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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFire Commission 2018-01-10 MinutesCITY OF SAN RAFAEL FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE COMMISSION MEETING Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 10, 2018 1600 Los Gamos Drive, Suite 345 San Rafael, CA 94903 Present: Chair Steve Mizroch Fire Chief Christopher Gray Vice Chair Larry Luckham Leonard Thompson Thomas Weathers Nadine Atieh David Fonkalsrud, Alternate Guests: Cynthia Gray Marinwood citizen Linda Barnello Chair Mizroch called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. I. Approval of Minutes: Chair Mizroch asked for any additions or corrections to the minutes of the December 13, 2017 meeting. None were offered. Minutes were approved (Thompson moved/Luckham seconded/unanimous vote). II. Open Time for Public Expression: Linda Barnello commented on and applauded the cooperation between the San Rafael Fire Department and the Marinwood Fire Department. She said the shared services agreement looks like it is going well. Linda said ATT wants to lease the cell tower in Marinwood. Larry said cell tower service on the training tower at Station 52 was removed when the tower was demolished. Leonard suggested that Marinwood not take the first bid. He said Marinwood should negotiate instead. Linda said Marinwood was not interested in a cell tower lease for some unknown reason. Vegetation Management Coordinator Marshall Nau introduced himself. He is trying to enforce the vegetation ordinance around San Rafael. They remove junipers, clear open space, and identify fire roads. III. Fire Foundation: Commissioner Leonard reported that the crab feed raised several thousands of dollars to help the SRFD. CITY OF SAN RAFAEL FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE COMMISSION MEETING Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 10, 2018 1600 Los Gamos Drive, Suite 345 San Rafael, CA 94903 IV. Historic Subcommittee: No report. V. Chair and Commission Member Reports: A. Chair Mizroch said he wrote a letter to the San Rafael Fire Foundation to thank them for the crab feed. Also, Steve and Larry took gifts to the stations for the firefighters. Steve then discussed the flu and the impact it can have. B. Vice Chair Luckham talked about a fire Marinwood asked him to investigate. He was accompanied by a private fire investigator. There was a suggestion that the sun’s reflection off a metal sink bowl may have ignited a box. It turns out the cause was an electrical fire. He said there has been little Photo 50 activity this past month. He also mentioned that he helped on a call to rescue a stranded boat at Loch Lomond. C. Commissioner Thompson mentioned that Petaluma had its 160-year celebration and there was a firefighters’ ball. D. Commissioner Weathers commented on the articles in the IJ by Dick Spotswood about wildfire preparedness. E. Commissioner Atieh accepted a job as an accounting manager for the City of San Rafael. F. Alternate Commissioner Fonkalsrud asked about the SRFF crab feed results. Chair Mizroch appointed David to be the SRFC liaison to the Latino Civic Leadership Initiative Event which is an effort to get more Latinos to serve on boards and commissions. VI. Fire Chief Report: Chief Gray reported about flooding and fires around the state. He said SRFD firefighters had just returned home safely from the Southern California fires. He discussed an ambulance purchase using paramedic money to buy the new ambulance. He said Station 52 is coming along well. He also said construction has been started on Station 57. He reported that Marinwood Fire Department wants to meet and discuss options with the San Rafael Fire Department to reduce service costs. The Marinwood Fire Chief is retiring. There was a general discussion about insurance companies hiring private firefighters to protect their insureds. Chief Gray reported that SRFD is conducting outreach for wildfire CITY OF SAN RAFAEL FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE COMMISSION MEETING Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 10, 2018 1600 Los Gamos Drive, Suite 345 San Rafael, CA 94903 preparedness. The SRFD has been visiting neighborhood associations to discuss wildfire preparedness. The SRFD will also be involved in a general presentation with other agencies about wildfire preparedness. Chief Gray reported that the SRFD is hiring. There has been a high attrition rate due to retirements and new hires not passing probation. There are four vacancies. He discussed the challenges in recruiting and retaining good personnel. The SRFD is going to a continuous process for candidates and will do its own written testing instead of relying on state testing. There was also discussion about expanding the fire reserve force program in Marinwood into San Rafael. Chief Gray also discussed the para-medicine program as a cost-saving program. He said it would reduce the serial users of the ER. He said the scope of the program will expand and psychologists will participate with the SRFD. He said they might be able to develop a service model for chronic inebriates who use services. VII. Adjournment Chair Mizroch asked if there was anything further from anyone, and there being noth ing further, adjourned the meeting at 5:17 p.m.