Windham – The WVFD Joint Fire Board held a special meeting on January 16, 2020 to choose a replacement board member for the retiring Ron Kilgore. The board adjourned to an executive session and after a long discussion, returned to the table and announced they had chosen Jake Bowden. Bowden brings a lot of experience with him. He makes his living as a full-time paramedic and fire fighter. He has worked his way through the ranks from volunteer to paid/call, to part-time and now full-time. He knows about grants and has connections to people who have had success in writing grants. He really wants to learn about the administration end of the Fire/ Ems business and is excited to be a part of the administration.
The WVFD Joint Fire District Board held their regularly-scheduled meeting on February 13, 2020 with all board members in attendance. The board welcomed Jake Bowden to the board, before moving on to approve the January corrected minutes, expenditures, and bank reconciliation. The board turned the floor over to Police Chief Eric Breiding.
Breiding presented information on a Rescue Task Force (RTF) training. The training program is designed to be hands-on training in the case of an active shooter. Breiding will be holding the RTF training at Windham High School in March. The program will give the firemen, EMS and police an opportunity to train together using proven modules designed by Ed Laird. Laird has used his military training, fire, Ems and Paramedic training background to develop a proven training program for all first responders. The hands -on training with simulated weapons will give each entity a chance to see exactly what their roles are in an active shooting situation. Currently, they only undergo video awareness training. None of the video awareness training have the three groups working as a team in a crisis situation. The cost of the school is $400 / student but since Windham is hosting the event, they get a price break on the training. After some discussion, the board felt it was necessary training, they hope they never need to use, but agreed to send six people to the training program. A question was asked what supplies would they need to keep on hand in case of an active shooter situation. It was suggested to make a list of need supplies and see if grants would cover it. Bowden said he thought the State EMS grants would cover the supplies.
The board moved on to the chief’s report. Chief Rich Gano reported that the tires on the squads have been replaced or repaired, he also reported that the screen to the iPad is repaired and needs to be picked up. Concerns were discussed about the new senior housing complex being proposed to be built in the village, on whether it would tax the current EMS situation that’s already stretched. Village Administrator Deborah Blewitt stated that most of the residents that would move into the housing unit already live in Windham and doesn’t believe there would be any issues with the senior housing project taxing the district. Even though statistics say otherwise, the situation really is a wait and see how it develops.
Gano found out that hoods and gloves can be purchased with grant monies they have left over from the gear extraction equipment, so he will be purchasing them. Gano said that they are in need of new turn-out gear as they expire every 10 years whether they are worn one time or 50 times. He also said he will look at pricing and get back to the board on that. Although the current standards are “suggested” it is unclear if OSHA takes those suggestions as mandates.
Gano stated, that he did the fit tests on all members and everyone passed. The fit test makes sure that the breathing apparatus masks seals on their face. Many of the guys have facial hair and they still sealed. They also had ladder testing done.
Gano stated he is taking a vacation day from work to be at the station for the ISO (Insurance Service Organization) testing that is mandated by the state. This testing sets insurance ratings for the region, by how well the fire department can protect the community. The results determine homeowner’s insurance rates for the region they cover.
The chief presented three candidates for employment. They are Kalli Barrett, Gabriella Smith and Zach Varner. After some discussion, the board approved their hiring.
The board also discussed mandatory drug testing, physicals, and FBI and BCI background testing. Bowden suggested that they wait until they have a clear picture of the budget before they make any decisions.
Lastly, in new business, David Belknap suggested giving the chief a raise; he also suggested task force equipment like bullet proof vest tourniquets etc. Both were taken under advisement until they actually get a budget. The meeting was adjourned.
