Garden City Fire District

Board Meeting

June 19, 2014

Board Members in Attendance:  Perry Wakefield, Randall Knight, Howard Pope, Brian House

Others in Attendance:  Mike Wahlberg, Tiffany Wahlberg, Chris Coray, Anita Weston

 Approval of Past Minutes:  Motion to accept the May minutes by Brian, 2^nd by Howard, vote was unanimous.  Motion to accept the April minutes by Howard, 2^nd by Brian, vote was unanimous.

 Items for Follow-Up:

Previous meeting minutes:  see above

 Policies and procedures:  Perry did get an email from Randall with LeGrand Bitter’s contact information but was not able to get him to return phone calls.  Tiffany did receive a return call from Bitter, who stated that there is not an actual law in place, however, some county attorneys have chosen not to represent the local and special and service districts.  His recommendation would be that if the district chose to use the county attorney, that they put an MOU in place with the county.  However, if the county attorney does not feel that he wants to represent the district, then the district would be better off to look for their own representation.  Mike is in contact with a couple of attorneys and will get back to the board when he hears back from them.  Perry would like to move the policies and procedures to Google Docs, rather than Microsoft Word, so that the board could review the documents in real time, rather than through emails with different versions floating around.

Legal representation:  See above.

Business inspection fees:  After the last meeting, Mike feels that anyone having an issue should contact the city and work it out with them.  If the city decides they want to make a change, the fire district will work it out with them at that point.

Perry wanted to make sure that Randall received his certificate for the board member training.  Howard printed out his test answers and gave them to Tiffany.

Perry asked Mike to add Public Comment to the agendas going forward right before reviewing expenses.

Items for discussion:

            Fire Department Community BBQ (Mike):  June 25 at 6pm at the city park.  The Safety Trailer will be there.  There will be hamburgers and hot dogs at no charge.  The goal is to provide some information to the community regarding fire safety, while having a lot of fun.  The equipment will be on display, with some hands-on use.  There will also be a fire hose available for squirting fun.

Fire Boat Control and Use Within County (Mike):  Mike has had to do a lot of work on the fire boat, so he went to the county to try to get some reimbursement for those expenses.  The county stated that even though it is considered a county boat, the fire district has control and is responsible for the expenses.  That being the case, Mike would like to recommend that the boat not be used without one of the firefighters driving the boat.  That will ensure that the driver is familiar with the boat and takes care of it.  Mike would like to put together a policy stating this.  Brian House felt there should be an SOP and a fee charged for use outside the district.  Mike felt the use outside the district would most likely fall under the MOU with the other county entities.  Brian asked if the district is reimbursed for helping on a fire on the east side of the lake.  Mike stated that unless there is a county or state emergency, the MOU states that the entities will help each other when needed without charge.  Randall asked when the boat has been used in the past.  Mike stated that search and rescue has used it and also the dive team for recovery efforts.  In the past, Mike thought that Dan went with them.  Randall asked if the damage was caused by improper storage.  Mike said that from talking with the repair shop, it was not.  Howard felt that if the district is responsible for repairs, there should be a form signed stating that any damage done during use would be covered by the entity using it.  Mike still felt that one of the fire fighters should be driving.  Mike is encouraging all fire fighters to get used to controlling the boat, as there are some quirks.  Randall asked how many fire fighters would be trained.  Mike stated that it is not difficult, but would take about an hour for each individual to become familiar with it.  His goals is to have all fire fighters trained on it.  Mike will put together a certification form, showing that the fire fighters have been trained to use it.  Mike will also put together an SOP for the next meeting.

Vehicle/Equipment/Station Service Requests

Fire Boat Repairs:  Mike has had a lot of repairs done.  The dash board also needs to be rebuilt, as many of the switches have failed and the dash board is falling apart.  The board had discussed adding a tower on the boat.  Mike stated that since it is a pontoon boat, it would be a custom project, which could run up to $3,000.  The idea would be to add lights, so there may be a cheaper solution.  Mike will look at some possible solutions and will talk to Delmas and Gomez to see if they have ideas.  The fire boat is in service in the meantime.

Purchase Requisitions

Wildland packable pumps:  One of the requests during the wildland training on the east side was for portable pumps.  Mike purchased 2 pumps that the DNR uses and recommends. They are $450-500 each and can be linked in series.  They can be carried miles and weigh only 20 pounds.  Chris Coray asked if there would be any CO issues.  Mike stated that they would only be used outside and there would not be an issue.

Equipment Status

Everything is up and running including Brush 42.  The tender is full and ready to go.  The tender has the snap tank mounted and it works great.  Brian asked if Mike had put a logo on it.  Mike stated he is holding off because he would like to do some paint work first.  He is working with Rick Larsen to see if he would be willing to paint it. He is the one who painted the 6×6.

Responses

2 roll overs, a beach fire (ended up being in Idaho, so the call was cancelled), 1 assist with Rich & Cache County Sheriff’s office to pull out a deputy who had gotten stuck during a search and rescue effort, 10 medical assists, 12 short-term rental inspections, 14 fire permits.  There was a wildland engine training held May 30 and 31 at Rendezvous beach.  There were 5 counties participating and it went very well.

Randall asked if the ambulance goes straight to Logan or if they ever stop at the clinic.  The ambulance will only stop at the clinic in order to pick up a patient for transport, but will not stop for treatment.

Brian House asked if the issue with Idaho had been straightened out.  Mike stated that no one crosses the border into Idaho, not Fire, EMT, or Sheriff.  Mike would like to pursue this further, as other counties in Utah do have MOUs with neighboring Idaho counties.  The commissioners state that they have tried and have not gotten anywhere with it.

New or Miscellaneous Business

Randall stated that there is a weekly rodeo in Garden City and there was a concern that there would be no EMTs.  The rodeo is taking place, however they had to find EMTs who live in the county during the summer, but are not related to the county EMT association.  The rodeo will be held every week.  There is no ambulance on scene, but the EMTs could start treatment while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.  The fire district is not involved in that at all.

Randall stated that there is a water leak at swan creek causing some flooding.  It is thought that the canal is the cause.  Randall asked if there is an issue that the fire district should be concerned with.  Mike stated that the only issue would be if it caused an access issue and there was an incident.

Tiffany stated that she and Mike have been working with Woods Richards on the Agreed Upon Procedures.  Ryan from Woods Richards stated that the report should be completed tomorrow, so it would be available prior to the next meeting.                            

Review and Approval of Current Expense Invoices

Items for follow-up: 

Legal Representation-Perry & Mike

Policies and Procedures-Perry

Public Comment (add to agenda before review of expenses)-Mike

SOP on Fire Boat-Mike

Retirement Rates-Tiffany

Agreed Upon Procedures-Tiffany

Transparency Website-Randall

Garden City Fire District

Board Meeting

May 15, 2014

Board Members in Attendance:  Perry Wakefield, Randall Knight, Howard Pope, Brian House

Others in Attendance:  Mike Wahlberg, Tiffany Wahlberg, Anita Weston, Chris Coray

 Meeting was opened for public comment.  Chris Coray asked if the pipes in Sweetwater caused cavitation in the pumps when fighting the fire in Sweetwater.  Mike stated that it did.  The pipe is a 4” pipe.  A 6-8” pipe is recommended.  Mike said that it did affect the flow, however, it would not have affected the outcome.

Approval of Past Minutes:  Motion to approve the March minutes.  Second by Randall, vote was unanimous.  Tiffany asked about the April minutes.  The meeting was held, however, everything was tabled for this meeting.  Tiffany will ask Christina for the brief minutes.

 Items for Follow-Up:

Policies and procedures: Leave, Per diem, and Holidays (Randall):  Randall sent out a draft copy of amended policies and procedures.  Brian had sent him comments.  Howard said that he felt that the sick leave being included could be an issue for a future chief.  Perry stated that the vote held in March was very close.  The board at that time felt that for tracking purposes this would be easier.  If the policy is being abused in the future, then it could be revisited at that time.  In the original policy, sick leave accrued with no limit.  The board felt that a limit should be set that would be reasonable.  Perry stated that he had read the manual, however it is a long read and there is a lot of redundancy.  He feels that it would be best to have someone who has experience writing manuals such as this look at it.  There are many policies the board should look at.  Mike should also look at some of the policies for the volunteers.  There was a case where a county sued a fire district and it became a conflict for the county attorney to represent both entities.  The state has now regulated that the county attorney cannot represent the local and special service districts.  Randall would like to see the fee for inspections be clarified.  Brian would like to see the board contact BRAG to see if they have anyone who would be able to assist.  They may also be able to refer the district to an attorney.  Randall said that he could contact LeGrand Bitter with Local and Special and Service District or Ryan with the state auditor’s office.  Mike and Randall will follow up with looking for an attorney who is familiar with special service districts.  Brian House suggested that once an attorney is retained, the communication should go through the fire chief and/or chairman rather than individual board members.

Items for discussion:

Ride for Riley Benefit Lunch.  August 16th, 2014  (Mike):  There will be roughly 400 bikers riding from Riverdale to Preston and then back to Riverdale for this fundraiser.  They will be stopping in Garden City for lunch and would like some assistance from the fire district.  Mike offered the use of the grills and possibly some firefighters to assist.  There should be minimal to no cost to the district.  Howard requested that Mike ask the association to be in charge as much as possible. There may be some issues with food handling permits, etc.  Chris Coray asked Mike to get him the information so that he could put it in the paper.  Brian suggested that they contact the local restaurants to see if they would be willing to help out.  Randall asked why the parking lot and/or city offices were being considered over the park.  Mike said that the park was already reserved.

Additional Acceptances to the NFA in Emmetsburg, MA (Mike):  Mike Wahlberg and Andrew Stokes have been accepted from the alternate list.  The cost is $160/person for meals only.  The training is covered by FEMA.  Tom, Brandon, Travis, Andy and Mike will all be going.  Randall stated that the per diem in the manual are pretty limited so that should be revisited.  Mike said that in this case the flight and hotels are covered.  The meals are the $160 fee.  The district will rent a vehicle, so it should not be an issue for this trip.  This will be Sep 7-14.

Non-short term rental business inspection fees (Mike):  The businesses do not pay a fee for inspections currently, however short-term rentals do.  Brian stated that this is because commercial buildings are built to commercial standards, whereas the short-term rentals are built to residential standards.  The city only collects a fee on the residential.  The city would not be willing to start charging the fee for the businesses, so it would be the responsibility of the district to charge.  Mike stated that the house that was just recently converted to a business had a very similar inspection to the short-term rentals, but did not pay a fee.  The city does require the inspection, but does not charge a fee.  Howard said that $30 is not much to complain about.  The district should be more concerned about whether it is safe.  Mike does both inspections, regardless of whether there is a fee.  Mike said the only difference in the two inspections is that commercial requires ADA, and sprinklers, whereas rentals do not.  The board told Mike to let them know that the board has discussed it and they felt that commercial buildings are built to commercial standards and the rentals are built to residential standards.  The board will revisit next month.

 Vehicle/Equipment/Station Service Requests:  No requests.  Mike has replaced several batteries, filled fluids, etc.  Howard suggested purchasing a simple battery tester.  Mike stated that the station does have one.  The ones that have had problems were ones that had been driven recently and suddenly stopped.

Purchase Requisitions:  None this month.  Mike has been working on the building remodel.  He also purchased a GPS unit that will interface with the sheriff’s office equipment.  After testing this one, Mike will purchase one more high-end one and a few cheaper ones.  Brian asked if the missing rescue equipment had been replaced.  Mike said it showed up back at the station, so he did not end up having to purchase a new one.

 Equipment Status:  All equipment is stocked and running well except Brush 42.  Perry asked what the timeline is on the communication equipment.  Mike is waiting to hear back on the AFG grant before purchasing.  Brian asked about the Hazmat Technician training.  Mike stated that he was unable to get any volunteers.  However, the tech rescue team is coming together and includes fire fighters and search and rescue.

Responses:  1 structure fire, 2 brush fires, 1 propane leak, 1 CO, 1 school small fire.  Brian asked if any of the responses were to short-term rentals.  Mike stated that the CO call was, however it was not renters using the property at the time.

 New or Miscellaneous Business:  Randall asked who had attended training and asked for copies of the certificates.  Randall had done it online.  Perry said he is doing the training online.  Brian had done the training, but could not get his certificate to print.  Randall recommended emailing the test answers to Ryan Roberts, as that is what he had to do.

The Bear Lake Shake by the DNR has asked the fire district to do a fire boat demonstration on May 31.  There will be a wild land engine academy training on the east side as well.  Mike will pull a few firefighters off the training at lunch to handle the fire boat.  Mike is going to put the boat in on Saturday.  He will encourage the fire fighters to play around with the equipment on the boat for the next two weeks to become familiar with it.

Andy Stokes has been added as a Lieutenant.  The Lieutenants will act as captains if one is absent.  Last night there was an officer’s meeting.  The officers would like to do a BBQ/Fire Awareness Night for all the area residents on the 4^th Wednesday in June.  They will have a fire safety trailer and a few other activities.

Randall asked how many fire fighters there are now.  Mike said there are right around 26.  Brian asked if there were turnouts for everyone.  Mike said yes, however the new firefighters are in older turnouts for now.  There will be a Fire I class in 2015.  There will also possibly be a Fire II class in the fall.  Mike will try to get a couple instructors from Bridgerland to help out with that.

Chris asked if Mike had a proactive plan to keep people from being stupid this summer.  Mike stated that there have been a couple stupid accidents lately.  Mike said awareness is the biggest issue.  Mike is trying to recommend that if homeowner’s have items to burn that they do it now while the burn index is good.  Chris Coray asked that Mike remember that the upper part of Sweetwater does not allow burning.  Mike stated that he will inspect, but reminds them of the HOA rules.  Mike would ask that Sweetwater revisit the issue and suggest that the HOA allow some of these burns early in the year.  There are several homes that would be written off if a fire started due to items located around them.  Allowing residents to burn under limited situations could actually be safer than eliminating fires all the way.  Mike has been asked many times why the house in Sweetwater burned so quickly.  He is trying to educate individuals at that time.  Mike stated that part of the reason was that the doors were all open.  There was also scrap material at the ignition site.  By closing things up and moving away construction materials, homeowners can help the fire fighters quite a bit.  Randall said the homeowners need to be made aware they should close all interior doors when they leave.

 Items for follow-up: 

• April Meeting Minutes
• Policies and Procedures
• Legal Representation
• Business inspection fees

Motion to adjourn by Brian, 2^nd by Howard, vote was unanimous.

Garden City Fire District

Board Meeting

April 17, 2014

Board Members Present:  Christina Gracey, Randall Knight, Howard Pope, Brian House

Approval of Meeting Minutes:  Motion to approve March meeting mintues by Brian, 2^nd by Randall, vote was unanimous.

Motion to table the rest of the agenda due to a fire in progress by Brian, 2^nd by Howard, vote was unanimous.

Motion to adjourn by Brian, 2^nd by Randall, vote was unanimous.