heard that before).  It will be reviewed by the senior staff over the coming weeks for submittal to the FPDB at the September meeting.

 

  1. I will be out of town 7/27 through 8/4, returning to the office on 8/5.  Therefore, I will not unfortunately be at the August meeting, however Kim will have financial report copies ready for your review.

 

  1. The minutes from the July 6th District meeting are available for viewing on our website, or by following this link: http://www.wrtfd.org/downloads/minutes/fpdb/2004/0706.htm

 

  1. The agenda for the August 3rd District meeting is available for viewing on our website, or by following this link:  http://www.wrtfd.org/downloads/agendas/fpdb/2004/0803.htm

 

  1. This agenda will be updated as needed.  Copies will be available the night of the meeting.  The July newsletter is available for viewing on our website, or by following this link:  http://www.wrtfd.org/downloads/newsletters/2004/Aug04news.doc