Minutes 10-13-03 MINUTES OF THE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN
THE FIRE/POLICE TRAINING ROOM, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH,
FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2003 AT 10:00 A.M.
Present
Tom Balfe, Chairman
John Bebensee, Vice Chair
Barbara Madden, Secretary
Mark Bobich
Bill Coup
Dominic DeMauro
Eric Falstad
Glenda Hall
Brenda LeVant
Dorothy Mack
Glendon Morgan
Mike Rumpf
Tim Valentine
Pam Webb
Teresa Zabik
Parks
Recreation
City Clerk
Utilities
Library
Warehouse
Golf Course
Public Works
Communications
Human Resources
ITS
Development
Fire Department
Risk Management
City Manager
Also Present:
Assistant Fire Marshal Bob Borden
Absent
Barbara Scott
Police/Code Compliance
I. Call to Order
Chairman Balfe called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.
II. Roll Call
The Secretary called the roll and declared that a quorum was present.
III. Acceptance of Minutes of September 8, 2003 Regular Meeting
The minutes were accepted as presented.
IV. Safety Committee Education and .Training Program
A. Video
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
Chairman Balfe reported that Assistant Fire Marshal Borden was present today to speak
on fire drills and will be presenting a video.
Chairman Balfe noted that a fire drill was recently held at the Senior Center and it was
better than the previous one. He asked what would be considered a good time for a fire
drill to be completed. Assistant Fire Marshal Borden stated that any time less than two
minutes was excellent. Chairman Balfe reviewed the results of the fire drill.
Assistant Fire Marshal Borden distributed information regarding fire drills. Before
viewing the video, he reviewed the Fire Marshal's statements on fire drills for
commercial buildings as follows:
It is the task of the Fire Department to provide requested training while
conducting fire drills for the occupants of a building.
· The Fire Department provides training on the use of fire extinguishers, and
teaches competent individuals by use of video and hands-on activities so that
they can safely manage during an emergency.
· The fire code states that drills shall be held at expected and unexpected times of
the day.
· Drills shall be designed in cooperation with the Fire Rescue Department.
· Responsibility for the planning and conducting of drills shall be assigned to
competent persons, qualified to exercise leadership that could be office monitors
or Directors of the Department.
· Drills shall be held with sufficient frequency to familiarize occupants with the drill
procedure and to conduct a drill as a matter of routine.
· All persons subject to a drill shall participate all the way up to the City Manager.
· Any assembly occupancy or offices with more than 100 persons above street
level are required to hold fire drills. All other buildings are not required to have
fire drills (but does not mean that one cannot be held).
Assistant Fire Marshal Borden also cited from the handout on fire drills as follows:
(1) No person shall fail to leave a building when notified to do so.
(2) No person shall fail to leave any overcrowded premises when told to do so
whether for a fire drill or due to overcrowding problems.
(3) The purpose of emergency egress and relocation drills is to educate the
participants in the fire safety features of the building, including the fire alarm
system, the egress facilities available, all the exits and the procedures to be
followed.
(4) Speed in emptying buildings or relocating occupants, while desirable, is not
the only objective.
(5) Prior to an evaluation of the performance of an emergency egress and
relocation drill, an opportunity for instruction and practice should be provided.
(6) The usefulness of an emergency egress and relocation drill and the extent to
which it can be performed depends upon the character of the occupancy.
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
(7) Emergency egress and relocation drills conforming to the provisions of this
Code shall be conducted as specified by Chapter 8.
This is the Code of the National Fire Protection Association 101, which is the life safety
code~ This chapter will inform you whether a particular type of occupancy requires a fire
drill. The Director of each Department determines fire drills for the City's facilities. If the
Risk Management Office would like to come up with a frequency of fire drills that is also
an option.
Members next viewed the video entitled Fire in the Work Place.
Vice Chair Bebensee inquired if the video was available for viewing by individual
departments and he was advised to contact Assistant Fire Marshal Borden.
Division Chief Valentine reported that whenever there is a drill, the offices should be
checked to make sure that they have been completely evacuated. Assistant Fire-
Marshal Borden said that this should be the responsibility of an office monitor or
supervisor to check interior offices during a drill or actual fire to make certain every
office is empty. Also, never leave a door open. After checking a reom, close each door
as you exit the building. This confines the smoke, heat and the fire to one area.
Other salient points Assistant Fire Marshal Borden discussed were the importance of
good housekeeping (keep all offices clean and clear of clutter) and keep a clear path to
all egresses and ingresses.
Chief Valentine also noted other things to look for such as fire exits and stairwells and
learn how to locate these exits by counting doors to the exits. Also -
· Do not enter the building until the all-clear signal is given.
· Know where to relocate when you exit the building during a drill.
· Even though the fire alarms have been rung, it may still be necessary to
call 911.
· Never speak on the phone when there is smoke around you.
· Do not use an elevator during a drill or a fire.
A question and answer period followed.
Mr. Rumpf inquired if the Fire Department still offered fire extinguisher training and
Assistant Fire Marshal Borden said that they are given upon request and anyone
wanting to set one up should contact his office. He requested that at least six people
attend any training.
Assistant Fire Marshal Borden was thanked for his informative presentation.
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
V. Old Business
A. Fire Drills (previously addressed)
B. "Proud to be a Safe Worker" Awards
Mr. Bobich reported that Utilities had several. The first one was for Paul Latone, who,
on Friday, October 3rd, was hauling concrete to the dump and witnessed a small dump
truck roliover. He stopped and checked on the driver's condition, and the driver climbed
out of the truck on his own. Someone else called the police. Mr. Latone left the scene
knowing the situation was under control.
On October 1, 2003 Andra Jackson and Jeff Anderson were driving north on Seacrest
Boulevard and noticed a woman who appeared unconscious in her car in the parking lot
of the daycare center at NE 5th Avenue and N. Seacrest Boulevard. A gentleman was
trying to get the woman out of the car to take her to the hospital. They stopped to help-
and determined to use the City's radio emergency button to contact communications.
Communications called Fire Rescue and they responded to the scene.
On September 13, 2003, Pat Franklin and Chris Olson were cleaning storm drains at
the Library. While they were in the process of cleaning the drains, the Library security
guard alerted them that there was smoke coming from under the truck. In checking, they
discovered that the truck had a broken hydraulic line and the fluid escaping started a
small fire between the cab and chassis. Pat immediately shut down the truck and called
the Fire Department. When the truck was shut down, the fire went out. Pat and Chris
used sand to berm off and contain the leak to prevent the fluids from entering the storm
drains, and they cleaned up the area with oil absorbent material. Their quick action
saved the truck from being destroyed by fire and kept the vehicle fluids from entering
the storm drains.
Copies of the Awards were presented to the Secretary for inclusion in the record of the
meeting.
C. Departmental Inspections & Safety Meetings
No Report
D. Defensive Driver Course
Ms. Webb reported that Risk Management is still working on getting a new program set
up within the next four to six weeks. Once it is in place, they will begin scheduling
classes.
E. Incident Review Board Referrals
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
Chairman Balfe reported on the incident involving Russell Eichorst who hurt his leg
when climbing into the back of the TV truck. Chairman Balfe looked at the truck and
thought it might help if there was an extra step to get into the truck to prevent others
from being hurt. Currently to get onto the truck requires a lot of strength.
Mr. Bobich responded that when he first heard about the incident, he also looked at the
truck. He noticed that the rear bumper was high and the step into the truck was high.
Also, there is only one handle to grab onto. He thought that moving the handle to the
other side of the truck might make it easier to get onto the truck. He called the truck
manufacturer and was informed that this is how they manufacture the trucks and they
do not come with any additional steps or handles. Mr. Bobich felt it would be difficult to
install an additional step because it could get in the way. Mr. Bobich will look into this
further.
F. Shoe Policy for Office Staff
Chairman Balfe pointed out that there is a dress code policy in the APM that included
footwear. The policy describes as acceptable "appropriate footwear based on safety
and task." Not acceptable footwear would be "athletic shoes, flip-flops, thongs, or
sandals." Chairman Balfe noted that one of the issues discussed at the prior meeting
were shoes that did not have some kind of a strap to keep the shoe on the foot. This
was an issue that had been raised by Ms. LeJeune. Ms. LeVant stated that she had
worked for several different cities and was always required to wear closed toe and
closed heel shoes for safety reasons. She also brought this to the Committee for
comments because she felt that shoes without toes and backs were not safe to wear in
a place of business. She had gotten injured, and she wanted to prevent other foot
injuries from occurring in the City.
Ms. Madden brought to the meeting copies of the City's APM on the dress code and felt
that if the shoe policy were going to be enforced, then the entire dress policy should be
as well. She requested that the item be tabled until Mr. Magazine and Ms. LeJeune
were present for their input.
Chairman Balfe read from the prior minutes where Mr. Magazine stated, "This would be
a very difficult situation to keep under control. He pointed out that the Town of Palm
Beach was not successful when they tried to set up a dress code policy."
Chairman Balfe said that the whole issue is very unpopular throughout the City, and he
would also prefer to wait until Mr. Magazine and Ms. LeJeune were present.
Chairman Balfe asked Ms. Madden what dress code policies she observed that were
not being followed. Ms. Madden noted that the dress code states that skirts cannot be
shorter than 3" above the knee and this is not being adhered to. She was not opposed
to this, but felt if the shoe policy was going to be enforced then these other policies
should be as well. She also did not think it was fair that an employee should be sent
home without pay because they were not wearing the proper shoes or their skirt was not
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Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
the proper length. Mr. DeMauro pointed out that this is the responsibility of the
Department Director, which Ms. Madden agreed it was. However, she was still opposed
to employees being sent home to change their clothes because their Director did not
think what they were wearing was appropriate, nor did she think that employees should
be told what kind of shoes they could wear.
Mr. Rumpf felt that the reason Ms. LeJeune brought up the shoe issue was for safety,
where other items of clothing were not safety issues.
Chairman Balfe pointed out that this issue arose when an employee at City Hall in the
Mall was injured because a mannequin fell on her toes and she was wearing open toe
shoes. However, even if her toes were enclosed, she still could have received the
same kind of injuries. Chairman Balfe would like this Committee to only address the
shoe policy and not the clothing issues.
Ms. Webb noted that the purpose of the shoe policy was not only for safety reasons, but
for the City employees to portray a professional image; however, there are many dress
shoes that have open toes and/or open backs. She also reported that in the past 5 ~
years there have only been two incidents involving people who hurt their toes.
Motion
Ms. Madden moved to table to the November meeting. Motion seconded by Mr.
DeMauro and unanimously carried.
G. PPE Changes
Chairman Balfe inquired if members discussed the changes made to the PPE. He would
like to finalize the PPE so that it can be distributed.
Mr. Bobich had some questions relating to the Warehouse: He asked if warehouse
stock clerk and source of supply/warehouse could be combined. However, he noted that
Mr. Magazine recommended making changes to the PPE once a year, therefore, this
could be done next year, if necessary. Mr. DeMauro will review the categories and
contact Mr. Bobich.
VI. New Business
A. Departmental Safety Issues
Chairman Balfe inquired if any Departments have decided to order the radio cases he
brought to a prior meeting. Mr. Bobich said that they would be putting in an order
through Motorola. Chairman Balfe pointed out that radio case orders should be placed
through Communications because he received quotes from this company. Mr. Bobich
suggested that Chairman Balfe contact Ms. Barbara Conboy in Utilities that does the
Meeting Minutes
Safety Committee Meeting
Boynton Beach, Florida
October 13, 2003
purchasing. Mr. Bobich stated that they were going through Motorola because there
were various other items that they needed for their Motorola radios.
Mr. Bobich inquired if the Warehouse would be stocking radio cases, and Mr. DeMauro
said that they would carry the cases, but they were waiting to determine what the
demand would be.
B. Other
Vice Chair Bebensee reported that a couple of rabid raccoons were found at Gulf
Stream last week.
VII. Announcements
Ms. Zabik announced that the Friday night Oceanfront Concert would be held at new
Intracoastal Park. There will also be food and fireworks and the festivities will take_
place between 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Ms. Webb announced that if any of the radios given out for the safety award do not
work, please contact her so that they can be replaced.
VIII. Next Meeting Date: Monday, November 10, 2003 at 10:00 a.m.
IX. Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara M. Madden
Recording Secretary
(October 28, 2003)