HomeMy WebLinkAboutFire Commission 2020-09-09 Minutes
CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE COMMISSION MEETING
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
September 9, 2020
Meeting via Zoom
The meeting was called to order at 4 p.m. by Chair Mizroch.
Present: Chair Stephen Mizroch, Vice Chair Larry Luckham, Nadine Hade, Eli Hill, Thomas Weathers, and
Stan Burford.
Absent: David Fonkalsrud
Staff: Chief Robert Sinnott, Chief Darin White
1. Approval of Minutes: M/S Luckham/Burford to approve the minutes from the September 9, 2020, Fire
Commission meeting.
• Chair Mizroch: Aye
• Vice Chair Luckham: Aye
• Commissioner Weathers: Absent at time of vote
• Commissioner Hade: Absent at time of vote
• Commissioner Hill: Aye
• Commissioner Fonkalsrud: Absent
• Commissioner Burford: Aye
2. Open Time for Public Expression: None.
3. Fire Foundation Report. $26,267: Donna Mccusker made ~$4,000 donation. Chair Mizroch shared that
the Crab Feed has been cancelled due to safety concerns related to COVID-19 pandemic. Instead,
request for donations will be sent to existing contacts with offer of Public Safety Center challenge coins.
4. Historic Subcommittee: No report.
5. Commissioner Reports: The commissioners provided their reports.
• Chair Mizroch: Urged for people to get the flu shot. Noted 170th birthday of the State of
California. Recommended the film “Rebuilding Paradise”. Sent gratitude to AmeriCorps for
efforts to mitigate wildfire.
• Vice Chair Luckham: Shared advanced European fire helmet.
• Commissioner Weathers: No report this month.
• Commissioner Hade: Shared gratitude for the collegiality of the Fire Commission. Shared
account of Cal OES fire response to an incident in San Luis Obispo.
• Commissioner Hill: Shared progress on enhancing data capabilities for SRFD.
• Commissioner Burford: Congratulated Paul and Yvonne Sasse on their 70th Anniversary; Paul
retired as a Captain of the San Rafael Fire Department.
6. Fire Chief’s Report: Chief White provided verbal report spanning several topics, including:
• Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA)
o Director position may be solidified in the next week.
o Inspection staff (6) have conducted 1600 inspections this season; have been received
positively.
o Northern California Council for the Community (NCCC) may be able to be deployed in
October.
• Wildfire Safety Forum
o Held on August 31, 2020, with Officer Sgt Eberly, Quinn Gardner, and Chief White.
Addressed topics that included evacuations, defensible space, community risk
mitigation.
• September is National Preparedness Month and Public Safety Mental Awareness
o Quinn Gardner to hold a weekly session with the community this month.
• Wildfire Mitigation Specialist will be joining the department to support safety efforts
• COVID-19 Impact
o Short-term lodging has been cleared for re-open with restrictions.
o Additional types of businesses are under consideration for re-open.
o Provided current statistics of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
• Wildfire update
o As of September 6, 2020, 7,448 fires had been ignited, noting that there are 13 major
incidents.
o Woodward Fire no longer has any local resources assigned.
• Recruitment
o Three (3) recruits graduated and joined San Rafael Fire Department on September 5th.
• Chief White, Chair Mizroch and Vice Chair Luckham provided comments to dispel misconception
of analogizing herd immunity to wildfire.
• Public Safety Center tour is scheduled for Wednesday September 16, 2020.
Adjournment: The Fire Commission meeting was adjourned at 4:53 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled
for Wednesday, October 14, 2020.
Submitted,
Eli Hill, Fire Commission