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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 06.oSeptember 19, 2011 RESOLUTION INCLUDING THE POSITIONS OF FIRE MARSHAL AND FIRE INSPECTOR IN THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION POLICE AND FIRE PLAN Proposed Action Staff recommends adoption of the following motion: Approve resolution to accept moving the positions of Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector into the Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) Police and Fire Plan. Passage of this motion will move both positions from the PERA Coordinated Plan to the PERA Police and Fire Plan. Overview Lakeville Fire Department is adding fire response duties to both the Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector during normal business hours (8:00 am — 4:30 pm) to assist the department in meeting the demands during weekday responses. Primary Issues to Consider • Budget Increase • Additional Duties to Positions Supporting Information Michael Meyer, Fire Chief Item No. Fire Marshal and Inspector Response to Calls Memorandum dated June 22, 2011. Fire Marshal Job Description Fire Inspector Job Description Financial Impact: $ 1343.00 Budgeted: Yes Source: Related Documents (CIP, ERP, etc.): Notes: 1300 -6041 PERA RESOLUTION INCLUDING THE POSITIONS OF FIRE MARSHAL AND FIRE INSPECTOR IN THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION POLICE AND FIRE PLAN WHEREAS, the policy of the State of Minnesota as declared in Minnesota Statutes 353.63 is to give special consideration to employees who perform hazardous work and devote their time and skills to protecting the property and personal safety of others; and WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes Section 353.64 permits governmental subdivisions to request coverage in the Public Employees Police and Fire Plan for a non - full -time fire fighter, provided the fire service position regularly engages the employee in the hazards of fire fighting as an employee of a designated fire department; and WHEREAS, City of Lakeville staff and Public Employees Retirement Association staff have reviewed the functions of the positions of Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector and determined that fire fighting is the primary duty of the position. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of City of Lakeville hereby declares that the positions of Fire Marshal, currently held by Brian Carstensen, and Fire Inspector, currently held by Jay O'Connell, are, for primary services provided, that of a firefighter engaged in the hazards of fire fighting. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this governing body hereby requests that the named employees, any future employee in the same positions, provided the primary duty of the positions is fire fighting, be accepted as a member of the Public Employees Police and Fire Plan effective the date of this employee's initial Police and Fire Plan salary deduction by the governmental subdivision. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution shall not constitute an employment contract with any individual, expressed or implied. ATTEST: DATED this 19` day of September, 2011. Charlene Friedges, City Clerk CITY OF LAKEVILLE RESOLUTION NO. CITY OF LAKEVILLE Mark Bellows, Mayor To: From: Date: Re: MEMORANDUM Steve Mielke, City Administrator & Cindi Joosten, H.R. Director Mike Meyer, Fire Chief June 22, 2011 Fire Marshal and Inspector Response to calls Fire Marshal and. Inspector Response to calls for service during regular work hours: Issues to be looked at: 1. How does it benefit the department operations? 2. How does it affect their work schedule /load? 3. Training Requirements? 4. What types of calls would they respond to? 5. Compensation? How does it benefit the department operations? a. During a normal business day the majority of the department is at work or working the same schedule. Incorporating them into the Monday thrn Friday response adds additional manpower to certain types of calls. hncreases firefighter safety with the two inside, two outside rule. b. The Fire Marshal and Inspector have the greatest knowledge of our cities commercial businesses and the associated fire protection systems. By not using them, we double our hours spent assisting a business to return to production. If they are at the scene and can assist and streamline the process to return the business to normal operations, it better serves our customer and reduces our hours spent in following up with that affected business. c. The Fire Department, by state Iaw, is required to investigate all fires with an estimated value loss over $100.00. With this; the Fire Marshal is currently paged to all structure fires for investigation proposes. d. Will reduce response time to fire scene and receive an earlier scene report to the rest of the responders. This can also reduce the number of times the large fire apparatus are responding with lights and sirens to emergency scenes: This increasescommuinity safety with less Chance for accidents: How does it affect their work schedule /load? a. Both positions currently schedule inspections, re- inspections, and continuing education items. b. There would be minimal work schedules affected by responding to calls. c. They would be required to attend certain trainings held on Monday mornings; this would allow them to schedule inspections and such, around the two Mondays mornings that training . is held. d. 'Ile objective of the deparanent is to investigate all commercial false alarms. This will allow the Fire Prevention staff to be on scene to investigate and begin corrective actions with a company representative, rather than receiving second hand information. 3. Training Requirements? a. They would be required to attend trainings that are required on the I" and 3 Monday mornings for them to maintain their firefighter certifications. Approximately 20 to 24 trainings in a year. b. The Fire Marshal and Inspector are currently Minnesota State Firefighter 1 and 1I certified, state licensed, and meet the qualifications of firefighter for the department. 4. What types of calls would they respond to? a. The Fire Marshal and Inspector are the commercial building experts and would be used in that role, they would respond to any calls for alarms at a business in the city. b. Any major incident that the department /city is called on. i.e. structure tire, major vehicle accident (1 -35W Bee incident), and major storm damage. c. Fill-in for the Fire Chief when out of the city for meetings or PTO time d. Respond to buildings or events deemed a major hazard or a potential for a large loss of life. e. Hazmat evacuations involving city residences. 5 Compensation? a. The compensation would be a change in PERA which would mean moving them from the Coordinated plan to Police and Fire plan. Estimated costs: $ 1,343.00 i. Reference handout. I) . Fire Marshal would be the only position called in after hours to an incident which would require an investigation. Follow up to questions asked; numbers were looked at from 4 -1 -11 to 6- 30 -11. 1. What is the average FF turnout day verses night? a, FF turnout during the day 13 b. FF turnout during the night 24 a The minianuin number of firefighters per NFPA 1720 is 15 firefighters. (NFPA 1720 -7) 2. How many call types that they would respond to occur in a 3 month window? a. Alarms 19, Fires 9, CO call 5, Sprinkler Alarms 4, and Smoke Detector Alarms 2, 3. Cost savings in adding Fire Marshal and Inspector into the response. (CO calls) a. We have been looking at a change in response to CO calls where the alarm has gone off and nobody is ill and have evacuated the home. We currently page 2 stations during the day to investigate this type of call. Stations respond routine to investigate. A change for this response is to page a chief office to investigate. The cost savings is that we are paying one person verses 2 stations (about I 0 FF per station). During tlie work day the Chief would he the only person available during that time, with both positions able to respond, to will allow us to move to this response plan for CO calls. The data above does not break out how many firefighters we have on scene within the first 5 to 10 minutes on scene. That time is the critical time when we need every firefighter to begin interior operations. POSITION TITLE: DEPARTMENT: ACCOUNTABLE TO: CITY OF LAKEVILLE POSITION DESCRIPTION Fire Marshal Fire Department Fire Chief PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION: Performs professional and technical work for the Fire Department, conducting fire inspections of residential, commercial and industrial complexes, reviewing plans ensuring they meet life safety and fire codes and investigating fires for cause and origin. Enforce the city, state, local and federal codes for the safety of life and conservation of property and performs related duties as required. 2. Pre - Construction & Inspections • Participates in preconstruction meetings to provide the contractors and developers with information regarding fire and building codes and local requirements. ® Advises contractors and developers on alternate acceptable methods and materials to achieve code compliance. • Negotiates with all parties involved to achieve an agreeable solution to problems in code compliance. • Coordinates plan reviews and inspections with the Building Official. e Oversees daycare licensing inspections. • Inspects new and existing structures to ensure compliance with building and fire codes and local codes. • Responds to complaints regarding fire and life safety concerning violations and fire hazards. • Inspect new and existing buildings, both residential and commercial, on a scheduled basis for removal of hazards and /or violations in compliance with fire and life safety codes. Major areas of accountability: 1. Plan Review • Conducts structural plan reviews for compliance with existing requirements and fire resistive construction. • Evaluates the occupancy classification to determine the appropriate construction types. • Evaluates the hazard classification to determine the required level of the fire protection system. • Evaluates the need for fire alarm systems. • Evaluates fire alarm systems to ensure that the proper zones have been identified and are annunciated properly on the panel. • Ensures that all areas required to be protected are provided with the proper and most appropriate protection. • Ensures that the proposed equipment and appliances are approved for that use. • Evaluates automatic sprinkler plans to determine adequate water supplies are available. • Reviews state laws and bills. Page 1 9/13/2011 3. Fire Cause Determination • Responds to all fires and commercial alarms during normal duty day. Provides size up information to incoming officer and assists Fire Command as directed. Is responsible for determining the cause of fires, working with Police Investigators if needed to determine cause. • Completes fire investigation reports upon completion of investigation. • Works with insurance companies in handling investigations and provides them with copies of investigation reports when appropriate. • Works closely with the Police Department in solving arson cases. Work Schedule: • Standard eight -hour workday plus flexibility to perform fire investigations, public education activities or inspections at other times. • Identify code violations and take necessary steps to educate and /or inform owners and enforce compliance. • Fulfill continuing education requirements. Remain familiar with new materials, equipment, methods of construction, and changes in the code, to assure that fire and building codes are administered in a fair and effective manner. Relationships: The Fire Marshal: • Is under the general direction of the Fire Chief. • Keeps the Fire Chief and other staff informed of all department activities. • Must be able to develop effective communication channels within the Fire Department to ensure a clear understanding and interpretation of departmental policies, practices and standards. • Works cooperatively and collaboratively with other city departments. • Involves considerable interaction with the public and maintains a positive customer service orientation. MM 4. Fire Prevention Education • Oversees juvenile fire setter program. • Assists with fire education programs with school district. • Assists with educational programs for business and community associations, LFD members, and other groups. 5. Communications • Writes letters, orders, and confers by telephone when administering fire and building codes or local ordinances. • Writes code interpretations regarding fire and building code requirements. • Testifies in court regarding fire prevention enforcement requirements and arson c rimes. 6. Administrative Duties • Prepares and submits fire inspection budget recommendations to the Fire Chief. • Assists the Fire Chief in administrating code enforcement activities. • Provides technical direction to the Fire Inspector. • Maintains haz -mat inventories (SARA Title III) 7. Other Duties • Miscellaneous duties and other responsibilities as apparent or assigned, Page 2 9/13/2011 Qualifications: • Associate degree in fire protection or an equivalent combination of training, certification and experience will also qualify. • Fire Inspector I certification through the Minnesota Fire Certification Board or equivalent, meeting NFPA 1031 Standards. • Firefighter II certification through the Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board or equivalent, meeting NFPA 1001 Standards. • Minimum six to seven years experience in the fire prevention field. • Firefighting and emergency response experience preferred. • Working knowledge of municipal fire codes. • Working knowledge of building construction and blueprint review • Considerable experience in reviewing plans for fire protection systems in accordance with all local, state, federal codes and NFPA Standards. • Valid Minnesota driver's license. • Physical ability to perform above, at, or below grade inspections. • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the fire department members, city employees and the public. • Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing. • Knowledge of personal computer software applications, including Windows and windows based word - processing programs. MM Page 3 9/13/2011 POSITION TITLE: Fire Inspector DEPARTMENT: Fire Department ACCOUNTABLE TO: Fire Chief CITY OF LAKEVILLE POSITION DESCRIPTION PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION: Assist Fire Chief with a variety of inspections of existing facilities, enforce compliance with state and local fire codes, and organize and perform fire prevention activities, including the promotion of fire safety programs. This position reports directly to the Fire Chief with coordination of fire prevention related activities. Major areas of accountability: 1. Inspections & Pre -fire Incident Plans • Review plans and specifications for new construction for sprinkler systems, alarms, life safety systems, water supply and access to buildings. • Inspect new and existing buildings, both residential and commercial, on a scheduled basis for removal of hazards and /or violations in compliance with fire and life safety codes. • Conduct periodic multiple dwelling inspections and single family inspections for daycare licensing. • Identify code violations and take necessary steps to educate and /or inform owners and enforce compliance. • Provide information to the general public regarding fire codes and fire hazards in a manner that will ensure positive public image of the city's inspection activities. • Assists with the administration and issuance of burning permits. • Monitor sprinkler and fire alarm tests that are conducted within the City of Lakeville. • Record inspection activities and compliance results, maintain files and submit reports upon request. • Work with paid on call staff to ensure business occupancy pre -fire incident plans are complete and updated. • Fulfill continuing education requirements. Remain familiar with new materials, equipment, methods of construction, and changes in the code, to assure that fire and building codes are administered in a fair and effective manner. 2. Fire Cause Determination • Respond to structure fires and commercial alarm calls during normal duty day. Provides size up information to incoming officers and assists Fire Command as directed. 3. Fire Prevention Education • Provides budget input and maintains inventory of fire prevention educational materials. • Coordinates and plans fire education programs with school district Page 1 9/13/2011 • Performs or coordinates educational programs for business and community associations, LFD members, and other groups. • Coordinates annual fire prevention open house. 4. Communications • Writes letters, orders, and confers by telephone when administering fire and building codes or local ordinances. • Writes code interpretations regarding fire and building code requirements. • Testifies in court regarding fire prevention enforcement requirements and arson crimes. 5. Administrative Duties • Prepares and submits fire prevention budget recommendations to the Fire Chief. • Assists the Fire Department staff in administering code enforcement and fire education activities. • Assist the Fire Chief in Emergency Management areas. 6. Other Duties • Miscellaneous duties and other responsibilities as apparent or assigned. Relationships: • Is under the general direction of the Fire Chief. • Keeps the Fire Chief and other staff informed of all department activities. • Must be able to develop effective communication channels within the Fire Department to ensure a clear understanding and interpretation of departmental policies, practices and standards. • Works cooperatively and collaboratively with other city departments. • Involves considerable interaction with the public and maintains a positive customer service orientation. Work Schedule: • Standard eight -hour workday plus flexibility to perform fire investigations, public education activities or inspections at other times. Qualifications: • High school graduate or equivalent. • Fire Inspector I certification through the Minnesota Fire Certification Board or equivalent, meeting NFPA 1031 Standards; or have the ability to obtain such certification within one year of appointment. • Firefighter II Certification through Minnesota Fire Service Certification Board or equivalent, meeting NFPA 1001 Standards. • Experience in the fire prevention field. • Firefighting and emergency response experience preferred. Knowledge of basic building construction and blueprint review. • Knowledge of municipal fire codes preferred. • Valid Minnesota driver's license. • Physical ability to perform above, at, or below grade inspections. • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with fire department members, city employees and the public. • Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing. • Knowledge of personal computer software applications, including Windows 2000 and windows based word- processing programs. • Experience in reviewing plans for fire protection systems in accordance with all local, state and federal codes and NFPA Standards preferred. Page 2 9/13/2011