Fire Commission - July 24, 2019

 

 

The Video can be viewed by clicking this link:  http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=180&clip_id=33…

 

President Nakajo called the meeting to order at 5:04 p.m.

 

1. ROLL CALL

 

Commission President Stephen Nakajo Present

Commission Vice President Francee Covington Present

Commissioner Michael Hardeman Present

Commissioner Ken Cleaveland Present

Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese Present

 

Chief of Department Jeanne Nicholson Present

 

 

Jose Velo Deputy Chief --Administration

 

Sandy Tong EMS

Khai Ali Airport Division

Joel Sato Training Division

 

Assistant Chiefs

Ken Yee Division 2

 

Staff

Mark Corso Deputy Director of Finance

Olivia Scanlon Communications and Outreach

 

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 July 10, 2019.

 

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

 

There was no public comment.

 

4. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]

REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JEANINE NICHOLSON

Report on current issues, activities and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting on July 10, 2019, including budget, academies, special events, communications and outreach to other government agencies and the public.

 

Chief Nicholson’s report covered events and activities since the last meeting on July 10, 2019.  She mentioned that she met with Dr. Susan Ehrlich regarding homelessness and other commonalities and will continue the conversations with Dr. Colfax and Dr. Colwell to work together to help address not just the homelessness issue but the call-volume that comes out of that crisis.

 

Chief Nicholson stated she had a labor-management meeting on the 16th which went well and they are collaborating on some things and are agreeing to disagree on others.  She announced that they have completed all their station visits and will start that back up in September and will involve all of the assistant deputy chiefs.  She touched on other activities and events she attended during the reporting period including meeting with several of the employee groups and preparing for interviews for the Support Services Assistant Deputy Chief, as Chief Rivera will be retiring in August.  She added that she is currently working on and will follow up with the Commission on her Department head performance plan that ultimately goes to the Mayor.  She touched on the budget which is expected to be signed in August, the Strategic Plan, formalizing internal committees and workgroups with the focus on being creative and developments concerning Station 13.  With regards to the Chace Center, she mentioned that the Mayor announced that with the purchase of an event ticket, you can ride Muni free.  She also confirmed that they were participating in a drill in the area of the Chase Center to show the MTA and other partners about what the response times may look like and what the challenges are during events in the area.

 

Regarding academies, she announced that they have met with over a hundred candidates and chose about 30 people for the class and 10 alternates and that Chief Tong is working on the H-3 Level 1 class selections.

 

Commissioner Cleaveland thanked the Chief for her report and asked if there was any update on the Guardians of the City.  Chief Nicholson confirmed that the Commission sent a letter to them and gave them until August 2nd to respond and hopefully they will have an update at the next meeting.  There was a brief discussion on community paramedicine, including EMS-6. 

 

Commissioner Veronese thanked her for her update on the station visits and thinks it is important and that he has heard that the members really appreciate it.   He confirmed that her conversations with the Department of Health are going well and they will continue to brainstorm to come up with solutions in dealing with the high call volume and dealing with the up staffing at hospitals and figure out what each of their roles is.  Commissioner Veronese confirmed that the Department is talking to various manufactures of firefighter protective gear to see if there is something out there that is safer and with fewer chemicals. 

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Chief Nicholson for her good report recognized that she is much busier than the report indicates.  He mentioned that he found it very disturbing the reports that came out since the last meeting indicating that there were 10,000 people considered homeless on the streets.  He added that he has witnessed a lot of people who have been out there 25 years and they are not homeless, they are panhandlers and get their loot and go back to where they are living.  He acknowledged the wonderful year-end review book he received from Local 798 which contains good information, graphs, and photos. 

 

Vice President Covington stated that she thoroughly appreciated the book from the Union.  She also thanked Chief Nicholson for her report and mentioned that she was at the ceremony where Mayor Breed announced the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond will be put on the 2020 ballot where $153,000,000 will be for emergency firefighting water system, and an additional 275 million dollars to fund seismic retrofitting and resiliency projects for neighborhood fire stations and support facilities.

 

President Nakajo stated he looks forward to a briefing on the outcome of the drill at Chase Center Arena.

 

There was no public comment.

 

REPORT FROM ADMINISTRATION, DEPUTY CHIEF JOSE VELO

Report on the Administrative Divisions, Fleet and Facility status and updates, Finance, Support Services, Homeland Security, Training within the Department.

 

Chief Velo reported on events since the last meeting on July 10, 2019. He highlighted some of the incidents contained in the attached comprehensive report.  https://sf-fire.org/sites/default/files/COMMISSION/Fire%20Commission%20…

 

Some of the highlights included Station 13 where they have been attending meetings and coming up with a good product while emphasizing the operational concerns and the members' concerns and they have involved Local 798 in those discussions.  He mentioned that the committee and workgroup process was completed, and the list will be distributed later in the week.  He touched on bringing back health check for the members, the recent rope rescue tech class, the live-fire module, an active shooter exercise, and a NERT training.  He mentioned that they are working with the assignment office doing research and planning through a balancing tour project and to get schedules balanced so there will be less mandatory overtime and they are also working with Station 49 on the vacancy bid.  He covered the AWSS infrastructure, the fireboats moving to Pier 26 while construction is going on at Station 35, specs for the new hose tenders and highlights of the community events with Lt. Baxter and his team. 

 

Commissioner Cleaveland thanked Chief Velo for his report and confirmed that the new Chief of Health, Safety, and Wellness will be a Battalion Chief rank and promoted from within the Department.  Commissioner Cleaveland announced that he was in contact with the general manager for 333 Bush where the active shooter drill took place and the general manager said he was delighted to have been the subject building and lauded the Department for their professionalism on the event.  He also confirmed that the hose tender specs are just a couple of weeks away from being created.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Chief Velo for his good report and asked if the meeting could be adjourned in the memory of the firefighters who tragically lost their lives in the Car and Mendocino fires last year.  He mentioned that a program he was watching where he heard it mentioned that after the damaging earthquake where homes were damaged, the people couldn't get at their earthquake kits and one of the newscasters was saying that the safest place to put your supplies, is right at the front door.

 

Commissioner Veronese thanked Chief Velo for his very insightful report.  He talked briefly about the Narcan statistics.  He confirmed that the new Chief of Health, Safety and Wellness will be collaborating with the department physician on all measures that relate to firefighter health and wellness, and the person selected for that position does not need to be a doctor, but should understand the culture of the Fire Department and the main goal for that person is to come up with initiatives, policies, and procedures relating to firefighter health, including cancer prevention and mental health.  Commissioner Veronese was concerned on the Physician's report on page 21 where it indicated only 3 members had stress issues and he knows that number was way to low.  Chief Nicholson confirmed that those numbers were reported work-related injuries for June and is referring to people that have actually made a worker's compensation claim.  She added that there are plenty of other members using the Peer Support Unit or going to their own healthcare providers that have stress-related issues.

 

Vice President Covington thanked Chief Velo for his report and confirmed that interviews have not begun yet for the new Health and Wellness Chief.  They are currently working on the general order to announce the position as they wait for the funding to be released.  She asked that when the general order is finalized if he would please share it with the commission.  She also confirmed that the Department is getting 5 new hose tenders in the current budget even though the Civil Grand Jury has recommended 20.  She confirmed that each hose tender costs about 1 million dollars and they each have about six-thousand feet of hose.  She asked if a photo of the hose tenders could be included for the next meeting.  She acknowledged that health check was going to be brought back after being dormant for 3 to 4 years due to privacy concerns from the members and Chief Velo thinks they have worked out those issues.

 

Commissioner Hardeman mentioned that he appreciates the Narcan report and mentioned that there is a nationwide lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that are distributing the many Opiates causing the overdose epidemic.

 

Commissioner Cleaveland confirmed that the new Heath and Wellness Chief will be selected from the rank of captain and battalion chief and possibly lieutenant to apply for the position.  He also confirmed that Narcan costs $4.00 per box.

 

President Nakajo thanked Chief Velo for his report and acknowledged how comprehensive it was, and how he enjoyed reading it and how Chief Velo covered all divisions of the Department so thoroughly.  He mentioned that the recent Grand Jury Report will be added to a future agenda for markings and discussions.  He confirmed that TASC stands for Transportation Advisory Staff Committee where a group of city agencies meet concerning transportation issues and project that are affecting navigation

 

There was no public comment.

 

5. COMMISSION REPORT [Discussion]

Report on Commission activities since last meeting on July 10, 2019

 

President Nakajo mentioned that a letter was sent to the Guardians of the City asking them to respond on an update in terms of the Willmann Fund, which is under the Commission jurisdiction and well as the 150th-anniversary balance and that response is due on August 2, 2019. He also mentioned that the Commission is due to hold a retirement ceremony as the last one was in March of 2017 and there about 210 retirements since the last ceremony and he would like to get that scheduled this calendar year.  He also announced that Commissioner Cleaveland will be doing the initial performance evaluation for the Commission Secretary and the Department Physician, which he will forward to the Commissioners so they may conduct a closed session meeting with an opportunity to have further personnel discussions.  He also announced the report that the Civil Grand Jury recently released, and he is working with the Chief of Department and Olivia Scanlan to respond to the report and would like to add it to the August 28, 2019 agenda for further discussion and allow members of the public to comment.

 

Commissioner Veronese expressed his concern about not having any interaction with the Department Physician and having to review his performance.  He stated it would be great if they could get an understanding of what the terms and conditions of the doctor's employment are, such as does he have a contract, civil service protection and what his job description is.  Commissioner Cleaveland added that the Department Physician serves at the pleasure of the Commission.  Commissioner Veronese commented on his disappointment on the state of the antique rigs that are being stored on Treasure Island and thinks it is a disgrace at the shape theye are in and he feels it is the commissions' responsibility to fix the problem.  Commissioner Cleaveland disagreed that it is the sole responsibility of the Commission, he agreed that it is a crime that they are out there rusting but it has not been for a lack of interest on part of this Commission, as they have exhausted all avenues of finding housing without a substantial cost and he does not feel that the Commissioners are responsible for raising money for this particular issue.

 

There was no Public Comment.

 

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

Discussion regarding agenda for the next and future regular meetings.

 

• Commission Secretary Closed Session Personnel Performance Evaluation

• Report from Chief DeCossio on the Bureau of Fire Prevention

• 8/28:  Presentation from Dr. Terrazas

• 8/28:  Overview of Civil Grand Jury Report

 

There was no Public Comment.

 

7. CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING

 

• Letter from Lucas Hagberg

• Letter from Rasha Harvey, Civil Grand Jury

 

President Nakajo acknowledged the flier from Commissioner Veronese's upcoming fundraiser scheduled for September 7, 2019, at Salesforce Tower beginning at 8:30.  He also acknowledged the invitation they received from Local 798 inviting them to a simulated drill on Saturday, September 14, 2020, at Treasure Island training facility.

 

There was no Public Comment.

 

8. ADJOURNMENT President Nakajo adjourned the meeting at 6:47 p.m. in the memory of firefighters and civilians who lost their lives during the 2018 wildland fires.