COUNTY OF BRANT FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEFS MEETING MINUTES Fire Administration Building Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:32 p.m. 1) Roll Call: Paul Boissonneault - Fire Chief arrived at 7:55 p.m. Geoff Hayman - Deputy Fire Chief Deputy District Chief John Fazekas - Station No. 1 Paris District Chief Bob Valade - Station No. 2 Airport Deputy District Chief Brent Cain - Station No. 2 Airport District Chief Lloyd Rutherford - Station No. 3 Burford Deputy District Chief Kevin Hall - Station No. 3 Burford District Chief Mike Smith - Station No. 4 Cainsville District Chief Albert McAlister - Station No. 5 Mt. Pleasant Deputy District Chief Dan Mulligan - Station No. 5 Mt. Pleasant Captain Barry McBlain - Station No. 6 Onondaga District Chief Paul McConkey - Station No. 7 St. George Deputy District Chief Tim Nesbitt - Station No. 7 St. George District Chief Robert Hunter - Station No. 8 Scotland Deputy District Chief Jim Ritchie - Station No. 8 Scotland Matt Amy - County Control Jan Forbes - Fire Administration Deputy Chief Hayman welcomed those in attendance to the meeting and advised that Chief Boissonneault would be late in arriving. 2) Approval of the Agenda: Deputy Chief Hayman asked if there were any additional items to be added to the Agenda. There being none it was Moved by Deputy District Chief Nesbitt Seconded by District Chief McAlister That the Agenda of the May 24, 2012 Chiefs Meeting be approved as written. 3) Education: Carried. The education will be discussed on arrival of the Fire Chief under the Round Table discussion.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 2 4) Minutes: (a) Minutes of the April 19, 2012 Chiefs Meeting: Deputy Chief Hayman asked if there were any errors or omissions regarding these Minutes. There being none, it was Moved by Deputy District Chief Hall Seconded by Deputy District Chief Ritchie That the Minutes of the Chiefs Meeting held on April 19, 2012 be adopted as written. Carried. Business Arising from the Minutes: Deputy Chief Hayman referred to page 4, Item f) re discussion of Emergency Preparedness Week, May 6-12, 2012 and advised that there was a fair bit of activity during the week with a lot of it being done by Fire Prevention staff. He thanked all of those that were involved. He referred to page 5, Item 8), round table discussion fifth bullet point re the official opening of the new Mt. Pleasant fire hall and asked District Chief McAlister to give an update. Albert stated that there was a good turn out with 75-80 people attending, including good representation from Council and retired Chiefs as well. The hall is up and running and the new generator received its certification yesterday. (b) Minutes of the April 26, 2012 Training Committee Meeting: The Minutes were received for information. Deputy Chief Hayman referred to page 3, Item 6)b), discussion re Recruit Training Schedule June through December, 2012, and asked that the additional training from June to December be discussed with station members. First up will be Station No. 7 St. George in June for Sections 18 and 19.. (c) Deputy Chief Hayman referred to page 5, Item g) discussion re trainer facilitators and advised that we are going ahead with a Trainer-Facilitator course which will consist of 2 components. A four hour update course will get those trainer-facilitators to the Trainer Facilitator Presentation Skill (TFPS) level. The course is planned to be held October-November, 2012. Excerpt of the Minutes of the April 2, 2012 Community Services Committee Meeting: The Minutes were received for information.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 3 Deputy Chief Hayman referred to page 3, under Consent Items to be Approved, Item 1) and noted that the appointment of a new officer at Station No. 3 Burford and Station No. 6 Onondaga were official and offered his congratulations. He referred to page 4, Item 3, regarding the replacement of Self- Contained Breathing Apparatus to acceptable health and safety industry standards for fire fighting operations and advised that new SCBA cylinders have been received. Monique will be contacting the District Chiefs regarding distribution. Referring to page 5, Other Business, regarding PAD defibs, DC Hayman advised that 14 new PADs have been approved by Heart & Stroke and are completely funded through grants. (d) Excerpt of the draft Minutes of the May 7, 2012 Community Services Committee Meeting: 5) Reports: The Minutes were received for information. DC Hayman referred to page 4, Consent Items to be Approved, Item 1) re the replacement of a Rescue Truck for Station No. 6 Onondaga and advised the truck has been received and is a nice unit. (a) Fire Call Report for April, 2012: 6) Correspondence: The report was received for information. Deputy Chief Hayman noted that calls are down 57 from last year. He also noted that it is getting drier out and we have had a couple of grass fires. The long term weather forecast is dry. Jan advised that a recall notice regarding the Uberhaus propane gas barbecue bearing model number 780-0002B and serial numbers starting with 20117800002B had been placed in each station s mail folder. The product may have a manufacturing defect that can cause a fire. The Chiefs were asked to discuss and post the notice at their station. 7) Other Business: (a) Discussion of revised Departmental Procedure No. 1-3, Officer s Promotion, together with sign-off sheet: District Chief Hunter spoke to the policy and advised that Senior Fire Administration staff and the Policy Committee recommended that changes be made and the policy revised. He noted that it was originally entitled Captain s Promotion and highlighted the changes. He referred to page 2,
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 4 Item 2, third bullet point and advised that Level 2 course requirement consists of CO50102, CO50345, CO506, CO60102 and Fire Scene Assessment courses. (b) Discussion of revised Departmental Procedure No. 1-29, Post Incident Analysis Review (PIAR) and Post Incident Debriefing (PID), together with sign-off sheet: District Chief Hunter advised that a small change was made under Section B, Page 2, last paragraph, being that the Post Incident Debrief will be held at the discretion of the Fire Chief and/or Deputy Chief. In response to a question regarding the word should be conducted being changed to may be conducted, it was agreed that the Policy Committee would revisit this wording at their next meeting. (c) Discussion of Departmental Procedure No. 2-32, Above Ground Operations, together with sign-off sheet: District Chief Hunter advised that this policy was distributed as a draft with a few changes from Norfolk Fire s original policy. No comments were received by the Policy Committee. It was suggested that a change be made regarding page 1, Item 3, bold section teams of two firefighters should be used minimum, to put the word minimum at the beginning of the sentence so that it reads, A minimum of a team of two firefighters should be used. It was agreed that the change would be made without redistribution to the Chiefs. At this point, Chief Boissonneault arrived and Deputy Chief Hayman transferred the Chair to him at 7:56 p.m. (d) Discussion of Departmental Procedure No. 4-4, Officer Training, together with sign-off sheet: District Chief Hunter referred to the Responsibility Section and advised that it was changed from the District Chiefs shall report to the Training Co-Ordinator to the District Chiefs shall report to the Deputy Chief. (e) Chief Boissonneault, discussion re Volunteer Firefighter Survey 2011: Chief Boissonneault referred to the Volunteer Firefighter Survey contained in the Agenda packages and asked if the Chiefs had discussed it with the members of their station. In response, it was noted that it has been discussed with the officers at stations 2,3,8,6, and 7. The Chief encouraged them to talk with their officers/membership. He advised that the item will be discussed at the next Chiefs Meeting.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 5 (f) Chief Boissonneault, discussion re fire pays for the period ending May 31, 2012: Chief Boissonneault advised that the cut-off for the fire pays is 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2012 and asked the Chiefs to get their paperwork in to Fire Administration as soon as possible. Pays will be deposited into members accounts on Friday, June 15, 2012. (g) Chief Boissonneault, discussion re fire com headsets: Chief Boissonneault advised that the headsets have been installed and are extremely easy to use. No instructions were left with them and he has received a few questions. A receiving module was installed on the dash and the headsets hang from the roof. They are wireless and plug in only to charge. As soon as the truck is turned on, it is activated. Members need only to push the red button to talk and it is recommended that they keep the mike close to their mouth. The headsets are a health and safety feature for the pump operator to be able to hear the Incident Commander and they enable hands free use. In response to a question regarding more than one headset being on scene would they act as intercoms, Chief Boissonneault advised that he would check with the supplier. (h) Deputy Chief Hayman, discussion re Captains Exam, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 7:00 p.m., at Station No. 1 Paris: Deputy Chief Hayman noted that those firefighters writing the exam should write it as if they were an officer, not as a firefighter. The expectation is that the study material will be returned to Fire Administration on completion of the exam. (i) Deputy Chief Hayman, discussion re 2012 County Fire School June 23-24, 2012: Deputy Chief Hayman advised that registration for the County Fire School is progressing. Sign up should be done as soon as possible with June 15 th being the cut-off date. He noted that the Legislation 101 course is already half full. (j) Deputy Chief Hayman, discussion re 2011 Recruits End of Probation Exam, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 7:00 p.m. at Station No. 1 Paris: Deputy Chief Hayman advised that there is one month left before the 2011 recruits write their end of probation exam. He asked the Chiefs to remind them that on June 27 th they will have to write their exam and go through the practical demonstrations of their acquired knowledge.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 6 Chief Boissonneault stated that every year we try to replace bunker gear that is usually 10+ years old. This spring we asked for 7-8 year old gear to be looked at. He advised that the old gear is to be used as gear for the newest recruits. He will not issue new gear to a new recruit when they haven t completed their probation. He asked that he be contacted if anyone hears any complaints. 8) Round Table Discussion: Station No. 4 Cainsville congratulated members of Station No. 7 St. George on their 100 th year anniversary celebration and noted that it was a fantastic afternoon well received thank you. Station No. 5 Mt. Pleasant advised that the Station No. 5 members that attended the St. George 100 th year celebration were appreciative and thanked them. Advised of a problem encountered over the long weekend in getting enough manpower to assist at a mutual aid fire at Six Nations. The District Chief advised that they held back their pumper but sent their tanker and a crew of 4 or 5 firefighters. He noted that Station No. 6 Onondaga members also attended. Captain McBlain noted that the location of this incident is becoming quite an issue as it is being lit up frequently, and asked Chief Boissonneault if anything could be done. The Chief advised that the location is owned by the Band Council. He suggests that we attend, do a size-up, and decide what resources we need to send in Mutual Aid assistance. He has previously discussed this site with Chief Seth of Six Nations. The pancake breakfast held on May 6, 2012 had a good turn out. People were amazed at the new hall and are very appreciative of the station. Station No. 6 Onondaga asked when Unit 61 would be back and was advised that it should be back at their station tomorrow. It was noted that the new truck is currently overloaded and needs to have some items moved and/or rearranged. Station No. 7 St. George thanked all stations for their participation in the 100 th Anniversary celebration and appreciates all the thank you s they have received. A lot of good comments were received from their retired firefighters. Station No. 8 Scotland had an opportunity to try out some of the new water supply equipment and it worked really well. Members have set up an SCBA confidence maze in the old bowling alley and it is open for others to use. Contact District Chief Hunter to schedule. Chief Boissonneault advised that 11 new packs have been ordered and 2 additional packs were placed on the Station No. 6 Onondaga trucks. Oldest packs are 2004 compliant. He also advised that staff is currently working on the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) equipment.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 7 Station No. 3 Burford needs some electronic requisition forms. Chief Boissonneault questioned if there was anything in the works for Deputy District Chief Symon s retirement and was advised that nothing has been arranged to date. He asked Station No. 3 members to let him know what is being planned. Station No. 2 Airport offered congratulations to St. George. Those that attended thought it was a great day and a job well done. Members offered thank you s to Station No. 3 Burford and No. 1 Paris for their assistance with live fire training. Advised that Firefighter Paul Partridge is retiring at the end of May but a date for his celebration has not yet been set. Station No. 1 Paris advised that their annual Fish Fry is being held on Saturday night, May 26 th at the Paris Fairgrounds. Members offered a thank you to Station No. 2 Airport for their assistance at a structure fire the previous week at 86 Broadway. Communications advised that Communicators had a meeting with Fire Administration and are working towards the July 4 th go live date for the new contract. They are preparing for upgraded equipment, the CAD system and FirePro2. Janet Herbison is the newest part-time Communicator. She was on duty today. Another part-time Communicator will be hired. Interviews are currently in process. Five people were interviewed and 3-5 will be put into a priority allocation sequence. 4 Communicators participated in the recent Incident Management System training. The training was well received. Chief Boissonneault noted that Communications is currently undergoing a lot of changes. There are two full-time members currently on long term sick leave. The point of contact for all supervisory communications functions is Chief Boissonneault until otherwise advised. In discussion regarding radio communications, Chief Boissonneault noted that communications staff will acknowledge the first acknowledging radio response. The next acknowledgement should be when the truck is ready to roll. He asked that this be discussed with all members. We are trying to limit the radio communications. We currently have 87 radios in service. The purpose of the radios is to provide clear, concise information, not to jam up the airwaves.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 8 Deputy Chief Hayman referred to safety inspections for trucks and advised that notification will come when they are due. He stated that members be prepared for operating under rehab requirements. Regarding the Master Fire Plan, it is expected that the document will be ready to be presented to Council in September. May 26 and 27, 2012 recruitment training has already been discussed. Regarding the Introductory Incident Management System course, it was nice to see representation from Communications attend. If there are any questions on anything, please let him know. Chief Boissonneault advised that an update on the status of the radio system was the education item for this meeting. He stated that every current piece of radio equipment has to come back to Administration before we go live. If it is not reprogrammed, it will be useless. He advised that 128 new radios will be put into use. Station No. 1 Paris 20 portables. Station No. 7 St. George 16 portables. Station No. 5 Mt. Pleasant 16 portables. Station No. 3 Burford 16 portables. Station No. 4 Cainsville 14 portables. Station No. 8 Scotland 14 portables. Station No. 2 Airport 12 portables. Station No. 6 Onondaga 12 portables. There will be a couple of spare units. 17 pagers have just been purchased for the new recruits. 75 Minitor V s have been purchased and there are close to 90 Minitor V s already in use. We are replacing 32 mobile radios. Some old base stations will not provide any true availability. The new system is a digital system with a bit of dual analog digital components. Monday evening, June 18, 2012 between 7:00 and 9:00 pm. is currently some stations training night. All stations needs to reschedule their training to June 18 th. All radios will be switched over that night. The supplier will attend at each station to program the units. Chargers need to be ready to go too. Administration staff will notify each station of the approximate time the supplier will be there. Minitor II s and III s will not be replaced. Pagers will not relay data information. Two seconds after the tone out, firefighters will not be able to listen to all calls of other stations. Portable radios will receive and transmit all calls. Chief Boissonneault asked that members keep Administration staff notified of any upcoming community events.
Fire Department Chiefs Meeting May 24, 2012 Page 9 The Chief asked that all firefighters follow our policy in regard to response to medical calls. If any situations or challenges occur, the chain of command is to be followed and the Fire Chief notified. 9) Announcements: Station No. 5 Mt. Pleasant will be holding their annual Pig Roast on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Tickets are available. On June 9, 2012 a barbecue will be held at M & M Meats in Paris to promote Carbon Monoxide awareness. Station No. 7 St. George will be holding a pancake breakfast on Saturday, June 30, 2012. Their annual Fire & Thunder fireworks will be held on July 1 st. 10) Next Meeting Date: The next Chiefs Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fire Administration Building in Paris. 11) Adjournment: Moved by District Chief McAlister Seconded by Deputy District Chief Ritchie That the meeting be adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Carried. Paul Boissonneault Fire Chief