White River Township Fire Department

                                                Bi-Weekly Strategic Meeting

           

                                                Thursday, May 1, 2008

 

 

                       

Present:

Chief Pell

Chief Brown

Chief Thacker

 

 

Chief Cassin

Chief Slauter

Crystal Young

 

  

  1. Meeting called to order at 0810.

 

  1. New Business
    1. 2009 Budget

                                                              i.      Steve Dyson is going to review the Fiscal Plan and present it to the board.

                                                            ii.      He will then work the 2009 budget into the discussion.

1.      The board initially stated that the department should not presume an increase.

2.      Currently it is just going to be Salary and Benefits and everything else will receive the standard increase until the board is able to come up with a plan for Salary and Benefits.

3.      Steve Dyson is going to flat line salary but continue with everything else.

                                                          iii.      Greenwood is going for a 4.1% increase this year.

                                                           iv.      PERF reduction will come into effect January 2009, from 21% to 19 ½% employer contributions.  The General Assembly actually reduced it because they believe they can maintain with less money.

1.      This can also be used as a point with the board.

                                                             v.      Each department needs to come up with needs for 2009.

1.      Funds for gear need to be put in as a precaution if the department does not receive the grant for the gear.

2.      Fire Prevention needs to come up with a plan if Coover leaves and Rowland cuts back on hours of if they stay.

3.      Chief Slauter suggested every division come back with a list for the next staff meeting.

                                                           vi.      Chief Pell stated that he is conservative on the budget; everyone has to see the needs vs. the wants.

1.      He understands that the department needs new gear and SCBA and that should be put in the budget.

2.      Everyone wants a new Rescue but sometimes you have to prioritize.

a.      Now is the time to be conservative.  If it is needed it will be taken care of. 

b.      We are specifically holding off on larger expenditures that are not necessary until the DLGF Okays the budget.

    1. Fuel Savings Measures

                                                              i.      Currently the department is slightly under budget.

                                                            ii.      Chief Pell just wants to make sure the policy is concrete and not subject to interpretation.

1.      If any apparatus makes a trip out make sure that it is limited to one per day.

2.      He wants to make sure that the department can show the board that the department is showing a conscience effort to conserve.

                                                          iii.      Chief Slauter stated that as long as Company officers are asked to do administrative jobs it is cheaper to use a little fuel than to pay them OT.

                                                           iv.      Chief Thacker stated that the Ladder goes out to get parts sometimes but it is limited and he does not see it as an issue.

1.      He also sees it as a PR issue because people in the district see them out.

2.      Most of the training is company level now so there isn’t as much travel and if he has a video he will take it to 2’s or 1’s for training.

                                                             v.      Chief Cassin stated that there was a lot of action taken on this about a year ago and it has stayed.

                                                           vi.      Chief Pell – If the board asks we can say that we are as efficient as possible.

                                                         vii.      Chief Thacker stated that the opening of 51 has also helped.  The Ladder is in a much better spot now.

1.      Marsh and Bowden are getting out and getting parts now.

2.      Food was an issue but everyone is now sending people.

                                                       viii.      Chief Pell will give a good job on the fuel savings in the grapevine and let everyone know that we are currently under budget.

    1. Chief Cassin

                                                              i.      Station 51 issues are almost done.  There are only a couple of items left on Capt. Settles list.

                                                            ii.      Chief Slauter stated that he spoke to Eddie and he will go to Old Station 51 and spray and take care of some other lawn issues.

1.      He will also start putting in some hours.

2.      He also stated that extra ladders have been put in the bay at Old 51’s.

    1. Chief Brown

                                                              i.      He has checked around for the connection for the dry hydrant, there used to be one on the trucks.

1.      No one is sure of what happened to it but the only 4 ½” left is at Sunshine Café the rest are 6”.

2.      We will need to look for an adapter for E51 to hook up to the one behind Home Depot.  A double female is needed.

3.      Chief Thacker suggested looking on E-bay.

4.      Chief Slauter stated that we just need one for now.

    1. Chief Thacker

                                                              i.      He is looking for NC vest and incident vests.

1.      They are bright orange and $30 each and meet standards.

2.      He will look into incident command vests that will be a different color to put on the Battalion.

                                                            ii.      C-9 is also looking to use several acres for fire training.

1.      They have a new director who would like to be educated on the process but the principle wants it.

2.      He suggested that Chiefs Pell and Dhondt meet with them to discuss what they are thinking.

 

  1. Old Business
    1. Disaster Emergency Response Plan

                                                              i.      Chief Slauter just wanted to reiterate that Chief Pell is looking for bullet and check offs and not like a book.

1.      Chief Pell stated bullets and checks are exactly what he wants.  He wants something that is a quick reference.

2.      Chief Cassin states that bullets are the easiest and quickest help for someone that is unfamiliar with other departments to look at the task and get it started.

    1. Ambulance service county wide discussion update

                                                              i.      The ambulance issue has been brought up during the last three Johnson County Chiefs Meetings.

                                                            ii.      The south section of the county is frustrated with Rural Metro.

1.      Response times are 15 to 20 minutes and sometimes they don’t have a truck at all.

                                                          iii.      Rural Metro is looking at the numbers and stated that they cannot afford to add one more truck.

                                                           iv.      The problem is that Franklin has two trucks (one is frequently out of service) and one truck in Edinburgh (sometimes out of service) that Rural Metro is also counting on.

                                                             v.      Rural Metro stated that they will only throw so much money at it.

                                                           vi.      DeHart and Price were at the meeting and they see that it is a public safety issue.

                                                         vii.      One option is the long term issue.

1.      Either way the program needs to be done correctly.

a.      Fire based

b.      All services to Rural Metro

                                                       viii.      Second option is for Price and DeHart to sit down with Rural Metro and come up with a short term fix with Camp Attabury.

                                                           ix.      Chief Thacker was interested in which numbers were used.  Chief Pell stated that they used our numbers.

1.      The numbers were broken down between the North end of the county and the South end.

a.      N – Greenwood, White River, Bargersville & Whiteland

b.      S – Everyone else.

                                                             x.      Chief Pell told Price and DeHart that the problem is the user based fee vs. the service based that is partially tax funded.

                                                           xi.      As a staff we are working in the direction of service based and are bringing up the topic with officials.

    1. Rescue Truck

                                                              i.      The presentation will be given to the board on Tues.

                                                            ii.      The cost is approx. $40,000 and that number is high but it is better that way.

1.      The old Rescue will be sold for $80,000, which will be a savings of $40,000 plus insurance, maintenance and fuel.

2.      A Gooseneck trailer purchased – the dually and the flatbed will have the capability of towing.

3.      Hose reels and other parts.

4.      Stripping the current trailer and upgrading it to a small medical center is also included.

                                                          iii.      Everything will be presented as a whole package because it is a system.

  1. Other Old Business
    1. Chief Pell is sending out updated policies.  There is nothing the staff has not talked about.

                                                              i.      Chief Slauter wanted to make sure that there is at least a Capt. on duty for 24 hour shift.

1.      The 6 hr. rule can still apply.

    1. Everyone believes we should hire a professional grant writer.  We should try to keep one on retainer.
  1. Disaster Plan
    1. Command forms – Chief Slauter only has hard copies.  All copies need to be on Battalion, TSU and staff vehicles.
    2. We should also consider getting dispatch a go phone.
  2. Re-program radios
    1. Admin 5 is for everyone.
    2. Admin 9 is for chief traffic only
    3. Fire Prevention has own channel.
    4. Programming is set for the switch to digital.

                                                              i.      MECA will make the switch May 8th.

                                                            ii.      The back-up plan if baby Combs comes is to patch to the old analog channel until he can get it taken care of.

                                                          iii.      Marion County has all analog in radios – ops 61.

  1. Old Station 51
    1. The Residential appraisal bid has come back.

                                                              i.      We can apply for a mixed use variance but once we sell it the zoning will return to residential and the buyer would have to go back for the mixed use variance.

                                                            ii.      They will not zone it commercial

    1. Chief Pell spoke to Jon and he believes they will re-post with a minimum bid.

 

  1. Meeting called at 0920.