Fire Commission

BURLINGTON FIRE COMMISSION Minutes of the Meeting February 11, 2025 These are the minutes of the February 11, 2025, Meeting of the Burlington Fire Commission. The meeting convened at 08:30 hours via Zoom and in person with Commissioners McLaughlin, Chapman, Perkinson, and Sheehey. Chief LaChance and Administrative Assistant Meghan Sweeney were also present. Call to Order Commissioner McLaughlin called the meeting to order at 08:30. He asked for a meeting end time. Motion for end time of 09:00 made by Commissioner Sheehey and seconded by Commission Perkinson. Motion to Adopt Agenda Commissioner McLaughlin asked for a motion to adopt the agenda. Motion made by Commissioner Perkinson and seconded by Commissioner Chapman. Public Comment No members of the public were present. Review and Accept Minutes from the December Meeting Motion to accept minutes made by Commissioner Sheehey and seconded by Commissioner Perkinson. Chief’s Oral Report Chief Lachance’s report (attached) was previously emailed. Additional discussion of topics included: Fleet—Chief LaChance expanded that the General Obligation Bond covers different fleet and capital projects. The Fire Department would benefit from the new Ladder 2 and 2 ambulances. The bond would also allow the city to match required funds when grants are awarded. The old Engine 3 and Engine 6 were posted for sale on the website Withgarage.com. The old Engine 3 has an offer for $61,000 from a town in Wisconsin. This will allow us to pay back $23,000 to the capital fund from the last purchase of trucks. He’s hoping that the Old Engine 6 truck will sell for around $25,000 to then advocate to use those funds towards the purchase of a new Battalion 1 car. Radio System Upgrade—LT Brad Wilson was very helpful with the radio system upgrade project. With leftover funds, we have purchased an additional desk and equipment for the dispatch center to staff another fire desk. Dispatch staffing is sufficient and doing well. The fire department had to assist when they were down to three or four full-time employees, and the police department did a great job getting those positions filled. Community Response Team – Chief LaChance gave updates and data regarding the CRT in his report. The CARES team is riding with the CRT crew twice weekly to build their relationships. Operations—In addition to the items in the report, purchasing a new Car 5 using impact fees has been approved. The vehicle will be a marked car that can be used for paramedic intercepts, a backup for the shift commander car, and CRT (the current vehicle only allows for two people). All companies need to do one building inspection per month. This allows members to get into buildings in their district to familiarize themselves and know what they look like when there is a call there. Members will also do a preplan on the building while in there so they can know the layout of the systems. Commissioner McLaughlin asked if the department has keys to all of the buildings. We have access when a building has a Knox Box or if the door code has been provided to the dispatch center. If the response isn’t urgent, we can wait for a key holder to arrive, but if there is an emergency, the department will get into the building. Commissioner Perkinson shared that he likes the new layout of the chief’s report and the data provided is very helpful. He asked what the fine was for a false alarm. An ordinance charges a $100 fine, and the Fire Marshal’s Office gets a referral when needed. Commissioner Perkinson again expressed concern over the City’s tendency to bond for trucks. He is concerned that the delay in having the funds available to make the purchase will result in the department paying higher costs for the trucks. This is incredibly challenging with the expected increase in aluminum and steel costs. The City pooling funds for vehicle costs are also a concern to him, as he thinks the department should be able to manage that budget for their needs, and instead, a pooled fund sets departments against each other. Commissioner Chapman expressed that she is vehemently opposed to the PREVENT initiative. She is trying to do research and have conversations with different people who are a part of this initiative. She thinks that there is a large liability for the department. She referenced a CDC article stating that people who believe they have access to overdose reversal drugs may take more significant risks and give users a false sense of security. She ended up acknowledging the drain on the resources, and time we spent as a department responding to those calls and following protocol. While she has concerns about the addiction to the drug itself, she is trying to speak to the direct way it affects the department. Old Business/New Business • BFFA has filed a grievance regarding the pension contribution. The grievance hearing will be held on Thursday, February 20th, at 08:30 am. Executive Session Pursuant to Title 1, Section 313 of the Vermont Statues, upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present, a motion to go into executive session is carried out to discuss matters where general public knowledge would place the Department at a substantial disadvantage. The motion was made by Commissioner Perkinson and seconded by Commissioner Sheehey. The meeting went into executive session at 09:19 to discuss the details of the union grievance. Adjournment The executive session ended, and the meeting adjourned at 09:35.