Decisions relating to expenditure of $209,600 and a presentation by Local 3911 on filling the vacant Assistant Chief position took up most of the Fire Commissioners regular meeting on June 10.

Plans to reconvene the Strategic Review Committee for the June 24 meeting in Deer Harbor were also made.

Commissioner Jim Coffin squelched public comment as “argumentative” and insisted that “decorum” be maintained. Much public comment was related to the way the Commissioners conduct Board business.

Website rebuild

Steve Hussey reported that he has rebuilt the Fire Department website to a more user-friendly site that is simpler to maintain and that he expects it to be completed by the end of July. He expects to train Operations Assistant Chad Kimple and Public Education Officer Max Jones and possibly a third person to maintain the site when it is finished. Minutes of Board meetings are available dating back to 2001 (with the exception of a six-month period between June and Dec. 2007) on the site.

Fire department member forms and training will continue to be provided through the website so that members can access them from home.

The Report to the Public is available as of June 12 at the site, www.orcasfire.org.

Deer Harbor station

Fire Chief Mike Harris said that despite some continuing concerns about the size and scope of the new Deer Harbor station, the public had expressed “pretty overwhelming support” for the plans at the May 27 meeting at Deer Harbor. Harris asked the Commissioners to direct him to contact Bill Trodgon and Teri Williams to move forward with the design and permitting processes, respectively, for the new station. “All we have is the footprint,” said Harris.

Commissioner Clyde Duke said that “the intent of the whole process was to nail down the site,” and said that a timeline was now needed.

The Board agreed to ask Williams to attend the next meeting in Deer Harbor on June 24, and to begin the permitting application process.

Expenditure approvals

The Board voted to approve the purchase of five mini-pumper (truck) chassis for $200,000. These chassis will be the “platform” upon which structure for smaller, off-road vehicles will be completed. The next meeting on June 24 meeting will consider vendors to build the complete firefighting vehicles.

The Board approved a temporary employment agreement, which authorized adjusting Finance Officer Rick Anda’s wages when he is “mobilized” to serve other fire districts. An example of this mobilization was when Anda was called to the “Street of Dreams” fires (which are suspected to be arson) earlier this spring. In such circumstances, Anda is paid in line with a civilian pay scale rather than at his Orcas Island District wage. The State reimburses the District for this expenditure, Harris said.

The board also authorized the announcement of bids for a retaining wall at the Eastsound Station that has been estimated to cost $8,500.

Five-member Commission

The Commissioners all said that there was “no urgency” to pursue the matter of increasing their numbers to five members. They agreed to bring back the subject at the next meeting, June 24, when the Strategic Plan Review committee is in attendance.

Division Chief proposal

Local 3911 is the name for the three-member paramedic union that serves Orcas Island — Valerie Harris, Mik Preysz, and Patrick Shepler.

They presented a draft plan for dividing the Assistant Chief’s position among them, with the expectation that a fourth paramedic would be added to the paid staff of the department.

Valerie Harris said that now, with the opening of the Battalion Chief position and the need to discuss their new contract, “It became clear to us that we were quite suited to take on more of an administrative role.”

In the draft division of responsibilities, Valerie Harris would become Division Chief of Operations and oversee operations of all equipment, for fire engines on down to office supplies (in addition to the scheduling of EMTs and off-shifts, which she currently does); Preyz would oversee personnel and administrative responsibilities, including information tech duties; and Shepler would be in charge of training and education, including recruitment and retention of department members.

Rather than their current two-day (48 hours) shifts as Duty Officer with overall authority, and four days off, the draft plan calls for two days on and six days off. However, the combined paramedics would work the same amount of hours (2,912) hours per year, with an additional 14 hours per week performing the designated assistant-chief administrative duties.

In response to a question, the paramedics stated that they expected a fourth paramedic would also undertake 14 hours each week in the assistant-chief duties.

Valerie Harris described the plan as “a broad-stroke outline proposal” and said if the Commissioners liked the model, then “work would begin on fleshing it out,” either as an interim or long-term model.

The “Fire Medics,” as the paramedic staff is called, are close to the end of their three-year agreement with the Orcas Island Fire District.

Preysz added that the Division Chief plan “gives a better chance for continuity” within the department when Harris retires. A second benefit would be that the resources and availability would be on island, and the district wouldn’t need to “hire someone from the outside who doesn’t know the requirements of the job,” Preyz said.

The Commission agreed to discuss the Division Chiefs draft plan as part of the Strategic Plan Review committee meeting at the June 24 meeting in Deer Harbor.

Change in Public Ed. Officer status

The Board approved increasing the Public Information/Education Officer’s (PIO/PEO) salary by $9,600, to the $46,000 budgeted in the 2008 district operation’s budget.

This increase was contingent upon the PIO/PEO completing an EMT course in California last month. In April, the Commissioners approved $3,800 for the PIO/PEO to take this course.

Duke said that the pay rate was based on last year’s budget and “there’s no reason not to go forward.”

When Leith Templin requested clarification of the amount written in the budget for the PIO/PEO salary, Coffin said it was not appropriate to speak without being recognized, nor was it the time for public comment, and that he felt argumentative comments were inappropriate and rude.

Coffin said that the public should raise their hands, request to be recognized, and write questions to the Chief or staff. “It is not appropriate to ask for complex answers,” Coffin said.

Pierrette Guimond said that public comment should be allowed before trustees vote. “You are representing the tax payers,” she said.

Coffin said that he was interested in figuring out a way to bring decorum to the meetings. Commissioner Harvey Olsan said the increase had been discussed last fall. The commissioners then approved the salary increase.

Public Comment

During the public comment session, Templin said that it behooved the Commissioners to hear public comment before voting on something “that’s been a hot subject.” She said that she’d needed “clarification 45 minutes ago. When I’m looking at Fire Department documentation that has a $12,000 difference from what you’re saying, I deserve to know why.”

Duke said, “The challenge before us is to be respectful of all sides.”

Erroll Speed spoke to the need for minutes to be spelled out in detail, especially for those who can’t attend every meeting. “It disrupts the continuity and when things aren’t spelled out in the minutes, we can’t recoup that.”

Speed suggested that, with the Board meeting twice a month, issues should be discussed at an earlier meeting before being voted upon, so the public has a chance to comment, “and you can contemplate what they’ve said and have a chance to consider before voting at the next meeting.”

With his suggestion, Speed said, the public “will have a cohesive way to be involved in the process.”

“You should be looking for every way to enfranchise us and involved us … If you think things are contentious, people are feeling disenfranchised and you’re not discussing it.

“You’re making a vote right in their face like you did tonight without giving the public an opportunity to weigh in on a subject that has to do with our money.

“Lots of things have come down since last fall on the part of the commission … and to have no recourse … I don’t think that’s respectful.”

The next Fire Commission meeting will be on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Deer Harbor station.