St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1
Board of Commissioners
Regular Meeting
Minutes
March 20, 2018
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
The prayer and pledge of allegiance were done.
ROLL CALL: Chairman Crowley and Commissioners Brackett, Gay and Rich were present.
Commissioner Hoying was absent.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION-
Retirement: Steve Lemoine
Swear In/ Promotions:
District Chief: Greg Kelly
Captain: Kelly Williams
Operator: Joshua Musselman
Recognition: Chad Duffaut, Chief Fire Officer
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 20, 2018 meeting. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS – (none)
NEW BUSINESS
1. Chief’s Report
a) Significant Monthly Events
• PIAL Update- Recognition Letter from Parish President Pat Brister for Class 2 rating
• St. 18 HVAC – The architect has contracted with our HVAC vendor and is allowing them to make the necessary changes, at no expense to the department. Chief Kaufmann stated that we will purchase a dehumidifier to allow for better performance.
• Feb. 21 -Tax Commission (Baton Rouge)- Northshore Mall Appeals- Chief Kaufman stated that there is an appeal to further reduce the taxes (from 30% to 50%) at Northshore Mall
• Mar. 6- Tax Reform Briefing (hosted by Ericksen, Krentel)
• 2017 Audit- In Progress (due to Parish May 1)
• Enhanced Audit Engagement Letter
• 2017 Year End Report- Release in April
b) Training Academy- Fuel Pump Upgrade ($16,941) – this upgrade will allow for better tracking and accountability for compliance with the annual audits
c) Civil Service Board- Re-Appoint Mark Meyers (letter attached)
d) Station 13/HQ- Update- the underground drainage is installed and the muck has been leveled out. The roof for HQ is approx. 75% complete and the roof on the station is complete, as well as the plumbing and electrical
e) Public Campaign/ Outreach- (TBD)
f) Operations Reports – Chief of Operations Kuhn discussed the “Operations” report (February) which covers YTD call totals, Hydrants Inspected, NFIRS Incidents, Dollar Loss/ Dollar Save (by Station location), Average Response Time (by Station) and EMS Call Type and Number of Incidents.
g) Maintenance Report- Chief of Operations Kuhn discussed the “Maintenance” report (February) which covered preventative maintenances and major repairs performed.
h) Fire Prevention Report- Chief of Fire Prevention Marquette discussed the monthly “Fire Prevention” report (February) which included Inspections, Public Fire Safety & Education Events, Investigations, and Economic Impact.
i) Training Report – Chief of Training Bauer discussed the monthly “Training” report (February) which included Classes, Certifications and Revenues.
j) Communications Report – Chief of Communications Watson discussed the monthly “Communications” report (February) which included call volume and statistics.
k) General Comments
• Fire Records Clerk II – Chief Kaufmann stated that Katie Elliott was hired at an entry level position, to replace Carolyn Gilmore. He further stated that after revisiting the expectations, Katie is working above the basic Fire Record Clerk job classification and responsibilities.
Chief Kaufmann provided the classification and pay scale for Fire Records Clerk II and requested that the Board support his recommendation to bring Katie to that level.
• Resignation- 2 month probationary employee resigned
• Compensation Package Proposal- Effective Oct. 2018- Chief Kaufmann stated that he is working with the Executive Committee staff and looking at the current pay scale and will present a proposal, for consideration, with a possible increase. Chief Kaufmann stated that this is the first time that he’s come to the Board for this, and the employees have worked hard and accomplished many positive things.
Chairman Crowley stated that he knows that the proposal from the administration will be sustainable. He further stated that we have attracted employees that are already trained, therefore a cost savings to the department.
• Dispatching for Covington- Chief Kaufmann stated that Covington Fire Department has approached us to consider dispatching for them. He further stated that data has been collected, and a proposal will be presented for review and further discussion.
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to accept the Chief’s report. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
2. SFFA (Slidell Firefighters Association) – MDA Golf Tournament- April 6
3. PMI Report –
a.) Employee Benefits – (none)
b.) Human Resource
1) 2018-016: BOC Resolution (Approve Classification – Fire Record Clerk II)
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-016, Relating to Approval to Establish the Classification of Fire Records Clerk II for District No. 1. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion.
Commissioner Brackett stated that the tasks were well written and it’s justifiable.
The motion carried unanimously.
2) 2018-017: BOC Resolution (Appoint CSB Education Nominee)
Commissioner Gay made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-017, Relating to the Appointment of the Educational Nominee to the STFPD No. 1 Civil Service Board for District No.1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion.
Commissioner Rich stated that the Resolution had some grammatical errors.
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to amend Resolution 2018-017 to reflect the corrections. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
3) 2018-018: BOC Resolution (2017 Audit Engagement)
Commissioner Gay made a motion to adopt Resolution 2018-018, Relating to the Approval of the 2017 Audit Engagement for District No. 1. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4) Fire Chief Evaluation- A cumulative report will be provided at the April meeting
c.) Payroll – (none)
d.) FRS (Firefighters Retirement System) – 26.50 % (Effective Date- 07/01/2018)
e.) VFIS Special Risk Insurance & LWCC- VFIS Renewal Application Submitted
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to accept the PMI report. Commissioner Gay seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
4. Duplantier Hrapman Hogan & Maher, LLP-
Mr. DiGiovanni discussed the February financial report.
Commissioner Gay made a motion to accept the February financial report. Commissioner Brackett seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
5. Attorney’s Report- (none)
6. Board of Commissioner Comments –
Commissioner Brackett made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Rich seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m.