The Falcon Fire Protection District held its regular board meeting Feb. 18. All board members were present. Attorney Richard Shearer, legal counsel for the district, was also present.Treasurerís reportChief Trent Harwig reported that 8 percent of the fiscal year is complete. One percent of anticipated revenues have been received, and total expenditures are at 6 percent.Harwig said all paperwork has been completed, following the final payment for Station 1. He said the district saved about $198,000 by paying off the lease-purchase five years early.Chiefís reportHarwig reported that FFPD responded to 188 alarms in January. He presented and discussed response times for FFPD units and American Medical Response ambulances for each of Falconís six subdistricts. Incident statistics will be provided to the board on a monthly basis.Harwig said that reserve standby hours continue to decline. From January 2014 to January 2015, Harwig said every month shows fewer hours than the previous month. He said some volunteers/reservists end up being hired by FFPD (two current full-time and four part-time employees were reservists about a year ago), while others take jobs at other departments or leave for other reasons. The district has five new ìlateralî reservists (volunteers who already have the required firefighting and EMS certifications) who should complete their task books and be on the line in the next month or two.Harwig has set a goal of 1,460 reserve standby hours monthly, and said, ìWeíre working on a plan to have 20 (volunteers) on the roster.î He said the district has applied for a grant to buy more protective equipment. Staff is also discussing a ìground-upî fire academy that would provide training for new volunteers who lack previous experience or fire certifications. The board discussed ideas for recruitment and incentives for retention, as well as the departmentís Explorer program, which is currently inactive.Volunteer pension boardAll trustees were present for the volunteer pension board, which oversees the pension fund for vested fire department volunteers. Harwig reviewed the fourth quarter report. The beginning fund balance for 2014 was $668,257, and the ending balance was $651,431. The fund paid out $89,281 in benefits, and combined FFPD and state contributions totaled $31,334. The pension board approved the expenditure of $1,200 for an actuarial study that is required every two years.Amended benefit scheduleHarwig presented an amended ìpay, leave, and allowance scheduleî and a revised organizational chart. He said Curtis Kauffman, division chief, requested to go back to the line as a firefighter/paramedic to fill a slot for a firefighter on long-term medical leave, and also because he prefers being on the line. Harwig said his goal is to eventually hire two more firefighter/paramedics, which he has reflected in the amended PLA schedule.Harwig announced that Jeff Petersma, division chief, has been promoted to deputy chief. He said the district has tried several variations in the chief officer ranks, each with advantages and disadvantages, but, he said, ìItís always worked better with a chief and a deputy chief.î Harwig also said that since the training coordinator is tasked with evaluating officer performance, that position has been changed to a training captain.None of these changes will require an amendment of the 2015 budget since the salary changes offset each other, Harwig said.
