!!!!!OCTOBER MEETING MINUTES!!!!

[Duane]

Just to show how much my fan club means to me, I took a week of vacation from work so that I could get these minutes done in a timely manner. Please read, enjoy and share with your friends. Sorry, but no photos are available at this time.


Minutes of the October 10, 2007
Lancaster County Fire Chiefs Association, Inc.
Bi-Monthly Meeting at
Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center

President John Leas called the bi-monthly meeting of the Lancaster County Fire Chiefs Association, Incorporated to order at 19:35 hours on October 10, 2007 at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, President Leas appointed Brett Hamm (7-5) as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

Presentation / Guests – Our first guest speaker of the evening was Duane Hagelgans who gave some input on legal issues in the fire service. Some key highlights of his presentation include:
• Concerning fire department liabilities at fire calls – Duane encouraged fire chiefs to make sure that any reports relating to an incident do not conflict with another report. Gathering information from multiple sources is encouraged, but make sure there is only one legal, final report.

• Whenever there is a fatal incident or a special incident, make sure that each member present at the incident takes the time to document what he did or saw. Then they should take that paperwork home with them and hold on to it in case the incident goes to court at a later date. This will help refresh your memory, while maintaining only one final and legal incident report.

• When writing incident reports, do not editorialize. Only state the facts that you know; do not share opinions in your report.

• All fire departments are at risk to be sued, so make sure your report of the incident is well documented.

• Fire Chiefs are not obligated to speak to private investigators at an incident scene. We are not the investigators – the fire marshals and police officers are. Also, a fire chief / fire department should NEVER take evidence from the scene because most fire departments are not prepared to fully secure the evidence and maintain the chain of custody.

• Talk to your members about the importance of not speaking to the public or civilians about the incident. You do not know who you may be speaking to and it could be held against you in the future. Encourage your members to keep quiet.

• For fire departments which use their website to post photos or stories about their incidents – Be very careful what you write or what photos you show. NEVER post photos of fatal incidents.

• Volunteer firefighters are covered by Workers Compensation in the state of PA, but all fire departments are encouraged to purchase supplemental insurance with their relief funds. Your members’ protection should be of utmost importance to you.

• Document any time your members are exposed while operating at an incident. This includes exposure to carbon monoxide, infectious disease, hazardous materials, etc. Documenting even minor exposure now will help you in the future in the event of filing a claim.

John Leas then spoke to the membership on his involvement in the creation of a fire museum in Columbia. He serves on the Board of Directors and they are pursuing the idea of creating a fire museum that could be recognized as a county, state or a national fire museum. They are in the early stages of progress and the developer and those on the committee would like to take the next step of applying for a feasibility study grant to see what their options are. In order to apply for financial assistance for the study, they must be a registered 501(c)3 organization, but they have not registered for their status yet. John asked for permission to use the Lancaster County Fire Chiefs 501(c)3 status to apply for the grant. He assured us that the Chiefs Association will not be responsible for any expenses. This will be brought up again under New Business for a vote.

Previous Minutes – William Gross (2-11) made a motion to accept the June 2007 minutes as written; seconded by Nelson Dagen (3-11). Motion passed. (There was no meeting held in August; the meeting was cancelled)

Secretary Report – No report.

Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Miller reported that currently there is $15,001.11 in our checking account and he would like to transfer $14,500 to our Penn Vest Account. We still have $1,000 in our money market account and a total cash value of approximately $41,938.66 with some income still outstanding from the golf tournament. Bill Steele (5-5) made a motion to transfer $14,500 to the Penn Vest Account and to accept the Treasurer’s report; seconded by Mike Roten (2-4) and passed.

Law / Legislation Report – Ernie Rojahn reported on the survey results of the SR60 survey that asked for input from firefighters and fire chiefs on their opinions of SR60.

Relief Association money has been released to municipalities – contact your local municipalities to get your money as soon as possible. It is your money and they should not be holding onto it. Lancaster County received $3,159,000 in relief funds.

Senate Bill 96 is being worked on in the State to provide funding for fire departments that want to merge that is retroactive five years. Senate has passed the bill, waiting for the House to pass.

There are proposals concerning small games of chance at the state level right now.

There is Federal Legislation in progress to correct the LODD reimbursement program, as a result of the Chris Kangas situation.

At the Fallen Firefighter Memorial on October 7th, President Bush guaranteed that the Hometown Heroes Act will be implemented as it was intended to be.

A new monument honoring fallen firefighters was dedicated at the National Fire Academy.

At the PA State Convention in York in September, three grants were awarded to Lancaster County Students who are pursuing higher education in emergency services.

John Leas spoke about the proposal to erect sirens on all Sara Title 3 sites in order to have audible warning in the event of a release of the product stored on site. He and many others do not feel it will be practical and no additional information is known at this time.

Keith Eshelman reported that there is progress on Legislation to create Fire Authorities.

Fire Marshal – Brian Herr again reminded all fire chiefs to contact him directly when a fire marshal is needed. If you call the dispatch center and they won’t help you or contact a fire marshal on your behalf, ask for the name and dispatcher number of the person you are speaking to and ask to speak to a supervisor. Someone is always available to be contacted – it is not up to the discretion of the dispatcher whether or not it warrants a fire marshal to be contacted.

Communications – Mike Weaver was present to give an update on the radio system. The County has sent a letter to M/A COM to resolve many issues by October 15th or the County Commissioners will have to make a decision to the course of action. The radio committee is not satisfied with the operational effectiveness of the M/A COM system as it currently exists nor do they feel the new radio system is safe in its present state. We are currently under contract with M/A COM, but the status is in the County’s attorneys’ hands now.

The committee is working on creating a needs assessment right now and considering what other options we have. The infrastructure we have in place right now is ready to go; if we terminate the contract with M/A COM, it could be 1-2 years for a new radio system.

There are other 800 mhz systems being used in other areas and the committee is gathering feedback from them now.

Changing from a digitally-trunked 800mhz system to a digitally-trunked 400-500 mhz system will not affect the overall pricing for the system. Radio coverage will be the same by going with the simulcast system.

Questions were asked about the ability to scan the new radio system and there is research being done to have this ability.

MDT’s will be a part of the new CAD and radio system.

In regards to the radio system grant, we are getting help from Senator Spector and Representative Pitts so that we can still keep it and adjust it to reflect the changes that will be done to the radio system.

There has never been an official completion date established.

Rick Harrison reported that LCWC is building a new CAD system right now and it should be ready to go live in April 2008 along with a new WebCAD. There will be new features of the new CAD, such as daytime vs. nighttime responses, standby’s and timers.

EMA – Randy Gockley spoke about WHTM ABC27’s program to issue free smoke detectors to fire departments. If your fire department has smoke detectors ordered and would like to have the EMA Office pick them up for you, you need to email, fax or send a letter of approval to the EMA Office with your permission. They will then set up a time for you to pick them up from the EMA Office.

The EMA Office is also pursuing the idea of asking Sara Title 3 sites to place NFPA 704 fire diamonds on the exterior doors of their properties so that responding emergency service workers can better identify the location of the hazardous materials. They cannot mandate this idea, only suggest it.

Randy discussed that there are now five sites under consideration for the county forensic center and LCPSTC is still on the list of five. The final decision will be made by the County Commissioners on October 31st. There is a slide show presentation on the County website discussing the pros and cons of each site. Please contact the Commissioners’ Office as soon as possible in order to express your wishes for the location.

In regards to replacing the Fire Services Coordinator at LCPSTC, the goal is to have Craig Elmer and this employee be added as County employees. They are close to switching Craig to this now, but the County would like an agreement in place between them and the LCFA for continued financial support from the LCFA for this position to cover the salary and benefits. The LCFA would also like to see the Fire Service Coordinator schedule all training events at the Pequea Lane site also. The hiring process will be a few more months.

Lastly, Phil Colvin advised that all fire departments will be receiving a packet from LEMA concerning NIMS compliance. Again, each municipality should have a NIMS Coordinator to assure compliance and it is suggested that this person is a municipal staff employee. If the fire department is not in compliance yet, they must have a plan in place to show when and how they will implement the training.

Emergency Services Training Center – Craig Elmer advised everyone to watch the website for cancelled classes. HACC and Bucks require a minimum number of students to hold the class and if the class is not at the minimum, then LCPSTC will have to make up the difference in cost and they cannot afford to do so.

Certification classes are going very well and several are already scheduled for next year.

They decided not to do a catalog this time, but encourage everyone to check the website and register online.

The number of training participants is almost double from last year!

Craig commented on the high number of LODD in the state of PA and again stressed the need for training to help reduce this number.

LCFA – No report.

Lancaster County Fire Police Association – No report.

Apparatus Report – Truck 6-3 was inspected and approved since our last meeting and is in service. Steve Gribble from Ronks is now the new Inspection Chairman and there are some apparatus that will need to be inspected soon.

EMS – No report.

Standards Committee – Chairman Dave Wiker (6-5) stated that the committee has been working to reorganize the Standards and SOG’s and will have them posted on our website when finished so that they may be viewed and downloaded by everyone.

The Inspection Committee is looking for additional volunteers to help do inspections. There is consideration of holding inspections at a designated location and time. There has been over 40 fire trucks inspected in the past three years and the process has been going very well.

The Mayday Task Force discussion that was held at the past meeting has been reviewed and expanded into what is now called RIT Task Force. There is a Standard update / change that will be available for viewing through packets at this meeting and on the website. Please go to our website at www.lancofirechiefs.org and view the changes and the statement of the adoption process. All member companies will get one vote on this issue and it will be voted upon at the December meeting.

Golf Tournament Committee – Rick Harrison reported that the tournament was a success. We had approximately $12,500 in expenses and approximately $21,200 in income, giving us a profit of about $8,700. There are some payments from sponsors we are still waiting on to finalize the figures. We will host another tournament next year.

NIMS Working Group – Phil Colvin encouraged every department to develop an incident action plan for any large event in your first due, such as community events, parades, etc. It is best to be proactive prior to the event instead of playing catch-up afterwards.

Unfinished Business

Rick Harrison reported that the ISO drills that we have been hosting the County in recent years have made a huge impact. Because of the East Hempfield Township drill, the final ISO rating has dropped from a Class 9 to a Class 4 in East Hempfield Township. This will amount to a very large savings in property insurance in this area. Rick’s goal is to continue to do other locations in the County.

Keith Eshelman (6-5) reported on the progress of a County Rescue Task Force. Currently, the plans are in place to have Collapse Rescue (6-5), Vehicle Rescue (2-4), Water Rescue (8-1), High Angle Rescue (7-5) and Hazardous Materials incidents (2-9). There are plans to expand this Task Force, but right now, these are the companies that are involved in getting it started. It will be open for firefighters from non-participating departments to join and they will be creating a committee shortly to plan future meetings.

New Business

President Leas opened the floor for nominations for 2008 Officers of the Association. The Nominations for the 2008 Officers is closed and the nominees are: President – John Leas; 1st Vice-President – Rick Harrison (2-4); 2nd Vice President – Larry Martin (3-9); Treasurer – Larry Miller (3-11); Secretary – Duane Ober (2-6) and 2 Year Director – Ron Nolt (6-3). Elections will take place at the December meeting.

Bob Devonshire (5-10) made a motion to grant permission to the Fire Museum Committee from Columbia to use the Lancaster County Fire Chiefs Association’s 501(c)3 status to apply for a feasibility study grant. The motion was seconded by William Gross (2-11) and passed.

Rick Harrison from the Board of Directors brought up for the first reading a change to our Constitution regarding meeting dates. The change is to move our meetings from bi-monthly to quarterly beginning in 2008, by holding meetings in March, June, September and December. The change will be attached to the end of the minutes and was signed by Rick Harrison (2-4), Larry Martin (3-9), Larry Miller (3-11), Pat Phelan (7-19) and Ron Nolt (6-3). The proposed change will be read at the December meeting and will be voted upon at that meeting. The change requires a 2/3 majority vote of the members in attendance. Voting will not take place by absentee ballot.

Don Whitcraft (1-5) asked that all radio system updates be shared with the Chiefs Association members as soon as possible so that we can stay informed. Any information that is learned will be passed on through our email list as soon as it can be.

Good of the Order

None

Roll Call

38 departments were represented, 59 people in attendance, 24 Fire Chiefs, 8 Deputy Chiefs, 13 Assistant Chiefs, 11 Past Chiefs, and 3 guests. All elected officers of the Association were present.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Lancaster County Fire Chiefs Association, Inc. will be held at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center, on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 19:30 hours.
Rick Harrison (2-4) made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mark Hansen (7-19). Motion passed. Meeting ended at 22:05 hours.

Respectfully submitted,
Duane Ober
Secretary
Lancaster County Fire Chiefs Assn. Inc.

Current Reading of the Constitution:

Article V, Meetings

Section 1. Bimonthly Meeting
A. There shall be a bimonthly meeting of the Association at a location approved by the Board of Directors on the second Wednesday during the months of February, April, June, August, October and December
B. Bimonthly meetings shall start at the announced time stated at the previous meeting.
C. Nominations for office will be held at the October meeting of the Association.
D. Elections of the Association will be held at the December meeting. The elected officers will take office immediately.


Proposed Change – October 10, 2007

Article V, Meetings

Section 1. Quarterly Meeting

A. There shall be a quarterly meeting of the Association at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center, on the second Wednesday during the months of March, June, September and December.
B. Quarterly meetings shall start at the announced time stated at the previous meeting.
C. Nominations for office will be held at the September meeting of the Association.


Signatures of five (5) active members proposing this change to the Constitution.


(1) Richard Harrison


(2) Larry Martin


(3) Larry Miller


(4) Pat Phelan


(5) Ron Nolt

[Tommahawk]

Duane;

It's been over a year now since you last posted the meeting minutes from the LCFCA meetings...

Any updates? Any changes? Any new word on the Open Sky system? Who is the President?

We need answers Mr LCFCA Secretary!!!