MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

NORTH BANNOCK FIRE DISTRICT

NBFD FIRE STATION - 444 E Chubbuck Road

July 9, 2020

Meeting was opened by Roy Allen at 6:00 PM.

Roll call – Roy Allen, Alan Curtis, Debra Shell, Fire Chief JR Farnsworth

ACTION ITEMS: A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to approve the agenda. It was noted there will be no presentation by the Firefighters’ Association. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the minutes of the June 11, 2020 Executive Session. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the minutes of the June 11, 2020 regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

TREASURER REPORT

The treasurer, Alan Curtis, reported the following balances:

Total cash assets - $242,080.52

Total cash liabilities - 0 (credit cards)

ICCU checking account - $103,160.42

ICCU savings account - $40,061.21

Connections Credit Union checking account- $98,833.89

Connections Credit Union savings account - $25.00.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT

Fire Chief Farnsworth gave his report. There were 5 calls in June. There were 35 burn permits issued during the month. The burn ban is in effect. The department has received the 6 iPads from the Idaho Cares Act and 6 laptops have been ordered. The 2 Bendix King radios from Day Wireless have been received and one placed in each brush truck. They enable communication with BLM and the Forest Service. All vehicles are in good working order with a few minor issues which will be addressed. On the 4^thof July the department responded to the largest fire that it has encountered to date. It was a wildland fire in the Pocatello Creek area caused by target shooting at a vehicle with a resulting explosion and fire. BLM, Pocatello Fire and Chubbuck Fire also responded. The fire was quickly controlled. A formal after-action review will be held on July 17^th. The Idaho Surveying and Rating Bureau completed their field visit of the fire department. It is anticipated that there will not be an insurance rating change.

ACTION ITEMS:

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to table the purchase of a command vehicle for the fire chief until the next fiscal year. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to authorize the payment of $168.84 to the fire chief for reimbursement of the 3^rd quarter mileage on his personal vehicle. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Roy Allen to acknowledge the acceptance of the RFC grant and approve the purchases of the 2 Bendix King radios for $4,985.66. The motion passed unanimously. The grant pays 90% of the cost which would be $4,532.42 leaving the department paying $453.24.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the purchase of the 6 iPads at $3,119.94 through Office Max and 6 laptops through Dell Business for $2,616.54 acknowledging the preapproval for reimbursement through the Idaho Cares Act. The motion passed unanimously.

A bid from Overhead Doors was accepted to install manual chains on the garage doors; these are needed when there is a power outage. Bids had been obtained to place another garage door on the south side of the building. The fire chief wants to hold on this until a second station is built.

The fire department has teamed up with Servepro to send 2 firefighters to the Child Safety Seat course in Twin Falls. They will become certified child seat technicians. The cost of tuition is $95.00 per student and has been covered by Servepro. They will take a department vehicle for the trip. The department will hold a child seat safety fair to allow the public to have the firefighters install or verify proper safety seat installation.

The GIFF agreement and Annual Operating Plan (AOP) have been drawn up and sent to all the fire agencies within the GIFF area. Roy Allen has signed the agreement and AOP.

Wendy Briscoe gave the Firefighters’ Association a $100 Fred Meyer gift card as a show of appreciation for participating in a graduation parade.

Mandy Greaser of IDLIFE, in conjunction with the AMVETS, purchased badges valued at $1,914.42 for all the firefighters. The donation went directly to the badge company. Dress shirts have been ordered for the firefighters. There will be a formal pinning and swearing in ceremony to formally welcome each department member into the department.

The fire chief has approached the Pocatello Water Department regarding using Pocatello’s fire hydrants. This will require action by the Pocatello City Council. The chief is working on an agreement to be presented to the city council. In the interim, the department is using the hydrant at the fairgrounds which neither Bannock County nor Pocatello are claiming.

TRAINING REPORT

The report was presented by Chief Farnsworth. The volunteer hours for June were 20+ hours. The training has included Tender operations and Fire/Wildland Engine operations. They are on the 10^th week of the FF1 program. The Target Solutions platform Is operational. They have resumed their normal training schedule.

ACTION ITEMS:

There was a question raised at the last meeting regarding the need to file a tax return. Erin Hobbs says there is no need for the fire district to file a tax return since it is a governmental entity.

Concerning the question of the 3% increase in the budget, information was received from Kristi Klauser from the County indicating that the district is receiving it.

The commissioners developed the budget for FY2020-2021. This will be presented for approval at the August 13, 2020 budget hearing. The fire chief’s salary will remain the same but contributions to his retirement through PERSI will be added. There was discussion regarding providing disability insurance to the firefighters. This cannot be provided at this time due to fiscal constraints.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the line items for the FY2020-2021 budget and to advertise the budget in the Idaho State Journal. The motion passed unanimously.

Ron Dykman has decided not to turn the house over to the fire district at this time but rather rent it out until August 2021 when the fire district will take possession of it with the final payment.

The fire district membership in the ISFCA has been renewed.

There will not be an attempt to pursue the foregone monies as the amount is so small.

There was a discussion of the need for a station generator system. No action will be taken at this time.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to contact the attorneys for advice on the need to create bylaws or for a template for policy and procedures. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to allocate up to $50.00 per plaque to present to the retired commissioners as a token of appreciation for their work. The motion passed unanimously.

There were no fire district invoices.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to authorize the payment of the fire department invoices as listed below. The motion passed unanimously.

Office Max (office supplies) $10.29

Dell Products (IT:hardware) $2,616.54

Federal Surplus (PPE) $46.00

Idaho Department of Lands ((PPE/truck equipment) $1,209.71

K & M Repair (maintenance – T14) $560.29

Day Wireless (communications) $4,985.66

The bill pay invoices as listed below were reviewed.

Office Max (IT:hardware) $3,119.94

Sparklight (internet) $72.24

Intermountain Gas (facilities – natural gas) $118.72

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the fire department credit card charges as listed below. The motion passed unanimously.

Advance Auto (supplies/maintenance E11) $35.38

Shell – Jackson’s (fuel) $60.01

Amazon.com (IT: hardware) $39.98

Kenworth Sales (maintenance E11) $151.27

Uniform Warehouse (uniforms) $525.74

Studio Technologies (patches) $150.10

K & B Kwik Stop (supplies) $12.53

Safe Kids Worldwide (tuition) $190.00

Home Depot (supplies/fixtures) $227.29

Shell – Jackson’s (fuel) $211.75

C-A-L Ranch (supplies) $21.50

Maverik (fuel) $33.00

Office Max (office supplies) $122.46

Home Depot (fixtures) $11.35

NEW BUSINESS

A group in Priest Lake is setting up a fire district and fire department and has requested assistance from the NBFD.

There was a discussion regarding using the Commissioner accessed Google Drive to store old records and to keep a current up to date version of the Fire Department and Fire District Budget and expenditures spreadsheets. This will allow the Commissioners to stay current with the budgets and expenditures throughout the year. The fire chief will be given limited access to the Commissioners Google Drive in order to keep the budget spreadsheets up to date. A district email is needed for Debra Shell. Each commissioner will have their own email.

After seeing the legal opinion concerning the reimbursement of the building inspection fee for one of the volunteers, it was decided not to pursue it at this time.

Debra Shell has sent a letter to several residents regarding land to be used for a second fire station. She will be the contact person for this issue.

There was a discussion regarding the issue of EMS. There are 6 EMTs who want to maintain their certification. A MOU is needed with the county to allow the firefighters to respond to EMS calls. The county commissioners are apparently supportive, but there is a problem with dispatch. They will try to work with the new sheriff.

The next meeting will be August 13, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

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

Respectively submitted,

June Heilman, Secretary

APPROVED AT AUGUST 13, 2020 MEETING