Minutes 10-08-01MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN THE
FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA
ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2001 at 10:00 A.M.
Present
Chuck Magazine, Chairman
Carisse Weise, Vice Chair
Jos6 Alfaro
Tom Balfe
Mark Bobich
Bob Borden
Bill Coup
Gary Ezzell
Eric Falstad
Dorothy Mack
Barbara Madden
Brent Rolle
Rodney Vickey
Kim Williams
John Yurch
Risk Management
City Manager
Planning
Parks
Utilities/EWTP
Fire
Library
Utilities/WWTP
Golf Course
Human Resources
City Clerk's Office
Recreation
Finance/Warehouse
Communications
Engineering
Also Present
Pam Webb
Risk Management
Absent
Tom McCabe
Larry Quinn
Sharon Tierney
Police
Public Works
ITS
I. Call to order
Chairman Magazine called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.
II. Roll Call
The Recording Secretary called the roll and a quorum was present.
III. Acceptance of Minutes of September 10, 2001
Mr. Bobich questioned why "Hurricane Preparedness Ham
removed from the agenda. Chairman Magazine said the
Radio Test" was
item was pulled
Meeting Minutes '
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
October 8, 2001
because a report was never made to the Committee. It was noted that the item
was still on the agenda. Chairman Magazine will correct thiS.
Motion
Mr. Coup moved to approve the minutes of September 10, 2001. Motion
seconded by Deputy Fire Marshal Borden and unanimously carried.
IV.
Safety Committee Education and Training Program'
"Operation Lifesaver": Presented by Vice Chair Weise and Para Webb
Vice Chair Weise and Ms. Webb stated that they would be presenting a program
on Operation Lifesaver. Ms. Maggie Ferrara, the Palm Beach County
representative from Operation Lifesaver, was introduced. Pins were distributed
to the members, along with an informational brochure. The presentation
consisted of a videotape illustrating the dangers of crossing railroad tracks in a
vehicle or on foot. Vice Chair Weise and Ms. Webb then gave a very informative
PowerPoint presentation. Any department that would like to schedule the
presentation should contact Vice Chair Weise or Ms. Webb.
Ms. Ferrara thanked Chairman Magazine and the City for their support of
Operation Lifesaver. Last year Chairman Magazine arranged for the video to be
shoWn at all City camps. Ms. Ferrara complimented Vice Chair Weise and Ms.
Webb for a wonderful presentation.
V. Old Business
A. Fire Drills (Borden)
Chairman Magazine announced that the Safety Officer position would not be
filled until after the first of the year. If any building has not had a fire drill within
the past year, someone should contact either Deputy Fire Marshal Borden or
Chairman Magazine to make the necessary arrangements to schedule a fire
drill. Chairman Magazine reported that a fire drill recently took place in the West
Wing.
B. "Proud to be a Safe Worker" Awards
None
C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Me'-~ngs
Since there was very little to report, Chairman Magazine will have a matrix
available for the next meeting.
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Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
October 8, 2001
D. Defensive Driver Course
There are openings available for October. More classes will be scheduled for
November. The course is mandatory for anyone who drives a City vehicle and
for employees who drive their own vehicle on City business.
Chairman Magazine announced that staff has been performing Motor Vehicle
Record Checks of all personnel that drive for the City. Some employees with
suspended licenses have been discovered. All employees who drive for the City
must maintain a valid driver's license. This year all police officers will be taking
the same defensive driving class that other employees take. Chief Gage has
approved this.
E. Incident Review Board Referrals
Entering private property, i.e. fenced in backyards
(Utilities and Police)
Chairman Magazine is still waiting for the requested information from the Utilities
and Police Department. Mr. Bobich stated that his department did not have
anything in writing on this subject. Chairman Magazine will speak with Code
Compliance and Police.
F. Safety Policies Review (Weise)
Vice Chair Weise reported that the policy is ready to be published unless
Chairman Magazine had anything new he wished to add. Chairman Magazine
requested Vice Chair Weise move forward with having the policy published and
distributed to all employees.
G. Certified Child Safety Seat Technicians
a. City employees training on-duty time (Weise)
Chairman Magazine stated that any employee who wants to volunteer for the
training on their own time can do so. The City will only pay for the training.
H. Wellness Program (Magazine)
As soon as the signed contract is returned from Pinecrest, the Wellness
Program will be implemented. There are bulletin boards in the City Hall
lunchroom, at Public Works and Utilities that contain informational material on
wellness, which are maintained by JFK Hospital. It is anticipated that a person
will be available once or twice a month in the City's gym to answer questions
about exercising and proper equipment use.
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Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
October 8, 2001
VI. New Business
Chairman Magazine distributed a copy of a memorandum to him from Fire Chief
Bingham dated September 10, 2001. He reported that at the Incident Review
Board meeting, the members considered a request from Chief Bingham that the
Fire Department wanted to review their own incidents that related to emergency
response issues. The IRB, which is a sub-committee of the Safety Committee,
reviewed the request and determined that the procedures should remain as they
are, i.e., that the IRB would review all incidents. Members of the IRB Board are
Chairman Magazine, representatives from the Fire Department, Police
Department, Facilities, Utilities, Public Works and Leisure Services.
Deputy Fire MarShal Borden reported that it was past practice that the Police
and Fire Departments reviewed their own incidents. Because Risk Management
was not receiving the reviews on a timely basis, it was determined that the IRB
would review all incidents.
Chief Bingham's memo addressed the fact that there is a great deal of
information that the IRB would not know concerning incidents involving
emergency responses. Deputy Fire Marshal Borden stated that he agreed with
Chief Bingham's request and stated that when incidents occur in the Police and
Fire Department, only those persons trained in that type of response could
understand how a particular incident occurred.
Chairman Magazine stated that the Fire and Police Department have a
representative on the IRB to provide input and information. The role of the IRB
is to determine if an incident is preventable or non-preventable. Deputy Fire
Marshal Borden stated that fire personnel feel that this creates a black mark on
their record. Many times in emergency situations incidents occur as a result of
the actions of outsiders. Chairman Magazine said it is important that the
supervisors proVide the IRB with a complete report in order for the Board to
make a determination. Further, he pointed out that an employee has the right to
appeal a decision of the IRB. In many cases decisions of the Board have been
overturned when more information is presented.
Deputy Fire Marshal Borden stated that even though the Fire Department would
review their own emergency response incidents, the IRB would receive all the
reports. He further stated that all incidents would be immediately investigated
as soon as the incident occurred and that reports would be furnished to Risk
Management as soon as possible.
Chairman Magazine felt that the program that is now in place works and should
be kept as is, keeping in mind that there is always an opportunity for an appeal
of an IRB decision.
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Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
October 8, 2001
Chairman Magazine said that the Safety Committee is being asked today to
make a recommendation to the City Manager regarding Chief Bingham's
request. He pointed out that the IRB does not discipline employees. A decision
of the IRB could, however, be used in an employee's evaluation. Assistant Fire
Marshal Borden stated that fire personnel were not fully aware of the end results
of an IRB decision of a preventable incident as it pertained to an employee's
personnel record. Chairman Magazine stated that a notice of a decision is sent
to the Department for handling. The IRB process is a safety process to prevent
an incident from reoccurring in the department.
Motion
Vice Chair Weise moved to leave the IRB as is. Motion seconded by Bill Coup.
Motion carried 14 to 1 with Deputy Fire Marshal Borden dissenting.
B. Departmental Safety Issues
Mr. Alfaro noted that employees have difficulty crossing from the West Wing and
City Hall to the employee parking lot across the street, since there are no
crosswalks. Chairman Magazine responded that this issue was brought up at
last month's meeting. Mr. Yurch said that he and Mr. Fleming have discussed
putting in crosswalks along with signage. Mr. Yurch suggested that Chairman
Magazine put in the work order for Public Works to perform the work. He will
follow through on this with Jeff Livergood.
Mr. Yurch said he has observed contractors performing work on City streets on
behalf of the City without putting up the proper warning signs. Chairman
Magazine stated that the department that hired the contractor should be notified
immediately. Someone from that department should go out to the site and stop
the work until the site is set up properly.
Mr. Yurch would like to have safety lights put on the vehicles that the City uses
to make inspections on road projects and has spoken to Bob Lee about this.
C. Other
None
VII. Announcements
Anyone interested in attending any of the Safety Council classes should contact
Risk Management.
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Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, FL
October 8, 2001
VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, November 19, 2001
Veteran's Day Holiday)
(dUe to
VIII. Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 1 1:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara M. Madden
Recording Secretary
(two tapes)
(October 10, 2001 )
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