MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING

NORTH BANNOCK FIRE DISTRICT

NBFD FIRE STATION - 444 E Chubbuck Road

October 8, 2020

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

Roll call – Roy Allen, Debra Shell, Fire Chief JR Farnsworth, Assistant Chief Brood; Alan Curtis (by phone)

ACTION ITEMS:

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2020 regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve the minutes of the September 23, 2020 special meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

TREASURER REPORT

The treasurer, Alan Curtis, reported the following balances:

ICCU checking account - $308,130.75

ICCU savings account - $40,071.28

Connections Credit Union checking account - $98,546.89

Connections Credit Union savings account - $25.00

FIRE CHIEF REPORT

Fire Chief Farnsworth gave his report. There were 17 calls in September. Mutual aid was given on the Gibson Jack Fire. There were 8 calls generated by the severe windstorm including power poles and branches on fire and downed utility lines. In reviewing the first year of operation, there were 87 responses. By subdistrict, 26% of the calls were in Subdistrict 1, 37% in Subdistrict 2 and 17% in Subdistrict 3. Nineteen percent were mutual aid calls. Over 50% of the calls were fire related, 16% were EMS calls and 14% were CO/smoke detector calls. There were 85 construction permits issued in the district. The department issued 143 burn permits. The department participated in several community events in September. Glen Powell, who is a retired Pocatello Fire Department battalion chief, will be taking call as a chief officer in rotation with Chief Farnsworth and Assistant Chief Brood.

TRAINING REPORT

The report was presented by Chief Brood. All volunteer firefighters should complete the entry-level training set forth with the basic information necessary to meet the job performance requirements of NFPA 1001. There are currently 41 members of the department. Nine of the staff are at FF1 and above. There are 6 EMTs and all other staff are American Heart Association CPR/AED and First Aid certified. The training goal is to have a minimum of 75% of the firefighters certified at FF1 or higher by the end of the second year of operation.

ACTION ITEMS:

There was a discussion regarding the signing of a contract with Nathan Cuoio to serve as local legal counsel for the district. His proposal was to attend every meeting for 1 to 2 hours at a set fee with additional time at an additional fee. It was agreed that a local counsel would be beneficial, but his presence at every meeting is not needed and constitutes an unnecessary expense. Chief Farnsworth is to contact Mr. Cuoio regarding another proposal to provide legal services to the district and to have a contract drawn up and presented to the commissioners at the next meeting.

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to authorize any commissioner to request legal representation at any time. The motion passed unanimously.

• A motion was made by Roy Allen and seconded by Debra Shell to approve Resolution No. 2020-05 authorizing the billing of fire calls of nonresidents. The motion passed unanimously. This does not imply billing to anyone on mutual aid calls where there would be no charge. The attorneys will be asked to review the resolution. It will then be publicized, as required, in the Idaho State Journal, on the Facebook page and on the district’s website.

• A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Alan Curtis to approve Resolution No. 2020-06 authorizing basic life support emergency medical services. The motion passed unanimously. This will allow the firefighters to assist the ambulance services in a non-transport capacity.

The attorneys have not yet responded to the query regarding the bylaws, etc. The issue will be discussed at the next meeting.

There was a discussion regarding the building requirements of a second fire station in the eastern side of the district. There was no consensus as to the type of building, etc. The discussion will be continued at the next meeting.

There was a discussion of the need for another levy override vote in 2021. Debra Shell had been in contact with the Elections Office. The district will need to decide on the type of levy, provide the wording for the ballot and determine the anticipated cost to the individual taxpayer.

There was a discussion regarding the information that will need to be provided to the district’s constituents regarding the need for another levy override in order to gain their support. The fire chief has sent to the commissioners some initial bullet points which will be added to by the commissioners. A letter will be sent to the constituents in the district early in the new year. A survey will also be included. The letter and survey will be finalized at the January 2021 meeting. This will be discussed further at the November meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

Fire Chief Farnsworth presented a quote for a data management system for the department. After a discussion and knowing it will be an expense out of the fire department budget and thus at the discretion of the fire chief, no action was needed.

There was a brief discussion regarding land on Anderson Lane which might be suitable for a second station. Debra Shell will discuss the asking price with the property owner.

The next regular meeting will be November 12, 2020 at 6:00 PM.

• A motion was made by Debra Shell and seconded by Roy Allen to adjourn the meeting at 8:09 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectively submitted,

June Heilman, Secretary

APPROVED AT NOVEMBER 12, 2020 MEETING

ASSIGNMENTS

COMMISSIONERS:

Roy Allen

Contact attorneys for clarification of issue re: bylaws, etc.

Seek input from attorneys re: Resolution No. 2020-05

Debra Shell

Discuss with property owner the asking price for land that might be suitable for a second station

FIRE CHIEF:

Discuss with Nathan Cuoio a contract for legal services