MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

NORTH BANNOCK FIRE DISTRICT

NBFD FIRE STATION - 444 E Chubbuck Road

May 14, 2020

Meeting was opened by Alan Curtis at 6:03 PM.

Roll call – Alan Curtis: Debra Shell and Roy Allen (by video link); Fire Chief JR Farnsworth; Assistant Chief Mark Brood (by video link)

ACTION ITEMS

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

· A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve the minutes of the April 9, 2020 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

TREASURER REPORT

The treasurer, Alan Curtis, reported the following balances:

Total cash assets - $246,375.33

ICCU checking account - $106,891.13

ICCU savings account - $40,051.31

Connections Credit Union checking account- $99,407.89

Connections Credit Union savings account - $25.00.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT

Fire Chief Farnsworth gave his report. There were 2 minor calls in April. The department participated in several parades including one to show appreciation for the healthcare workers at Portneuf Medical Center. There was a US flag raising ceremony at the fire station on May 6^th. The flag is an ultraheavy duty flag. Mountain West Rentals donated the rental of the lift to assist with the flag installation. The department has received several donations including helmet lights and blood pressure monitors from the US Federal Deputy Office, detailing supplies from Advance Auto Parts and hydration packs from DripDrop ORS.

Brush 22 had a new pump installed and it pumped water for 15 minutes before the pump transmission spun a bearing and the snap ring that held the bearing on the shaft was destroyed. A new shaft costing $1,400 was ordered. The total bill for the repair was $4,500. This was the vehicle which was donated to the department from IDL. An electric vane pump draft system will need to be purchased, but the truck is currently operational.

There has been a change in the burn permit process. A Google form has been added to the website which notifies the fire chief when a burn permit request has been completed. The burn permit is then filled out and emailed back to the person requesting the permit. The permit is valid for the entire year. There have been 61 permits issued this month. The burn ban was lifted on May 1^st.

There was a conversation with Guy Patterson of the Bannock County Event Center regarding the firework permit. He did not see an issue with having a fee associated with the permit but recommended against a separate rate for nonprofit organizations. The fire chief is recommending a public meeting to allow input on the adoption of a firework permit. This will be on the agenda for next month.

The fire chief had a discussion with Lee from Day Wireless regarding some communication issues with the radios and in communicating with dispatch. No changes are planned.

Ron Dykman wants to transfer the ownership of the house on the property to the fire department now rather than next year when the final payment is made as is in the purchase agreement. The department would like to use the house for firefighter staffing and residence rather than as a rental. Some remodeling will be needed including electrical rewiring and a new roof.

The neighbor to the west of the fire station has indicated they are planning to build a wedding reception center at the far end of the property. They plan to install a white vinyl fence between the 2 properties. The fire department would be responsible for erecting ½ of the fence or the cost of ½ of the fence according to Idaho Statute 35-103. The City of Chubbuck will require a fire hydrant near the back of that property. The fire department has been given the option of using the hydrant for training purposes. This is based on the premise of the department paying part of the costs of the hydrant which would be about $8,000 and about $6,000 for a meter. They would also like access for emergency vehicles to this area through the station’s property. There was a discussion as to whether the city can charge for the use of water from hydrants for firefighting as well as for training purposes. The fire department has not received a bill for water it has obtained from the fire hydrants.

ACTION ITEMS:

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen for Roy Allen to contact the fire district’s attorneys regarding the transfer of the house to the fire district at this time. The motion passed unanimously. A letter from Mr. Dykman will be requested stating his intent. The fire chief is to contact him. The letter and input from the attorneys will be discussed at the next meeting when a decision will be made regarding acceptance of the offer.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to accept the bid from Electric Construction and Sales for the electrical modifications needed in the fire station and the electrical wiring to the road sign. This was the lowest bid of the three bids obtained. The bid for the station was $5,994 and for the sign $1,996. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Alan Curtis to contact the attorneys for clarification of water use from hydrants and the associated charges. The motion passed unanimously.

TRAINING REPORT

The report was presented by Assistant Chief Brood by video link. The volunteer firefighter training hours for April was 30+ hours. Training has included wildland fires, tender and engine operations. There were 2 training webinars. The firefighters are on their 7^th week in the FF1 program. Target Solutions is on track to go live; this will help implement a better tracking system for training and a platform for the online training.

ACTION ITEMS:

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to adopt the Google system for the burn permit process. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to publish the notice of the August 13, 2020 budget hearing and the FY2020-2021 Budget on July 26, 2020. The motion passed unanimously.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to table any action regarding the recovery of foregone monies until the next meeting. The motion passed unanimously. The decision regarding the recovery of foregone monies are to be made at a public meeting. This could be done at the budget hearing in August. Debra Shell is to find out the amount of money in question.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to table until the next meeting the district line items for the budget. The motion passed unanimously. Alan Curtis has sent a draft of the budget’s line items to the other commissioners.

· Roy Allen reported he had received $100 from an anonymous donor for the Firefighters’ Association as a thank for their participation in COVID-19 deliveries. The money was given to the Firefighters’ Association.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Roy Allen to authorize the payment of the following fire district invoices. The motion passed unanimously.

White – Peterson (legal services) $707.50

State of Idaho (district name change) $31.00

Google domain.com (web address) $108.00

· The commissioners reviewed the following fire department invoices. There were no concerns.

Office Depot (office supplies) $80.05

Target Solutions (training) $3,860.00

North Ridge Fire Equipment (truck equipment) $886.00

MES (truck equipment) $2,319.07

LN Curtis (truck equipment) $120.00

K & M Repair (vehicle maintenance Brush 22) $4,472.21

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

Carterson Public Safety Group (training: tuition) $20.00

Cascade Fire Equipment (equipment maintenance) $58.10

Home Depot (truck equipment, fixtures, facilities maintenance) $355.13

Advance Auto (truck and shop equipment) $143.15

Hook and Loop (supplies) $65.59

Eagle Mountain Flag (fixtures) $190.45

Shell – Jackson’s (fuel, truck equipment) $118.43

Zoom Video (IT: software) $149.90

Costco (supplies) $8.97

Common Cents (truck equipment) $12.19

K & B Kwik Stop (supplies) $139.90

NEW BUSINESS

The fire chief reported that the fire districts located within Bannock County are expected to receive funds from the Idaho Cares Act to be used for the COVID-19 response. He anticipates using the funds to reimburse the purchases of the Zoom video conferencing program and the Target Solutions training program. The purchases of several laptops would also be considered.

Bryan Wheat was to give a presentation but had left the meeting. His report was given by Chief Farnsworth. The Firefighters’ Association will resume their fundraising and their regular meetings. They have benefitted from the small group training. They have appreciated participating in the community activities.

There was a brief discussion of possible sites in the canyons for a second fire station.

The fire chief is trying to identify all sources of water for firefighting in the district to provide input to the Idaho Surveying & Rating Bureau (Idaho’s Property Insurance Rating Organization) which will be updating the insurance ratings in July.

The next meeting will be June 11, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

· A motion was made by Alan Curtis and seconded by Debra Shell to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

COMMISSIONER’S ASSIGNMENTS

Roy Allen is to contact the attorneys regarding the transfer of the house to the district now

Roy Allen is to contact the attorneys regarding the city’s charging for water from hydrants for firefighting or training purposes.

Debra Shell is to have the notice of the budget hearing and the FY 2020-2021 budget published in the Idaho State Journal on July 26, 2020. She is to take the information to the notice to the Journal on the 20^th or 21^st of July.

Roy Allen is to provide Debra Shell with information regarding posting the above notice in the ISJ.

Roy Allen is to contact the ICRIMP regarding the bill for the current year.

Debra Shell is to contact the county to determine the amount of forgone money in question.

Respectively submitted,

June Heilman, Secretary

APPROVED AT JUNE 11, 2020 MEETING