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BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS DRAFT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012 5:30 P.M. – GUILFORD FIRE HEADQUARTERS Present:
Jim Galvin, Gary Gilbert, Barbara Hemming,
Chief Charles Herrschaft, Assistant Chief Wayne
Vetre, Deputy Chief Ken Maginniss, Captain
Mr. Gilbert called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 1. Public Forum Approve minutes of: Approve minutes of the January 3, 2012 regular meeting Upon a motion by Ms Hemming, and seconded by Mr. Leete, the Commission voted to approve the minutes of the January 3, 2012 regular meeting. Correspondence and Notices Departmental Officers and/or Committee Reports: Fire Chief/Fire Marshal’s Report
The Chief reported that he had a meeting with the Sales Representative
regarding some minor changes to the new engine specifications. There will
be another meeting tomorrow, and then the final drawings will be prepared.
There will be a webinar with Pierce Manufacturing on Friday (2/10/12) to go
over the drawings, and the engine should then officially be in production. The
anticipated delivery will be sometime in June, 2012.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes February 7, 2012 1
There will be an award ceremony on March 6, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. to award
citations to both department members and four civilians who aided a cardiac
arrest victim. The individual whose life was saved will also be in attendance.
Upon a motion by Ms. Hemming, and seconded by Mr. Galvin, the Commission voted to approve the Chief’s report. Assistant Fire Chief Report 4.2.1 Activity Report(s)
Assistant Chief Vetre reported that there were a total of 256 calls in January.
The backup documentation shows 258 calls because that includes two test
calls, but the actual number is 256. The total number of calls for the year is
The number of back to back calls were as follows:
The Assistant Chief also reviewed the responses to a structure fire.
He also confirmed that the most recent SAFER grant reimbursement payment
Upon a motion by Mr. Leete, and seconded by Ms. Hemming, the Commission voted to approve the Chief’s report. Monthly Business: Status of FY 2011-12 Budget
The budget is currently at 48.7%, and should be at 50%. There are no major
areas of concern at this time. The Chief continues to monitor the Vehicle
Maintenance and Overtime accounts very closely. He informed the
Commissioners that the Fuel account will be affected by a payment to the
Board of Education for fuel which was allocated for the Board of Education
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes February 7, 2012 2
but used by the Town. He is awaiting further clarification from the Finance
Department and will share the information with the Commissioners when it is
The Chief also resolved an issue with the maintenance account involving
expenses for gasoline at Public Works which were incorrectly charged to
the maintenance account. The issue was corrected and the fuel account has
Mr. Galvin asked how much impact snow had on the budget. The Chief
informed him that it had very little impact. Mr. Galvin also asked if the
current expense figures were predictors of expenses for the remainder of the
fiscal year. Chief Herrschaft advised that Replacement Salaries are affected in
the second half of the year by vacation time. In addition, April, May and June
are historically the month when the department experiences the heaviest
Consider and take action on monthly Department Expenditures
Invoices for the month totaled $52,873.02. Mr. Gilbert inquired about a
payment to Boundtree Medical. This was for replenishment of inventory
which is typically done every six months. It also included some small
refrigerators for a medication which requires refrigeration (Cardizem).
Mr. Galvin noted that electricity rates are coming down, which should help
Upon a motion by Ms. Hemming, and seconded by Mr. Leete, the Commission voted to approve the monthly expenses of $52,873.02. Receive Revenue Report
The most recent revenue report was not available at the time of this meeting.
Old Business:
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes February 7, 2012 3
New Business Receive update on proposed 2012-13 budget
Chief Herrschaft reported that the Board of Selectmen made reductions to
the Fire Department’s proposed FY 2012-13 Budget. They reduced the Fuel
Account by $7,000 and left it to the Department’s discretion to cut the
budget by an additional $25,000. Chief Herrschaft recommended to the
Commissioners that $15,000 be taken from Replacement Salaries, and
$10,000 be taken from Overtime. The Commissioners agreed with the Chief’s
The Chief reported that there will be live burn training this evening at 7:00 p.m. at
Fire Headquarters. The Department has been taking full advantage of the use the
New Haven Fire Academy’s Regional Burn Trailer. This evening’s training will meet
Any other business to properly come before the Fire Commission
Assistant Chief Vetre reported that the department is looking at other
vendors to provide the EMS run forms. They have had product
demonstrations and are reviewing costs. The current system requires
constant major updates which bring the entire system to a halt. They spend
days updating the computer and as soon as they complete it the
department is notified about another upgrade. The updates are due to
Public Forum Motion: Upon a motion by Ms. Hemming, and seconded by Mr. Galvin, the Commission voted to adjourn the meeting at 5:50 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Karen Quercia
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes February 7, 2012 4
MS Bjerneld worked as a nurse in a camp for Nambian refuges in Angola for the Africa Groups of Sweden. She is telling us about the conditions in the camp as well as the cooperation with SWAPO. She was later the administrator in Sweden for the Medical Aid for SWAPO project. A position the interviewer had held at the beginning of the project. She was lso a board member of the Africa Groups of Swed