— by Margie Doyle, Updated Aug. 23 at 9 p.m.–

Commissioner Jim Coffin, far left, announced his resignation at the OIFR commission meeting. He will be replaced by TJ DiCaprio. Barbara Bedell and Wes Heiniller

Commissioner Jim Coffin, far left, announced his resignation at the OIFR commission meeting. He will be replaced by TJ DiCaprio (next to him). Barbara Bedell and Wes Heinmiller also serve on the elected board.

Fire Commissioner Jim Coffin resigned at the Special Meeting of Commissioners on Monday, Aug. 22. His replacement, TJ DiCaprio, was announced following an Executive Session of the Commissioners.

(Update: Commission Chair Barbara Bedell wrote in to this article on Aug.23: I want to thank Mr. Paulsen for pointing out a possible procedural difficulty. I am calling a special m”eeting next week–date to be determined.” See comments below)

Coffin said, “It’s been a good run — 10 years  — and now it’s time. I’ve had a few health challenges and I think it’s time for fresh ideas and a fresh face. I intend to continue to be involved with the department and, if the commission so wishes, I could be of some use as an unpaid consultant.”

DiCaprio has been the Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft, responsible for the financial sustainability for climate plans in emerging nations. She was a participant in the 2015 Paris Climate Change talks, where she received an award for her work at Microsoft related to developing an internal carbon footprint strategy.

She’s obtained degrees in  Environmental Studies and Energy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she received the 2015 Environmental Studies Alumna of the Year award; and an MBA in Sustainable Business and Government Policy Administration from Marylhurst University in Portland, Ore.She is an Aspen Institute Fellow for 2016. She has also been an equities trader for Merrill Lynch.

DiCaprio said, “It is very much an honor to carry out your term, A few decades back in California, I had a horrible motorcycle accident, and the fire department rescued me.”

Coffin said, “What really matters is the mission, I’m glad to see the mission will continue on track.”

Financial Reports
Earlier in the meeting, the district’s financial reports for June and July with approved. OIFR has entered into a new system with the county; with administrative team Mary Tanner, Micki Nichols and Jim Schuh tracking financial needs for the department. The switch to the county administered finance system has been a labor-intensive project, Acting Chief Williams said. “We’ve had a lot going on, your [Commissioners’] continued support for our admin team —  Mary, Micki and Jim — has been crucial for our accuracy and efficiency to balance our workload.”

District Financial Officer Horaski has offered to be involved as a consultant, using the county’s new bars code system as OIFR develops its annual budget.

Service Calls
Acting Chief Scott Williams said that the service load on the Orcas Fire and Rescue Team is a little lighter this summer than last year. From January to mid-August in 2015, there were 743 calls; during that same time frame this year, there were 627 calls.

Although the call volume is a little lower, Williams also reported on the “hectic-ness” in overlapping calls, in which department personnel are dealing with one call during which they may be “paged out” to respond to another call:

  • In June, there were 33 overlapping calls, or 34 percent of the monthly call volume;
  • In July, 28 calls overlapped, for 30.43 percent of the monthly call volume;
  • And so far in August, there have been 22 overlapping calls, or 30 percent of the total volume so far. wages

Cost Recovery Program
Williams reported that he is working with the company Systems Design in implementing the cost recovery program; currently they are designing the billing process. Williams said, “Since it’s new to us, we’re taking a little more time to be sure we’re accurate.”

Facilities Maintenance Contract
The Commissioners also discussed a facilities maintenance contract with the county. Contractor Greg Sawyer currently holds a service contract with the county for maintenance on HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical and janitorial contracts for county buildings such as the Senior Center, the Road Shop, the Stage at the Village Green and the ferry landing. Staff for these maintenance project currently come from Friday Harbor. “We’re looking at adding a maintenance worker base on Orcas Island,” Sawyer said.

An agreement to maintain the Orcas Island Fire and Rescue buildings would require an interlocal agreement. Sawyer said, “It seems that OIFR staff has a pretty good grip on the status of their facilities. You could develop a worklist that is not so much a bid situation as direct hours and direct cost. Whatever it costs the county is what it’s going to cost you.”

Williams commented that OIFR already has a facility needs assessment from which to draft such an agreement.

Chief Search
Commissioner Barbara Bedell reported that the Chief Search committee has met three times and will have a final application packet, which it hopes to finalize on Aug. 29. The cutoff date is Oct. 14.

SAFER Grants
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants were created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. OIFR’s current SAFER grant for a volunteer recruitment and retention officer is in effect until June 2018. The district just received payment of $168,000 from that grant. The position is held by John Ahrens.

In addition, OIFR received notice this month that they received a SAFER grant that will fully fund a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician  for wages and benefits for two years. “This comes at a perfect time for us,” said Williams. OIFR currently has a FF/EMT for three of its four shifts and “this  will allow us to fill the fourth shift.”

In new business Commissioner Bedell announced that OIFR is being sued by two individuals. She and Interim Chief Scott Williams met with attorneys last week regarding the suit brought by Victory Lonquist for wrongful dismissal and pain and suffering. “They are asking for a hefty settlement,” said Bedell. Williams said that the case is still being investigated before the district will make a settlement offer.

The second lawsuit was brought by Paul Turner, County Deputy Fire Marshall, whose contract with  Orcas Fire and Rescue was terminated as of Sept. 13, 2013.

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