TOWN OF SOMERS

FIRE COMMISSION

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

Thursday March 18, 2004

CALL TO ORDER: Carl Rohrbach called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Members Present: Alice Van Tasel, Tony Bruno, Dave Palmer, Jr., and Carl Rohrbach

Members Absent: Frank Lawlor

Others Present: First Selectman Dave Pinney, Fire Chief Bill Meier, Robbie Edwards and Tom Mehl,

AUDIENCE COMMENTS:

· Connecticut Fire Photographic Show at Fire House on Sunday March 21, 2004

· Fire Department is holding a pancake breakfast on March 28, 2004

MINUTES APPROVAL:

· A motion was made by Mrs. Van Tasel, seconded by Mr. Bruno and passed unanimously to approve the February 19, 2004 regular meeting minutes.

CORRESPONDENCE

· Received letter of termination from full-time firefighter Alan Baker.

· Received letter from First Selectman presenting changes to the current purchase order policy

FIRE MARSHAL:

· A motion by Mr. Bruno, seconded by Mrs. Van Tasel to approve Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire Marshal’s attendance at a 3/30/04 seminar covering the “Oregon Model” Juvenile Firesetter ID and Assessment Screening Tool was passed unanimously. The Deputy Fire Marshal’s attendance is dependent on the Chief’s and Shift Captain’s okay and switching time so no overtime is incurred.

· A motion by Mr. Bruno, seconded by Mr. Palmer to approve payment for the Fire Marshal activities for the period from 2/8/04 through 3/6/04 passed unanimously. It was noted that 24 of the 39½ hours in the period were devoted to school renovation projects.

FIRE CHIEF:

· A recruitment drive will begin April 1, 2004. Currently there are 61 firefighters in the Department.

· A “ride-along” program is being planned. The First Selectman will ask the Town’s insurance carrier if the participants are covered under the Town’s policy. Each participant will need to sign a waiver, be at least 18 years of age (or 16 years old with parental consent) and a resident of Somers.

· The Chief proposed expanding the current ambulance “Membership Good Standing” program to four levels of membership eligibility to encourage more member participation in shift coverage. A motion by Mr. Palmer and seconded by Mr. Bruno to accept the recommended “Membership Good Standing” report was approved unanimously. The Chief was cautioned that the stipend budget remains at $15K.

BUDGET REVIEW:

· The current 2003/2004 budgets for Fire Department on track although the Fire Department’s overtime budget is overspent but can be covered from the full-time salary account.

NEW BUSINESS:

Election of Fire Commission chairman will be held at the April meeting.

ADJOURNMENT:

A motion to adjourn was made at 8:15 p.m. by Mr. Bruno, seconded by Mrs. Van Tasel and passed unanimously. The next regular meeting is April 15, 2004 at 7 pm at the Somers Fire House.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Rohrbach, Jr.

Chairman