MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

NORTH BANNOCK COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT

NBCFD FIRE STATION - 444 E Chubbuck Road

December 19, 2019 @ 7:00 PM

Meeting opened by Roy Allen at 7:00 PM

Roll call –Alan Curtis, Roy Allen; Steve Klauser - absent

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the minutes of the November 15, 2019 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis (who noted he was not a commissioner at that time but was present at the meeting) to approve the minutes of the May 21, 2019 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT – Chief Farnsworth presented his report. There have been 8 calls since the last meeting. There were no major incidents.

The November expenses were $2,948.76. This included expenditures for station and office supplies, fire suppression equipment, building maintenance, equipment maintenance, fuel, internet, utilities, vehicle registrations and equipment rental. There are still outstanding invoices for Brush 12 decals ($150), a trash hook ($70), an intake valve ($1,000), a sign ($375), completion of Brush 12 ($7,480.75) and PPEs ($2,965).

The Fire Department had a Holiday Party with about 80 people attending. An Auxiliary is being formed to support the FD in a nonfirefighting capacity.

The FD in conjunction with Servepro, Chubbuck FD and Pocatello FD performed a Christmas tree burn demonstration to show the dangers of a dry tree.

ICCU has donated a 2014 Jeep Wrangler to the FD which will be utilized as the command vehicle for the Assistant Chief Brood. The mobile radio has been installed; it still needs lights and NBCFD Logo.

Engine 21 has been purchased from the Pocatello FD for $12,000. It has been loaded with hose. It still needs intake caps, the replacement of the decals, a NFPA annual inspection and a full service. It will eventually need a mobile radio, a monitor, and Bale shutoffs. Tender 14 has required some repairs. It still needs a NFPA inspection, decals and some additional plumbing for filling. The priority is the inspections of Tender 14 and Engine 21 followed by decals and lights for Command 2.

The Chief is recommending the purchase of a 53” Vinyl Printer/Cutter with Vinyl sheets which would enable the FD to create its own decals, equipment logos and station signage which would overall save money. The cost for decals on each vehicle is about $600.

It was found that the 32 SCBA bottles which had been donated to the FD by Ft Hall FD were only one year out from the end of their 15-year life span. Therefore, the Hydrostatic testing was cancelled; they will only be used for training. New bottles each costing about $1,800 will be needed in a future purchase.

ACTION ITEMS:

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the purchase of 2 intake caps for Engine 21 for $330, lights for Command 2 for $1,025 and a Decal printer and supplies for $700. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to set up accounts with Les Schwab and Commercial Tire. This will enable the management of field emergencies and the establishment of commercial pricing for the FD. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve Chief Farnsworth as the authorized representative for all grant applications for the FD. The motion passed unanimously.

 The NFPA inspections for Engine 21 and Tender 14 will be discussed at the January 2020 meeting.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the SOP/SOGs with the changes noted. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve Chief Farnsworth working with Pocatello FD and Chief Holm to apply for a Regional AFG grant for radios. It is acknowledged that the grant would require a 10% match and the signing of a MOU. The motion passed unanimously.

TRAINING REPORT – Assistant Chief Brood presented the report. The total volunteer hours for November was 46. The volunteers completed the EVOC training which allows them to respond with the emergency vehicles. They also completed the CPR/AED with First Aid training. The training goal for next year is to get 75% of the volunteers Fire Fighter 1 certified through IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Credentials). The cost for 30 textbooks/workbooks and the Instructor’s Curriculum would be $3,825.

TREASURER REPORT – Alan Curtis, the treasurer, presented the report. As of December 6, 2019, there was $148,764.90 in the Connections checking account and $40,021.00 in the ICCU savings account.

ACTION ITEMS:

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to reimburse Jennifer Scow $549.08 for signage for the levy. There is an invoice for Safari Graphics for this amount. The motion passed unanimously.

 The amount of the November Remittance from the Bannock County auditor was $8,636.92.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to use Deaton and Company for the Audit of Fiscal Year 2018-2019. The motion passed unanimously. The audit must be done within 9 months of the closure of the fiscal year.

 In the preparation for the audit, several discrepancies were noted between the amounts approved in the minutes and the actual amount paid. The following are the explanations for the discrepancies:

o In the August 23, 2019 minutes, there were debit card charges that were not specifically listed, but there was a reference to debit card purchases. This would cover the $406.36 debit card charge at the Fire Store (September 4, 2019).

o In the September 17, 2019 minutes, it was noted that a grant from the Hand Institute had been received and covered the debit card charge for $403.68 for medical supplies (August 8, 2019).

o In the September 17, 2019 minutes, a payment was authorized to Idaho State Publishing for $14.46, but the actual amount paid was $57.23 (Check #1162). There was an invoice to support this amount. The reason for the incorrect amount authorized is unclear.

o In the September 30, 2019 minutes, a payment was authorized for $4,278.93 to LN Curtis but the actual payment made was for $4,996.93 (Check #1169). The discrepancy was for $718. There was an invoice for that amount. Thus, the amount paid was correct and the invoice not presented at the time of the meeting.

o In the September 30, 2019 minutes, a payment was authorized for $1,086.55 to Litho Printing but the actual amount paid was $1,087.15 (Check #1170) (2 invoices of $996.90 and $90.25) which was the correct amount. The amount in the minutes was incorrect.

o A refund for sales tax in the amount of $10.50 at Costco had been given to Chief Farnsworth in the form of a Costco store card. There was documentation to note it had been applied on a subsequent purchase.

ACTIONS ITEMS:

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to move the changes needed to the ICCU Resolution letter to the January 2020 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to change the name of the North Bannock County Fire District to North Bannock Fire District. The motion passed unanimously. Alan Curtis will discuss this proposal with the County Commissioners who established the Fire District in 1979 and named it the North Bannock County Fire Protection District.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to not renew the Fire District membership in the Idaho State Fire Commissioners Association. The motion passed unanimously.

 It was acknowledged that a resignation letter had been received from Bruce Savage. When a map was found indicating the boundaries of the subdistricts, it was recognized by the Fire District that both Roy Allen and Bruce Savage were in Subdistrict 1. Bruce Savage then resigned his position effective September 17, 2019. Roy Allen expressed his appreciation for his work as Commissioner.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to appoint Erin Hobbs as the Fire District’s Payroll Clerk. She is donating her services and her responsibilities are the processing and distribution of the payroll and associated employer filings and fee payments. The motion passed unanimously. She takes care of the District’s employer responsibilities. This includes making the payroll and handling the District’s filings and financial obligations with state and federal agencies fulfilling the employer tax obligations. She works with the District’s Workers’ Compensation provider coordinating reporting and payments as needed and with the Idaho Department of Labor for unemployed registration and payments as required. She files the quarterly reports for employers with the State and Federal agencies as required. She forwards a monthly report to the Treasurer of her activities and any expended funds on behalf of the District.

 Deb Shell will replace Steve Klauser as the commissioner for Subdistrict 3 in January 2020. Steve Klauser did not seek reelection. She ran unopposed in the November election. Therefore, her name was not on the ballot. She will be sworn in at the January 2020 meeting.

 There was a brief discussion regarding the distribution of minutes. The secretary stated that the minutes are posted on the website only after they were approved at a meeting.

 There was a brief discussion regarding the possibility of selling the brush truck which has a gasoline engine since it could not be used on federal wildland fires. This will not be undertaken until at least one other brush truck is obtained.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the Fire Department invoices as listed below. The motion passed unanimously.

Advance Auto Parts (station supplies/tools) $169.40

Office Depot (office supplies) $103.27

MES (suppression equipment - freight charge) $43.88

Sparklight Internet (Internet) $72.24

Intermountain Gas (gas) $338.94

LN Curtis (equipment maintenance) $1,523.00

Idaho Power (electricity) $164.84

K & M Repair (apparatus maintenance – Tender 14) $799.72

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the Fire Department debit card charges as listed below. The motion passed unanimously.

Office Max (postage and mailing) $30.99

Harbor Freight (safety supplies) $80.48

Common Cents – Exxon (fuel - simulator) $17.00

Common Cents – Exxon (fuel - Brush 12) $69.30

Mountain West Rentals (equipment rental) $15.00

Gem State Paper (station supplies) $29.56

Home Depot (equipment maintenance) $38.24

Jackson – Shell (fuel) $65.30

There was a brief discussion of the need to open the FY2019-2020 budget to create a line item for the Fire Department.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the Fire District invoices as listed below. The motion passed unanimously.

Steve Riley (room rental) $50.00

Jennifer Scow (signage) $549.08

White & Peterson (legal work) $987.72

There was a brief discussion of the communication restrictions of the Open Meeting Law.

NEW BUSINESS

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to accept the offer of Ron Dykman to take ownership of the property on January 1, 2020 with Mr. Dykman carrying the note on the property. This will also involve taking over the rented house on the property and the water bill. The motion passed unanimously. Papers were presented to be signed for Ron Dykman to obtain the tax credit associated with the sale of the building.

 A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis for Chief Farnsworth to obtain 3 bids for the property management of the rental house on the station property. The motion passed unanimously.

The next meeting will be held on January 9, 2020 at 6 PM.

 A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectively submitted

June Heilman, Secretary

APPROVED AT JANUARY 9, 2020 MEETING