Quincy Fire Protection District

Board of Directors Meeting March 14, 2024

Feather Publishing Co. Board Room 287 Lawrence St. Quincy, CA 95971

I. Call to Order:

   a)  Chairman Mike Taborski, called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. with Vice-Chairman Johnny Mansell, Treasurer Andrew Ryback, Fire Chief Frank Carey, and Administrative Secretary Karrie White.

          Public Comment: None

II. Approval of February 14, 2024, Meeting Minutes:

    a)   Chairman Taborski asked if the minutes were reviewed by the board members. Ryback made a motion to approve the minutes with Vice-Chairman Mansell seconding the motion, motion approved.

III. Financial Committee Report:

    a)   Ryback: Karrie has provided financials, balance in the account remains at $2 million for the month. The District received quarterly interest from Plumas County of $33,806, unsecured tax payments of $16,577, supplemental taxes of $4,088, and special assessments of $8,307 for a total income of $63,462.

Greenhorn Fire Department sent a check for $12,374.98 for their portion of the FEMA Grant participation. Expenses the district had $16,240 in workman’s compensation.

     b)   Ryback: Transfer of funds from the money market into the operating checking account of $47,500 for expenses.

    c)   Claims were presented and signed.

IV. Committee Business, Discussion, and Actions:

  1) Discussion and possible actions on the Policy and Procedure Manual

    a)   Taborski: no current actions on the Policy and Procedure Manual at this time.

V.  Fire Chief Report: Frank Carey:

    a)   We had a total of 44 calls last month with an average firefighter call attendance of

5.50. We are down by one firefighter this month.

    b)   On Tuesday's March 12 fire drill we had an initial attack with engines in the field working with fire hydrants.

    c)   On Tuesday’s March 19 rescue drill is spinal immobilization. We work on extricating people with spinal injuries, and proper blackboarding for transport

   d)   On Tuesday, March 26 fire drill is burn-building training.

   e)  The Fire Academy is fast approaching. The flyer and application have been sent out to the Chiefs’ Association.

   f)  I received an email from the individual who placed the order for the command vehicle from Folsom Chevrolet. It appears that they mistakenly ordered the vehicle in red, despite the purchase order and accompanying documents specifying white in three separate instances. The sender expressed sincere apologies for the oversight.

During our discussion, they offered to reduce the price by approximately $3,600 if we accept the vehicle in red. Alternatively, they suggested that we could place a new order for the correct color when the 2025 vehicles are ordered in six months.

The board members discussed their concerns regarding the vehicle's cost, which might exceed the previously agreed-upon budget. I will address these concerns with Folsom Chevrolet and will explore potential options for maintaining or reducing the cost for a 2025 vehicle, considering the error on their part.

    g)  The new (8161) ladder truck has not sold yet with no new inquiries. The advertisement for the ladder truck is posted on three apparatus websites as previously discussed.

    h)   The board members had a brief discussion regarding Quincy Fire, Inc. meetings, along with the new volunteer firefighter status. Frank said we have three new volunteers, and they will be going through the Quincy Fire Academy this year.

    i)   Update on the public library alarm system: I met with the head of facilities and electrician Al Vone from Portola who is a fire alarm specialist, He is getting the plans together and the project is moving forward for installation.

   j)   I met last Saturday with Earl Thompson, Tom Hepner, and Richard Daun, who is the contractor for the West End Theater. In speaking with Richard regarding the structure they plan to put an exit on the east wall into the alley with the help of a structural engineer. I spoke with Earl again on Tuesday and he shared the engineer’s structural plans with an estimated date of installation.

V. Other District Business, Discussion, and Actions:

   1)  Fire Station 2 replacement: Chief Carey

    a)  I have had no new updates with the current activities in the last few months. Deputy Chief David Schmid and Jesse Lazzarino are on my committee. I will work on it and get back to the board.

    2)  Discussion, and possible action regarding the progress of the LaPorte facility project:

     b)  Mansell: Chief Carey and I spoke with Tracy Ferguson (Planning Department) and we did not get any further than what we discussed previously. Then the Chief and I went to the County Counsel’s office to discuss initiating the next steps to get this land transfer resolved. We spoke with Sara James explaining what the District is trying to do with the land transfer. Apparently, this process must come from County Counsel. There was discussion on how to get the county counsel’s office moving forward, perhaps involving the homeowners on LaPorte Road.

Sara said she would look at the paperwork and get back to us. When I returned to my office I sent out an email to the Plumas County CAO Debra Lucero and County Supervisor Jeff Engle regarding our request. I have not had any response from either one yet.

The board members deliberated on effective strategies to engage the La Porte homeowners on the LaPorte water tank storage which included discussion about the recent fire history — the Sheep, Claremont, and North Complex Fires — and how this tank would have been very beneficial to protecting those homes and fighting those fires. The district board’s effort will continue with its negotiations for the land transfer with the county.

Taborski made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Ryback seconded the motion, motion was approved.

     The meeting was adjourned by Chairman Taborski at 8:27 a.m

  Submitted: _________________________            Date: ____________
                              Chairman Taborski     

See original PDF for final signature.