COLTON FIRE DISTRICT MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2010
Present: Dennis Eickhoff, Paul Caster, Charles Wright, Chad Crosby, Bill Slater, Dave Crosby, Jerry Wilson, MJ Watson
Chairman Eickhoff called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Colton Fire Station.
Caster moved and Wilson seconded that the minutes of the January meeting be approved. Carried Unanimously.
Caster moved and Wilson seconded that early bills in the amount of $3,641.27 and February regular bills in the amount of $2,219.56 be approved for payment. Carried Unanimously.
D. Crosby inquired about the removal of the old Clark buildings and Eickhoff indicated that previously discussion was that they would be removed before Colton Country Days.
Wilson reported that according to John Hart, the hood for R33 was almost ready to be painted.
Wright reported that a committee for the new station had been established and that the first meeting would be held later this month.
Crosby moved and Wright seconded that the application of Michael Sutton for membership in the Department be approved. Carried Unanimously.
A bid from First Due Services for 2010 hose testing has been received for $.21 per foot. Caster moved and Wright seconded that the bid be accepted. Carried Unanimously. Slater noted that they now also do ladder testing. First Due will be contacted for a quote for that.
Crosby to go to the required Fire District training. On April 15 there training sessions for Fire District Secretaries and Treasurers will be held in Saratoga. Caster moved and Wilson seconded that Watson be given permission to go. Carried Unanimously.
New laws are currently in effect for Fire Districts in an effort to dissolve/consolidate districts. A training session will be held March 27 at Turning Stone Casino for a fee of $50. Wilson moved and Caster seconded that Eickhoff be given permission to go. Carried Unanimously.
Jerome Fire has going to work on the pump for the boat. There is no such thing as a clutch for it but they will figure out what needs to be done to get it to work correctly.
The truck committee is drawing up a wish list and Crimson Fire will be coming up to Colton.
Problems continue to occur with the pagers and the District should consider revamping/reconditioning them or getting new ones. As new members are coming in, the number of functioning pagers is decreasing.
D. Crosby moved and Caster seconded that two Department members take the Wildland Fire training course. Carried Unanimously. The Department will pay and the District will reimburse.
At the recent fire scene support class, the instructor commented that an inspection of the building would result in its closure because of the exposed panel and wires hanging down. This is to be corrected.
C. Crosby announced that the District had received the $30,000 FEMA grant for a new compressor. The District is to pay 5% of the cost. The back bay needs to be cleaned out.
C. Crosby commented that he appreciated the Department's and District's turnout for Asa Garlough.
E-10 currently has an exhaust and water leak. Har-Rob could be contacted but Sutton is a pump mechanic certified to do the repair. Slater will have Sutton take a look at it.
Eight hours of OSHA training is required for firemen. The Department's executive committee recently decided not to allow untrained individuals lacking this training to respond to fire calls. Liability concerns about allowing untrained individuals to respond were discussed. If untrained individual were to be hurt on a fire call, residents would be upset with the District. If there were no trained firemen to respond to calls, homeowners' insurance would not increase since Colton already had the highest rating anyway. C. Crosby indicated that with Pierrepont's cooperation, there was good protection for the area. Slater mentioned that it needs to be clear what each member is trained to do. D. Crosby indicated that OSHA training has to be completed in order to respond to a call/be on a fire scene. Caster expressed concern about having enough men on a scene if the District becomes too strict but it is necessary to make it safe for everyone. Slater indicated that the Department is currently using the federal guidelines for training requirements. C. Crosby indicated that with the Department's small numbers it would be possible to easily keep track of who is qualified to do what. There are currently only 4 interior firemen. Slater noted that the Department doesn't respond to enough fires to be good at it and that the Department needs to practice since these are perishable skills that must be used. D. Crosby moved and Caster seconded that OSHA training is required before anyone is allowed to respond to a call. Carried Unanimously. It is now the responsibility of the officers to follow through. D. Crosby would like the District to be kept informed about OSHA training.
D. Crosby and Eickhoff will check on tax incentives and retirement for firemen in accordance with LOSAP.
The Commissioners reviewed the bank statements for the checking and money market accounts as well as the certificates of deposit tying them to the December 31, 2009 balance sheet.
The meeting adjourned at 8: 15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
MJ Watson