Fire Commission - March 22, 2017

 

 

The Video can be viewed by clicking this link:  http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=180&clip_id=27…

 

President Cleaveland called the meeting to order at 5:03 PM.  

 

1. ROLL CALL

 

Commission President Ken Cleaveland Present  

Commission Vice President Stephen Nakajo Present

Commissioner Michael Hardeman Present

Commissioner Francee Covington Present

 

Chief of Department Joanne Hayes-White Present

 

Mark Gonzales Deputy Chief – Operations

Raemona Williams Deputy Chief – Administration

 

Dan DeCossio Bureau of Fire Prevention

Tony Rivera Support Services

Rudy Castellanos Airport Division

Andy Zanoff EMS Division

Shane Francisco Homeland Security

Jeff Columbini Division of Training

 

Assistant Chiefs

Lorrie Kalos Division 2

Dave Franklin Division 3

 

Staff

Mark Corso Deputy Director of Finance

Olivia Scanlon Communication and Outreach Coordinator

Jesusa Bushong Human Resources Director

 

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 March 8, 2017.

 

Commissioner Hardeman Moved to approve the February 8, 2017 regular meeting Minutes.  Commissioner Covington Seconded.  Motion to approve above Minutes was unanimous.

 

There was no public comment.

 

 

4. CERTIFICATES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF APPRECIATION

Public Information Officer, Jonathan Baxter to present Certificates and acknowledgement of appreciation of Fermin Duran Olvera, Aaron Duran Olvera, and Jennifer Dagio Cervantes, for the quick and decisive action they displayed on February 21, 2017, at 1453 hours, where they helped save an adult male life who was being pulled out to the Bay due to strong tides.

 

Public Information Officer, Jonathan Baxter acknowledged Fermin Duran Olvera, Aaron Duran Olvera and Jennifer Daigio for their quick and decisive action displayed on February 21, 2017 where they helped save the life of Michael Shanahan who was being pulled out to the bay due to strong tides.  He described the incident in detail and invited Aaron, Fermin, and Jennifer to the podium to say a few words and to receive certificates that were read and presented by Chief Joanne Hayes-White.  Mr. Shanahan also thanked Aaron, Fermin and Jennifer for saving his life as well as the great work done by the Fire Department and Police Department.  It should be noted that Fermin is interested in becoming a police office, so the SFPD had a recruitment team at the meeting.

 

Commissioner Covington thanked Mrs. Olvera and Jennifer’s parents for raising such wonderful children.  She added that children learn kindness and have big hearts because of their parents and setting wonderful examples for their children and in return, the public benefits from it.  She also mentioned that she was glad that Mr. Shanahan is still with us.

 

President Cleaveland acknowledged that it was a job well done and heroes come in all ages and it was a marvelous thing that they saved a life.

 

5. K-9 BADGE CEREMONY FOR SFFD CANINE SEARCH TEAMS [Discussion]

Assistant Deputy Chief Shane Francisco, Canine Program Manager to introduce Captain Peter Gross, Program Training Coordinator who will give a brief overview on the SFFD Canine Program and present the badges to their handlers to pin on  the Canine Search Teams.

 

Chief Francisco, Deputy Chief of Homeland Security and also the K-9 Program Manager, gave a brief overview of the K-9 program.  He stated that the teams give a tremendous amount of time and dedication to get the dogs trained, which is approximately 12 to 18 months to get a dog certified.  He introduced Captain Peter Gross, who is the Training Coordinator for the K-9’s.  He acknowledged the commitment and efforts of the K-9 teams and explained what is entailed in the training and how they would respond to large-scale incidents in which not only do the K-9’s help locate trapped or missing survivors, but they also help rescuers know where victims are not.  Chief Hayes-White presented badges to the canine teams and their handlers, which included Captain Gross and his dog Angus, Firefighter Eli Thomas and his dog Vader, Lieutenant Gareth Miller and his dog Vita and Firefighter Ed Martinez and his dog Fritz.

 

Commissioner Hardeman remembered four years ago, when the commission was presented with the idea of the Department exploring the canine program and he’s encouraged and excited to see it succeed.  He confirmed that the dogs stay with their handlers at work and at home, and are considered part of the family.

 

Vice President Nakajo thanked the K-9 teams for the opportunity to witness the badge pinning and he also thanked all of the families of the dogs in the program for their love and support and he acknowledged how great it is to have dogs that can potentially rescue lives.

 

Commissioner Covington thanked Chief Francisco for serving as the head of the K-9 Unit and she thanked the members of the K-9 program and mentioned that she had the pleasure of being with Captain Gross in the South Bay watching the K-9’s go through their paces and was very impressed and she thinks it is a wonderful program.  She encouraged the rest of the commissioners to take the opportunity to see them in action.

 

President Cleaveland also acknowledged that it was a great program and mentioned the K-9 teams are terrific and that what they are doing is an important program.  He thanked them for the extra hours and effort they put into the program and was glad to have the opportunity to thank them personally.

 

6. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]

REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT

Report on current issues, activities and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting of March 8, 2017, including budget, academies, special events, communications and outreach to other government agencies and the public.

 

Chief Hayes-White’s report covered events since the last meeting on March 8, 2017.  She reported that the budget for this fiscal year remains on track for both revenues and expenditures.  She mentioned that the 121st academy class is in its seventeenth week with 49 members and the date for graduation is April 14, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Riordan High School.  She stated that in regards to the 122nd academy, they are in the process of making selections and have made 35 conditional offers.  The class is scheduled to begin on April 24, 2017.  She anticipates conducting meet and greet interviews in June in preparation for the September class.

 

In regards to activities, Chief Hayes-White attended the celebration of life and burial for Firefighter Jalel Aineb, who passed away on March 8th. She acknowledged Deputy Chief Williams, Assistant Deputy Chief Francisco, Assistant Deputy Chief Tony Rivera and PIO Jonathan Baxter for their assistance in putting together the proper and fitting tribute to Firefighter Aineb.  She also announced that she attended the kick-off-meeting of the newly formed Street Working Group, under the Mayor’s office, with Deputy Chief of Staff, Kate Howard, where the initial discussions pertained to calls coming in through 3-1-1- and 9-1-1- about street behavior, safe streets, and things of that nature..  Several other Department Heads also participated, including the Director of Public Health, the Police Chief, The Director of Public Works, and the new Homelessness Department Director, Jeff Kistisky, to talk about goals, and further collaboration in achieving those goals.   She also attended the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, along with Commissioner Covington and President Cleaveland, the United Fire Service Women’s annual membership meeting, and a visit to Station 19, where the members are still grieving over the loss of their colleague, Firefighter Aineb.  She participated in the read aloud day at Lafayette Elementary Schools, the monthly Labor Management meeting at Local 798, and along with Police Chief Scott, she assisted with delivery of Meals on Wheels to clients in the program.

 

Commissioner Covington thanked the Chief for her report and asked if the Budget Committee has met recently and if they plan on prioritizing items that can be shared with the Commission.  Chief Hayes-White replied that they have not met since they submitted the budget on February 21, 2017, but she anticipates reconvening prior to the April 27, 2017 budget submittal and they will discuss options at that time, realizing there has been instructions from the Mayor’s office to reduce budgets by three percent.  Commissioner Covington suggested to holding firm and stated that in her conversations with the Mayor, she has pointed out that from her perspective, she thinks they need to keep the academies going because many people are going to be retiring very soon, and she doesn’t want to see any kind of fall off from having robust classes in the academy.  She added that it is wonderful to see that the audience is made up of people who are longing to join the Department.  Chief Hayes-White responded that they are in agreement about maintaining the hiring plan and the fleet replacement plan and she does not want to compromise them.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Chief Hayes-White for her report and asked how far down the list does the Chief go in selecting eligible recruits.  Chief Hayes-White responded that out of the approximately 3,500 people on the list, she goes down to a score of 840, or level 8.

 

President Cleaveland thanked the chief for her report and confirmed that the Street Working Group is different from the EMS Response Working Group.

 

There was no public comment.

 

REPORT FROM ADMINISTRATION

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

 

Chief Williams’ report covered the month of March 2017.  She mentioned that the Assignment Office is in the process of implementing the results of the vacancy bid with the airport staff and working with Division of Training on scheduling probationary members for their six-month and one-year assignment changes, as well as preparing for the upcoming academy graduation and their assignments..   Regarding Homeland Security, she reported that Chief Francisco continues to attend various meetings and training exercises and he recently attended a tabletop exercise at the Giants ballpark where he made a presentation with DEM and DES and produced the event action plan for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  Under Investigative Bureau Services, Chief Williams mentioned that the Bureau has conducted background testing of candidates for the upcoming academies and that 34 members were randomly tested for drugs and alcohol with all results being negative. She acknowledged the hard work and dedication of Acting Captain Sheila Hunter who will be returning to the field and will be replaced by Captain Michael Smith.  With regards to the Physician’s Office, she announced that they are busy administering pre-employment examinations for upcoming cadets for the academy, and promotional physicals for Department members, as well as work-related and return to duty injury examinations.

 

Chief Williams touched on Support Services, including construction at Pump Station 1, which is nearing completion, their continued work with MTA on street design, update on Station 5 including the announcement that the contract was awarded to Alten Construction, and an update on Station 16 which is 2 months behind schedule, although the contractors think they can catch up by working weekends at no additional cost to the Department.  She mentioned that all ESER projects continue to move forward and on track.

 

Under BOE, Chief Williams announced that fleet personnel has performed 21 emergency field reports to SFFD apparatus, including ambulance and during the past 30 days, it has resulted in minimal disruption to Department readiness, keeping vehicles in service without the need for changeover.  She added that eight engines are in production with a delivery date of four due in August and four more approximately 6 months later, along with four ambulances they received in January, and are in the process of ordering four more new ambulances.  She stated that Hose Tender 18 is now in the field and operational and another hose tender is currently being outfitted.  She mentioned that they are in the final phase of installing cordless extrication tools to all of the aerial ladder trucks.  Chief Williams announced that Chief Columbini and a few members of his staff attended a firehouse world symposium in San Diego last month and they were able to receive training on the latest props, as well as meet with Target Solution staff to update the system that is currently in place.  She mentioned that under the EMS Division, there is ongoing paramedic and EMT recertification, and they are currently conducting CPR training for members and have resumed the active shooter module.  She stated that the EMT academy graduated 25 EMTs and paramedic members at Station 49 have received alternative destination Sobering Center training and preceptor training, which will allow them to oversee and evaluate EMT and paramedic members during their ride alongs as a phase of the academy training.  

 

Under NERT, Chief Williams stated that Lieutenant Arteseros continues to oversee emergency preparedness training for the community, and in addition to the monthly training, she continues to make presentations throughout the City at various community events.  She mentioned that the fire reserves continue their ongoing weekly training at the Division of Training facilities, both at Folsom Street and Treasure Island.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thanked Chief Williams for her report and went on to describe the Fire Museum he recently visited while on a trip to San Diego and he mentioned how nice it would be for San Francisco to have a nice museum.

 

Vice President Nakajo thanked the Chiefs’ for their reports and acknowledged how much area of responsibility Chief Williams has within her office.  He stated that he is looking forward to the Grand Opening of Station 3 at the Airport on Mach 29, 2017 as well as the 121st Academy graduation on April 14, 2017.  He mentioned that he is also looking forward to his ride-a-long at Station 49, and thanked Chief Zanoff for indicating that he would be present on various formats during the ride-a-long and was looking forward to the actuality of observing when the supplies are replenished in the ambulances and the system that occurs with that as well.  Vice President Nakajo suggested that Chief Williams give a briefing on replacing the training facility on Treasure Island at an upcoming commission meeting.  He touched on the budget process and concurs that securing future academy classes are as important.  He acknowledged President Cleaveland for addressing with the Mayor, the state of the antique fleet that is sitting out at Station 9’s parking lot and seeking shelter for those pieces.

 

Chief Gonzales gave a brief overview of the developments of the H-23 classification, including that it has been officially adopted and that they are continuing discussions with Local 798.

 

There was no public comment.

 

7. COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING OF MARCH 8, 2017 [Discussion]

 

• Email from Mr. Corrigan dated March 7, 2017.

 

There was no public comment.

 

8. AGENDA FOR NEXT FIRE COMMISSION MEETING [Discussion]

Discussion regarding agenda for the April 12, 2017 regular meeting.

 

• Fire reserves

• Water Rescue

• Station 49 update

• Training Facility on T.I. replacement update

• Fire museum update

 

9. ADJOURNMENT

President Cleaveland adjourned the meeting at 6:16 p.m.

 

 

President Cleaveland called the meeting to order at 4:02 PM. 

 

Item No.

 

1. ROLL CALL

 

President Ken Cleaveland 

Vice President Stephen A. Nakajo

Commissioner Michael Hardeman

Commissioner Francee Covington

 

Also Present:

Brad Russi, Deputy City Attorney, Government Team – Counsel to the Commission

Maureen Conefrey, Commission Secretary

 

 

2. CASE NO. 2016-03:  CONTINUATION OF MARCH 16, 2017 CLOSED SESSION DELIBERATIONS ON EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE CONCERNING VERIFIED COMPLAINT FILED BY CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT AGAINST MEMBER, DATED SEPTEMBER 20, 2016, FOR VIOLATIONS AS FOLLOWS:

 

 Section 2004 – Restricted Passengers

 Section 3905 – Familiarity with the Rules

 Section 3907 – Safety Rules

 Section 3909 – False Reports

 Section 3919 – Proper Behavior

 Section 3921 – Inattention to Duty

 Section 3923 – Acts Detrimental to Welfare of Department

 Section 3941 – Use of Vehicles

 

This case may be heard in Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b) and Administrative Code Section 67.10(b).

 

A. Public Comment on Special Meeting Agenda Item; Possible Closed Session

 

Members of the public may comment on all matters pertaining to Agenda Item No. 2, and whether to consider the matter in Closed Session.  [Government Code § 54954.3(a), Administrative Code § 67.15(b)]

 

President Cleaveland called for public comment.  No member of the public came forward and President Cleaveland closed public comment.

 

B. Vote on whether to continue hearing in closed session [Action]

 

Commissioner Hardeman made a motion to conduct deliberations in Closed Session.  Commissioner Covington seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.  (4-0; Cleaveland, Nakajo, Hardeman, Covington)

 

The Commission went into closed session at 4:30 p.m.

 

C. Deliberations 

 

1.  Deliberations and possible action on charges (in open or closed session, per the Commission’s decision) [Discussion and Possible Action]

 

D. If Closed Session is held, reconvene in Open Session

 

1.  Report on any action taken in Closed Session as specified in Government Code Section 54957.1(a)(5) and Administrative Code Section 67.12(b)(4).

 

The Commission reconvened in Open Session to report action taken at 4:49 p.m.

 

Member pled guilty to the charges of violating San Francisco Fire Department Rules and Regulations Section 2004- Restricted Passengers; Section 3905 – Familiarity with the Rules; Section 3919 – Proper Behavior; Section 3921 – Inattention to Duty; Section 3923 – Acts Detrimental to Welfare of Department; and Section 3941 – Use of Vehicles.  Member pled not guilty to Section 3909 – False Reports, Section 3907 – Safety Rules and the component in Section 3923 that references False Reports.

 

Vice President Nakajo made a motion to find member guilty of all charges listed above.  Commissioner Covington seconded.  The motion was unanimously approved.  (4-0; Cleaveland, Nakajo, Hardeman, Covington)

 

Vice President Nakajo made a motion to uphold the Chief’s recommendation of termination.  Commissioner Covington seconded.  The motion passed with a vote of 3-1. (Ayes: Cleaveland, Nakajo, Covington; No: Hardeman).

 

2.  Vote to elect whether to disclose any or all discussions held in Closed Session, as specified in Administrative Code Section 67.12(a).  [Action]

 

Vice President Nakajo made a motion not to disclose discussion held in Closed Session.  Commissioner Covington seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.  (4-0; Cleaveland, Nakajo, Hardeman, Covington,)

 

3. ADJOURNMENT

 

President Cleaveland adjourned the meeting at 4:50 p.m.