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HomeMy WebLinkAbout22.01.06 - Minutes, Emergency Services Advisory Council Emergency Services Advisory Council Washington County, Maryland Page 1 of 4 VIRTUAL MEETING Date: Thursday, January 6, 2022 Attending: R. David Hays, Director, Emergency Services, Ex-Officio Dale Fishack, President, WCVFRA, Ex-Officio Dick Hopkins, Acting Chairman, WCVFRA Ron Horn, Citizen-at-Large Roger Otzelberger, Jr., WCVFRA Joe Kroboth, Citizen-at-Large Scott Buskirk, Citizen-at-Large Bonnie Keltner, Administrative Assistant Guests: Randy Wagner, County Commissioner Dave Chisholm, Deputy Director, Operations Will Ball, Asst. Chief, Co. 2 Oley Griffith, Coordinator of Volunteer Services CALL TO ORDER: • Acting Chair Hopkins called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Minutes: • A motion was not offered for last month’s minutes. We will discuss further at the February meeting. Old Business: Fire Company Audits Update – Dir. Hays • Darryl Brown from Budget & Finance and Dir. Hays contacted all companies that still have outstanding issues. All of those companies have responded positively and there are a few more that Dir. Hays believes are at the end stage and have draft reports. There are three companies that have a couple of loose ends. They still expect to finish up by the end of January. Washington County, Maryland Emergency Services Advisory Council Meeting Thursday, January 6, 2022 Page 2 of 4 By-Laws / Organizational Structure – Joe Kroboth • Joe reminded the ESAC members that they had unanimously approved the drafting and sending of correspondence asking the County Commissioners to task ESAC with the development of a new governance model for the fire-rescue system. • Joe initiated a follow-up discussion regarding the governance model and the motion passed at the December 9, 2021, ESAC meeting. Joe provided two conceptual organization charts to spur discussions among the ESAC members. There was no action taken. The two organization charts are hereby incorporated into these minutes by reference and attached. • Dir. Hays said that for him to support any governance model, he has to know what it means. Dir. Hays also said he would not be supportive of a governance model that had HFD heavily represented that didn’t govern them as well. If it is going to be governance, we have to understand who’s going to fall under that governance model. • Acting Chairman Hopkins asked where the dotted lines go across from this commission if that is advisory instead of direct control? Joe said we are a committee of the County Commissioners not a committee of the Mayor and City Council of Hagerstown. That’s why the top dash line only goes to the County Commissioners. A discussion took place. Carter Lane Incident – Joe Kroboth ESAC nomination for service on the Carter Lane Implementation Plan Committee • MOTION: Joe Kroboth made the motion that the Emergency Services Advisory Council recommend to the Board of County Commissioners Roger Otzelberger, Potomac Valley VFC, be appointed to serve as the ESAC representative to the Carter Lane implementation and planning committee. When we communicate this to the County Commissioners that it also reiterates the issues that were identified in our previous letter, of December 10th, indicating that the committee would wrap up their work by the end of April 2022, provide quarterly updates to the County Commissioners, and provide monthly updates to the ESAC. Ron Horn seconded the motion. CARRIED Acting Chair, Dick Hopkins • Acting Chair Hopkins’ term has expired. Bonnie will ask Krista Hart for the applications of those who are interested in serving on the ESAC. We will give the names we choose to Commissioner Baker. • MOTION: Joe Kroboth made a motion that ESAC recommend to the County Commissioners that Dick Hopkins be reappointed for an additional term. Scott Buskirk seconded the motion. CARRIED Washington County, Maryland Emergency Services Advisory Council Meeting Thursday, January 6, 2022 Page 3 of 4 Director’s Report – Director Dave Hays • Dir. Hays discussed the numbers for Covid 19. They are starting to see a noticeable impact on the volunteer departments, the DES field staff, and the Emergency Communications Center. They have been working on plans to try to shift and condense schedules, but the one thing they realized last week was if there is a heavy impact on the volunteer community, there will be enough resources to support the system. They will go through this crisis staffing plan and will also put out additional Covid guidance. Hopefully they will present this plan to the BOCC next Tuesday in closed session. • There are five personnel coming on staff Monday, January 10, 2022, in what would have been Recruit Class II. They are four firefighters and one captain. Recruit class II has been postponed. At this point, the firefighters are all trained and certified with all the credentials they need. They will be put in the field to add depth to the staffing plan as an interim solution. • Dir. Hays talked about the presentation he will make to the County Commissioners about the crisis staffing plan in closed session. This presentation is to be kept confidential. Oley Griffith is good with the plan. Deputy Dir. Chisholm said they talked about this in the office, and he feels this is a solid attempt to make a plan that will work. They hope they won’t have to use it. Dir. Chisholm said that Kevin, Eric, Dir. Hays, and me can still go out and perform field duties if necessary. The plan allows for an increase in call volume or decrease in staff, which are the two biggest concerns. President Fishack feels it makes sense, but he is concerned that we are developing a crisis plan when he believes there should be a step before that, because what is the condition after the crisis? If we are at a crisis plan, where do we go if it gets worse? Another concern is when we roll this out to the chiefs, President Fishack believes there will be a question as to where the volunteers fit in this plan. He believes there will be some concern that you are presenting a thought that the volunteers can’t abstain or do anything in their own stations. These are things we need to think about. Joe Kroboth asked Dir. Hays to consider using the term “surge” staffing matrix. President Fishack said that statistical data on fire company responses should be prepared so we are ready for questions that we may get at the company level when we meet with them. When we roll this out and it hits the news media, we will need to do some press releases and have some hard data to support this plan and explain that we are not at that level yet but this is preparation for when we do get to that level. Acting Chair Hopkins made the comment “if we do get to that level.” Dir. Hays asked that after the council has time to digest this material and has additional thoughts or comments or even questions that could add value, let him know so we can consider them and have that conversation prepared for Tuesday with the BOCC. A lengthy discussion took place. • MOTION: Scott Buskirk made a motion that the ESAC concur with Dir. Hays and his plan for a Crisis Staffing Model. Dwayne Lunsford seconded the motion. CARRIED Washington County, Maryland Emergency Services Advisory Council Meeting Thursday, January 6, 2022 Page 4 of 4 New Business: WCVFRA Report – President Dale Fishack • President Fishack will give year-end statistics (LOPSAP, how much has been paid out in stipends, etc.) at next month’s meeting. I believe it is important for this group to look at any changes that have occurred. Adjournment • MOTION: With no other business brought forward, a motion was made by Scott Buskirk and seconded by Ron Horn to adjourn the meeting at 8:52pm. CARRIED. Next meeting: • February 10, 2022, 7pm • Location: TBD Respectfully submitted by, Bonnie Keltner, Administrative Assistant Washington County Div. of Emergency Services & Richard Hopkins, ESAC Acting-Chair