White River Township Fire Department

            Senior Staff Meeting

           

            Thursday, August 19, 2004

 

 

                       

Present:       .

Chief Tibbetts

Chief Cassin

Chief Slauter

Chief Brown

Chief Thacker

 

Kim Clawson
Lt. Settles

 

 

 

  1.  Meeting called to order at 8:05 a.m.

 

  1. Discussion on personnel status issues:

-         Erin Hensley has been reinstated and is currently assigned to a shift at station 52.

-         Adam Whyde was terminated by the corporation.  Chief Slauter will work with Mike Combs today to find out if he has returned his equipment yet.

-         Brett Ramer’s status is unknown and we will need to get an update from Chief Tibbetts.  There were conflicting reports as to whether he was terminated or given until the end of this month to meet his hours requirement.

 

Everyone agreed that we need to establish a procedure showing who is to do what (ie: notification of pre termination hearing and conducting of same, notification of termination, receive returned equipment, etc.  Chief Cassin stated that this may not be an issue for too much longer, depending on the status of the corporation re-organization.).

 

  1. No building updates.  Senefeld & Associates is not returning any of Chief Cassin’s phone calls or emails.

 

  1. Trim of line officer uniforms postponed until Ryan Cox could be here to discuss it.

 

  1. Discussion on staff vehicle purchase.

-         2005 Explorers have an improved suspension system which addresses recent reports that it is prone to roll overs.

-         Chief Brown stated that the NTSB reports that the Explorers are the safest SUV on the road.

-         No one reported any issues they had while driving the demo we had.

-         Chief Cassin stated that safety is primarily the driver’s responsibility.

-         No complaints were heard with regards to purchasing Explorers vs. Expeditions.  Chief Slauter requested that we purchase one model and stay with it and not switch between Explorers and Expeditions.

-         Chief Cassin urged that we spend the extra $2400 and upgrade to the XLT version for better resale value.  This includes upgrades to the bumpers, wheels and interior.

-         Chief Brown will get prices from his contacts and submit to Chief Cassin.

 

(Chief Cassin out of meeting to attend budget meeting at the Johnson County Council.)

 

  1. Chief Thacker will speak with Chief Cassin to regarding whether the District provides the Class A uniforms for the new hires or if it comes out of their clothing allowance.

 

  1. Chief Thacker stated that all the candidates were present at lastnight’s orientation meeting.  He feels that we may have some professionalism issues with some of our own people which he will address if needed.  Otherwise everything seems to be progressing on well.  He has eliminated the Haz Mat portion of the candidate orientation process due to time constraints.  He stated that if the need arises, he will enroll people in one of the classes that will be coming available after the first of the year.  The graduation ceremony will be held at Center Grove High School on the first Friday in December.  Please see him with any questions on this event.

 

  1. Chief Thacker stated that the Captains process is still on schedule.  Chiefs Tibbetts, Cassin and Slauter will be the interview panel.  Chief Slauter will begin working on a job description for the Captains.

 

  1. Chief Thacker would like to begin the Training Chief’s process immediately.  Everyone agreed.

 

  1. Kim asked the Battalion Chiefs to please be extra cognizant when entering shift trades and that the correct person(s) are being paid.  We are having recurring problems with this.

 

  1. The Awards Banquet has been scheduled for Saturday, January 15, 2005.  That is the only b-shift Saturday in January.  (It was held on an a-shift last banquet.)  Chief Slauter stated that he intends to remain in the district again.

 

  1. Lt. Settles discussed repairs that are needing to be made to the Trench Trailer.

 

  1. Chief Slauter reported that the process for the part time firefighters is not going well.  Only 10 applications have gone out to date.  He doesn’t feel that we will get the amount of people that we need.  During recruit class staffing may be severely limited.  He stated that he foresees Battalions working on engines frequently with Chiefs Tibbetts or Cassin serving as the Battalion.  He also foresees closing station 51 on an as needed basis.

 

  1. Chief Slauter stated that Chief Tibbetts has asked the Battalion Chiefs to check with your 12 hour people and see if any of them want to work a 24 hour shift during the candidate orientation process and to let him know ASAP.

 

  1. MDA drive is the last weekend of August.

 

  1. Please submit driver candidates to Chief Thacker asap.