Fire Commission - January 9, 2019

 

 

The Video can be viewed by clicking this link:  http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=180&clip_id=32…

 

President Cleaveland called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m.

 

1. ROLL CALL

 

Commission President Ken Cleaveland Present

Commission Vice President Stephen Nakajo Present

Commissioner Michael Hardeman Present

Commissioner Francee Covington Present

Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese Present 

 

Chief of Department Joanne Hayes-White Present.

 

Mark Gonzales Deputy Chief -- Operations

Jeanine Nicholson Deputy Chief --Administration

 

Andy Zanoff EMS

Dan DeCossio Bureau of Fire Prevention

Tony Rivera Support Services

Michael Cochran Homeland Security

Khai Ali Airport

Joel Sato Training Division

 

Assistant Chiefs

Lorrie Kalos Division 2

Nicol Juratovac Division 3

 

Staff

Mark Corso Deputy Director of Finance

Tony Boone Director of Occupational Environmental Health and Safety

 

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

 

There was no public comment.

 

3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES [Discussion and possible action]

Discussion and possible action to approve meeting minutes.

 

• Minutes from Regular Meeting on December 12, 2018.

 

Commissioner Hardeman Moved to approve the above meeting Minutes.  Vice President Nakajo Seconded.  Motion to approve above Minutes was unanimous.

 

• Minutes from Special Meeting on December 19, 2018.

 

Commissioner Hardeman Moved to approve the above meeting Minutes.  Commissioner Veronese Seconded.  Motion to approve above Minutes was unanimous.

 

There was no public comment.

 

4. PRESENTATION FROM THE UNITED FIRE SERVICE WOMEN [Discussion]

Presentation from members of the United Fire Service Women.

 

This item was continued to the call of the Chair.

 

5. OVERVIEW OF THE CITY’S BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCESS FOR FY 19/20-20/21 [Discussion]

Discussion and overview of the City’s budget instructions and process for FY 19/20-20/21.

 

Mark Corso gave an overview of the city's budget process.  He announced that generally, this is done at the December meeting, but due to the timing of the release of the budget instructions and the timing of the commission schedule, it got pushed back to today.  He discussed the budget process and background, update of five-year financial plan which was recently released by the city last week, ongoing city fiscal concerns and budget instructions for both the Fire Department and all City departments.  He mentioned that it was stressed by the Mayor’s office to all departments her concern about current existing budgets that all dollars count and that everything is spent appropriately and for any new initiatives or projects being proposed, that there are data and analysis that clearly support the need for those projects. He added that specifically to instructions, the city is looking at projected deficits during the next two years, 107 million in fiscal year 2020, and 163 million in the second year, which makes 271 million total, which is anticipated to increase. He touched on the timeline and presented the attached PowerPoint:  https://sf-fire.org/sites/default/files/COMMISSION/Fire%20Commission%20…

 

Commissioner Veronese asked Fire Marshal DeCossio how many new square feed feet of office space is permitted over the next two years.  Fire Marshal DeCossio responded that if you look in the Planning Department’s pipeline, there are about 47,000 residential units in the pipeline and each unit has an average of 2.3 occupants, which equates to approximately one hundred thousand new occupants and roughly 12 million net new square feet of Commercial space which would result in an additional one hundred thousand capacity plus, and the capacity between both commercial and residential construction would be over 200,000 occupants over the next 5 to 10 years.  Commissioner Veronese pointed out that we are a growing city and 38 percent of the EMS calls are going to homelessness and the Mayor’s priorities are homelessness and government accountability and he’s hoping that the department can get a chunk of the money instead of getting cuts to deal with this issue.  He suggested that the commissioners, the Chief and everybody in the room walk the halls at City Hall to make sure that they hear the Department on this issue because we cannot be cutting back on EMS.  He also suggested the department could save money by being more efficient.

 

Vice President Nakajo confirmed that the next internal budget committee meeting is scheduled for January 16, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. at SFFD Headquarters.  He also confirmed that the surplus announced by the Mayor's Office is a one-time surplus from some reimbursement from the State and the net impact is about 180 million dollars and there is currently discussions at the Board and Mayor’s Office on how that money would be spent.  Mr. Corso added that there is still an overall budget deficit citywide over the next five years.  Vice President Nakajo suggested having a joint meeting with the Public Health Commission and come up with recommendations regarding the budget, resources and the Mayor’s priorities.  He also suggested continued involvement with two commissioners assigned to the internal budget committee meetings.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Mark for his nice and concise report as well as the graphics attached to it.  He touched on the issue of set-asides and his experience over the years in dealing with set-asides and he thinks that the Mayor has to understand that with the growing population and all the problems that the Department has, they have been a great team player over the years.

 

President Cleaveland appreciated the report as well as Commissioner Veronese’s insights on the inefficiencies of how we fix our infrastructure within the firehouses.  He also mentioned he thinks it is important that we communicate to the Department of Health and the Health Commission the impact that people on the street have on the Fire Department and the cost involved.

 

There was no public comment.

 

6. REPORT ON FY 2019-2020 CAPITAL AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BUDGET REQUESTS [Discussion and possible action]

Report from the Department’s Deputy Director of Finance and Planning on the Department’s FY 19/20-20/21 Capital and Information Technology (IT) budget requests.

 

Mark Corso presented the attached PowerPoint regarding the Department’s capital and IT budget process submittal and asked the Commission for approval on this budget.  He explained the timeline and the vetting process.  He explained the various capital projects that are underway with most of those focusing on the general obligation bond program sources, specifically the 2010 and 2014 ESER Bonds and the 2016 public health and safety bond.  He announced that the next scheduled ESER bond was to be in 2020 but has been moved up to November of 2019.  He reviewed the 6 projects that they are proposing, including incident display boards, training simulator, incident command, fire station network reconfiguration, electronic human resources software, and tablet deployment.

 

 

Vice President Nakajo thanked Mr. Corso for his presentation and appreciated the detailed breakdown in terms of cost on both capital budget requests and information technology.  He confirmed that the next ESER Bond is scheduled to be voted on in November of 2019 for the amount of 600 million dollars, with 250 million set aside for fire and police stations, retrofits and improvements and 150 million dollars set aside for Fire Department training facility and 125 million set aside for AWSS.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Mr. Corso for his presentation.

 

Commissioner Covington thanked Mr. Corso for his presentation and for giving it to them in a way that is easy to understand.  She also confirmed that the SFFD does not have a representative in the Capital Budget Committee because of the administrative code, but they have requested to have a seat at that table given the breadth of facilities the SFFD has.  Commissioner Covington suggested they make another request to be included now that there is a new administration at City Hall.  She also confirmed that the Charter states that the SFFD must use City Departments for facility improvements and repairs.  She asked that going forward if Mr. Corso could break down the cost of the project that includes the administrative fee is for each large capital project so that they can have a better idea of who the monies are being apportioned.

 

President Cleaveland agreed with Commissioner Covington’s comments as well as having a seat on the Capital Budget Committee.  He added that no one is knocking DPW, they are just looking for greater efficiencies in the delivery of the finished product to the Fire Department and he thinks that they need to be prioritized as a public safety agency for the city, as the agency that probably reaches out and touches more people in the city every day than any other city department.

 

Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the presented budget.  Commissioner Hardeman seconded.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

There was no public comment.

 

4. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]

REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JOANNE HAYES-WHITE

Report on current issues, activities and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting on November 28, 2018, including budget, academies, special events, communications and outreach to other government agencies and the public.

 

Chief Hayes-White reported on events and activities since the last meeting on December 12, 2018.  She announced that the 1823 Grant Writer position was posted on the City’s website on January 3, 2019, and the deadline for submittal of applications is January 25th and to date, they have received 30 applications.  She touched on the Division of Training and Academies and noted that the 125th class will start on January 28, 2019, with 42 members and they will be joined by 12 members from Station 49 two weeks later.  She anticipates that a second academy class will start in September.  With regards to facilities, she mentioned that station 16 is very close to being completed, hopefully by the end of the week.   She thanked the Division of Support Services Chief Rivera and his staff for their diligence in getting the station delivered.  She touched on Station 5, which should be completed the end of March, the search for a new training facility which continues to be something that they are prioritizing, and they still do not have a site selected and are working very closely with the City Administrator, along with Chief Nicholson and Olivia Scanlon on this issue.  She reviewed the recent activities and events she attended over the reporting period, including an HSOC meeting, a meeting with Phil Buckley, Commander of the San Francisco Fire Reserves, the headquarters holiday lunch, the funeral of member Steven Pacatte, and the Little Sisters of the Poor New Year’s Eve party.  She thanked all the members of the Department that worked on New Year’s Eve and acknowledged the great job they all did knowing what a challenging night it is.

 

Commissioner Veronese discussed the vacancy at the Peer Support Unit and acknowledged seeing the general order to fill that position and he looks forward to an update in mid-February on that Unit.  He also commented on the many accomplishments of Chief Hayes-White that he has witnessed while being on the commission and she is going to be missed and he hopes that when she decides to refocus during retirement, she doesn’t go far.

 

Commissioner Hardeman also commented on all the amazing things the Chief has done and how she handles herself in the most difficult times and that she typifies what we want in a San Franciscan and he would be very surprised if the new chief could handle things in such a way.

 

There was no public comment.

 

REPORT FROM OPERATIONS, DEPUTY CHIEF MARK GONZALES

Report on overall field operations, including greater alarm fires, Emergency Medical Services, Bureau of Fire Prevention & Investigation, and Airport Division.

 

Chief Gonzales reported on activities for the month of October.  He stated that there were two greater alarm fires during the reporting period.  The first was on December 8th at 2030 Irving Street, where members did a good job and he described the incident in detail.  The second was on December 24, 2018, at 3838 Clay Street, there were two deaths because of that fire and one member was injured.  The members did a great job and the incident commander was temporary Assistant Chief Lorrie Kalos.  He described the incident in detail.  His report is attached. https://sf-fire.org/sites/default/files/COMMISSION/Fire%20Commission%20…

 

He touched on other incidents including a first alarm on 12/2/18 at 1427 Larkin, a motor vehicle accident rollover at 2799 16th Street, and a hazmat confined space rescue at the Airport.  He covered other outreach efforts during the reporting period, including social media safety messaging regarding extension cord use, power strip safety and tree disposal options.  He thanked ADC Cochrane and Lt. Baxter for the law enforcement response to fire education that they are presenting to the SFPD and the video on cliff safety and surf and shore safety. 

 

Vice President Nakajo confirmed that temporary Assistant Chief Kalos wrote the excellent detailed report regarding the fire on Clay Street.  He thanked all the member who contributed to the Operation Report and how well it was put together.

 

Commissioner Hardman thanked Chief Gonzales for his report and liked the fact that he gives credit to the members who contribute to his report.

 

Commissioner Veronese reiterated his thanks to Chief Gonzales, Chief Hayes-White and the Department for all the hard work that goes into this and that it’s no easy task, and it shows how much work that SFFD is doing for the City and County of San Francisco.  Commissioner Veronese confirmed that high rise is defined by the highest floor occupied being 75 feet or greater.

 

Commissioner Covington agreed with everyone who pointed out the great detail and all of the other things that really help them understand the depth of work that is going on as outlined in the Operations Report.  She confirmed that an aided case can be anything from an agent calling to say a passenger is not feeling well to someone else witnessing a fall on the escalator or any of the moving sidewalks whenever there’s a request for aid.  She also confirmed that there were 5 vehicle fires during the reporting month.

 

President Cleaveland thanked Chief Gonzales for his detailed report.  There was discussion regarding the high call volume at Stations 1 and 3 and how getting QRV’s in service is so important to help reduce call volume for those stations.

 

There was no public comment.

 

8. DRONE POLICY UPDATE [Discussion and possible action]

Update from Assistant Deputy Chief Michael Cochrane on the Drone Policy.

 

Commissioner Veronese Moved to approve the Drone Policy.  Commissioner Covington Seconded.  Motion to approve the drone policy was unanimous.

 

Chief Cochrane presented the attached PowerPoint:  https://sf-fire.org/sites/default/files/COMMISSION/Fire%20Commission%20…

 

Chief Cochrane gave an update on how drones will benefit the San Francisco Fire Department and some of the challenges that they will endure as well as the next steps to get the program off the ground.  He added that one of the benefits for the San Francisco Fire Department is a rapid damage assessment.  He went through each slide thoroughly. 

 

Commissioner Veronese thanked Chief Cochrane for all his work on the drone policy and stated that he knows there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to get a report like this done and all the different agencies he worked with and the studies and technologies that had to be researched and he’s grateful for all that he did.  He asked that on page 9, last sentence be changed to read "Emergency operation exemptions granted by the FAA waivers and COA, including but not limited to those flights over people, night operations, altitude, visual line of sight, and airport restrictions shall be incorporated by reference herein."

 

Commissioner Covington echoed those thanks to Chief Cochrane and to Commissioner Veronese and stated it is good to have this document before us.  She added that when she attended the Drones in the Fire Service Symposium in 2017, there were guidelines that were codified by Congress regarding this specifically, so there is not very much that we have to think about or do anything about because Congress has already decided what we may or may not be able to do in the future.

 

There was no public comment.

 

 

9. FIRE COMMISSION ANNUAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 2019 [Discussion and possible action]

Discussion and possible action to adopt the 2019 Annual Statement of Purpose. 

 

Commission Secretary read the statement into the record.  Commissioner Veronese stated he really appreciates this statement because he thinks it not only tells the public what we’re doing, but it gives us a little bit of guidance.  He announced all of the things he wants to work on including the drone program, Peer Support Program, private funding through his foundation, statistics in tracking the homeless, shoreline safety, historical rigs, helping the membership by expanding the wellness program, a decontamination policy, purchasing turnouts that don't have cancer-causing chemicals, regular testing for high exposure fire incidents and members who are exposed, institutionalizing the fire reserves and assessing how well prepared we are for a significant event.

 

 

Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2019 Annual Statement of Purpose.  Commissioner Veronese Seconded.  Motion to approve above statement was unanimous.

 

There was no public comment.

 

10. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO AND THE SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT [Discussion and possible action]

 

This item was taken out of order and moved to follow approval of minutes.

 

The MOU is attached hereto:  https://sf-fire.org/sites/default/files/COMMISSION/Fire%20Commission%20…

 

Mark Corso explained that this MOU has been in various incarnations for quite a while over many years and it is essentially for the fire recruit training in the fire academy and the first year of those members’ probations.  He mentioned that City College gets a portion of funding from the State based on enrollment of students and hours of instruction.  He added that the academy would be translated into a course curriculum for City College, along with the probationary period as well and the recruits who register as City College students and earn college credits and the Department gets reimbursed for those hours that are taught during the academy.  He introduced representatives from City College, Edith Kaeuper, Dean of School of Health, Physical Education and Social Services, Monique Pascual, Director of Apprenticeships and Instructional Services Agreements, and retired Fire Department Captain, Jim Connors, Department Chair of Administration of Justice and Fire Science.

 

Mr. Connors stated that the MOU will address the basic fire academy and probationary field training programs and is importation when you look at the Fire Department’s strategic plan as there are various references in that plan alluding to a relationship between City College and the Fire Department and much work has gone into curriculum development by City College.  He added that approval of the MOU will allow them to serve two key public safety agencies in San Francisco, the Police Department, and now the Fire Department.  He added that it would be great to see it approved on Chief Hayes-White’s watch.

 

Commissioner Covington asked about the revenue stream.  Mr. Corso responded that on page 7, it notes the reimbursement that the Department will receive per hour of student instruction.  and currently, that's set for 3 dollars and 50 cents for the actual academy, and then two dollars for the probationary period instruction.  He added that at the end of each billing period, the Department will provide, reconciled documentation and send over as an invoice to City College for reimbursement to that effect that the City College is receiving from the state, and that the intent for that reimbursement is to reinvest that back into the Department's Training Division for equipment, and various initiatives that they want to undergo.  Commissioner Covington also asked if at the completion of their studies do the students receive a certificate or degree.  Mr. Corso responded that they receive college credits, but not a certificate.  Commissioner Covington added that she thinks it would be great to have a certificate of achievement and for the students to be on track to get their AA degrees.  

 

Commissioner Veronese stated that he thinks it's an amazing program and he agrees that it should be approved under Chief Hayes-White's watch.  He confirmed that the agreement only covers the initial fire academy and one year of the probationary period and anything as far as the overall AA degree would be outside of the current scope of the agreement.  Mr. Connors added that the way it works right now is the students who enroll in the program can work to get a two-year degree in fire science, or they can work for a certificate in fire achievement if they already had a college degree and those units count towards either the certificate or the degree.  Chief Hayes-White added that they have been working on this agreement for a long time and that they have a great working relationship and partnership with City College and this agreement will memorialize that.

 

Vice President Nakajo announced that he attended City College right out of high school, before graduating from SF State University and he is very proud that all his higher education occurred in San Francisco.  He confirmed that the fire science program at City College has been around since 1960 when it was started by retired Battalion Chief Chuck Lee from the SFFD.  He asked Dean Kaeuper to convey to the chancellor how important it is to have this formal relationship and that he wholeheartedly supports the motion to adopt the agreement.  He confirmed that there are 36 instructors who represent fire departments from all over the Bay Area and State, but the core group of instructors are also members of the SFFD or retired from the SFFD.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Dean Kaeuper and the Chancellor, the college board and all the staff that are involved with preparing the MOU.

 

President Cleaveland thought the MOU is a win-win situation and confirmed that it was a one-year MOU designed to cover the two fire academies, but the intent from both sides is to continue moving it forward.

 

There was no public comment.

 

11. FIRE COMMISSION ELECTION OF OFFICERS [Discussion and possible action]

 

a. Nomination and election of Commission President. 

 

President Cleaveland nominated Vice President Nakajo for Commission President.  Commissioner Hardeman seconded and the nomination for Commission President was unanimously approved.

 

b. Nomination and election of Commission Vice-President.

 

Commissioner Veronese nominated Commissioner Covington for Commission Vice President.  Vice President Nakajo seconded and the nomination for Commission Vice President was unanimously approved.

 

There was no public comment.

 

12. CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED [Discussion]

 

• Letter dated 12/20/18 from Dr. Valerie M. Street J.D.

• Letter dated 12/31/18 from Local 798, Shon Buford, President-Elect

 

Vice President Nakajo stated there was some reference in President-Elect, Shon Bufford’s letter that the commission was moving quickly.  He added that in terms of those allegations as well as from the past public comment from members of Local 798 there was a point in that presentation some months ago, as well as directives to move the process along in a rapid pace in terms of the interview process, as well as submitting names to the mayor.  He assured the Board members of 798 and President-elect Buford, and most importantly, to the members of the Department and to the public, that this Commission is taking this assignment very seriously.

 

There was no public comment.

 

13. COMMISSION REPORT [Discussion]

Report on Commission activities since last meeting on December 12, 2018

 

Commissioner Hardeman announced that the attended an excellent and very informative apparatus committee meeting as well as attended the premiere of the movie “Green Book”.  He also mentioned that the attended the annual Christmas Luncheon hosted by Chief Hayes-White, Chief Gonzales and Chief Nicholson.

 

There was no public comment.

 

14. AGENDA FOR NEXT AND FUTURE FIRE COMMISSION MEETINGS [Discussion]

Discussion regarding agenda for next and future Fire Commission meetings.

 

• Training Facility

• Update on artwork for gate at Station 49/Station 9

• United Fire Service Women’s presentation

• Joint commission meeting with DPH

 

There was no public comment.

 

15. PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEM 16

Public comment on all matters pertaining to Item 16 below, including public comment on whether to hold Item 16(b) and (c) in closed session. 

 

There was no public comment.

 

16. POSSIBLE CLOSED SESSION REGARDING PERSONNEL MATTERS

 

a. VOTE ON WHETHER TO CONDUCT ITEMS 16(b) and (c) IN CLOSED SESSION [Action]

The Commission may hear Item 16(b) and (c) in closed session pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b) and Administrative Code Section 67.10(b).

 

Commissioner Veronese made a motion to conduct item 16(b) and (c), in Closed Session.  Commissioner Covington seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.  (5-0; Cleaveland, Nakajo, Hardeman, Covington, Veronese)

 

The Commission went into closed session at 12:01 p.m.

 

Also present was Deputy City Attorney, Brad Russi.

 

a. CASE NO. 2018-04:  COMMISSION DELIBERATIONS AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON EMPLOYEE SUSPENSION APPEAL [Action item]

 

The appeal is from a ten-calendar-day suspension for violation of the Rules and Regulations as follows:

 

Section 3909 – False Reports

Section 3921 – Inattention to Duty

Section 3929 – First Alarm Areas

Section 3941 – Use of Department Vehicles

 

b. CASE NO. 2018-05:  COMMISSION DELIBERATIONS AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON EMPLOYEE SUSPENSION APPEAL [Action item]

 

The appeal is from a ten-calendar-day suspension for violation of the Rules and Regulations as follows:

 

Section 2808 – Welfare of Subordinates

Section 3909 – False Reports

Section 3921 – Inattention to Duty

Section 3941 – Use of Department Vehicles

 

17. REPORT ON ANY ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION [Discussion and possible action] as specified in California Government Code Section 54957.1(a) and San Francisco Administrative Code section 67.12(b).

 

The Commission reconvened in Open Session at 12:497 p.m.  

 

18. VOTE TO ELECT WHETHER TO DISCLOSE ANY OR ALL DISCUSSIONS HELD IN CLOSED SESSION, as specified in San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.12(a).   [Action]

 

Commissioner Hardeman Moved to not disclose discussions held in closed session.  Commissioner Veronese Seconded.  The motion was unanimously approved.  (5-0; Cleaveland, Nakajo, Hardeman, Covington, Veronese)

 

19. ADJOURNMENT.   President Cleaveland adjourned the meeting at 12:51 p.m. in memory of Firefighter Steven Pacatte who died tragically in a car accident on his way to work.