Minutes 10-03-2019 Joint Meeting with Fire Chiefs Council

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Jeff Cabe, Orange Rural Fire Chief, reiterated that this would not have happened without White Cross taking the lead, putting a lot of money into it, and made great efforts to get funding, and provide support with food and drinks at the training. Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are ongoing operating costs that will need to be covered. Jeff Cabe said each department pays $2,000 a year in maintenance fees, and that will keep gravel and future props going, and hopefully add on to it. He said hopefully these funds will not have to be used to replace props. He said there are other potential opportunities in the area including a natural gas line to consider going forward. Matt Sullivan thanked the BOCC for its time and ongoing support to keep things moving forward. Commissioner Marcoplos said he is glad the Chiefs value these meetings with the BOCC. He asked if more information could be given about the rise in cancer risks with firefighting, and if needs or solutions have been identified to help. Jeff Cabe said cancer amongst firefighters has been a problem for some time, but has come to the forefront recently. He said it is a serious issue, and is killing firefighters. He said it has hindered people for retention, and from coming into the business. He said all are working very hard to do an extensive decon process, to clean up the fire gear fully and quickly, and a lot of it is training and awareness. He said for some in this room tonight, it is too late, and the risk is understood for the professional firefighters. He said protecting volunteers is a bigger problem, and there is a great effort to reduce the risk of exposure in firefighting gear. He said buying additional equipment, such as structural gear, helps in some situations, but it gets smoke contained in certain types of fires. He said the solution is extensive decon, and having portable showers at the sites and treating situations like hazmat, but Orange County does not have enough resources to do this. Tony Blake, President, Board of Directors for White Cross said it would be good to be able to provide a baseline medical check each year for the volunteers, which is being looked into. He said it would also be good to provide health insurance for the volunteers, but there is an IRS ruling that prohibits governments to provide health insurance to nonprofits without being a government agency. He said the BOCC may be able to help on the legislative side to create some solutions. Pete Hallenback, Efland Fire Chief said his department has had 4 firefighters develop cancer in their early 40’s and 50’s, all of which were typical cancers developed by firefighters. He said this problem is very real. Commissioner Price referred to the equipment for cleaning suits, and asked if Durham or Wake County has it, and if collaboration is possible. Jeff Cabe said the machine is like a commercial washer. He said there are a few machines in the County, but this involves multiple layers of cloth, and there is no way to get it all out. He said the machines cost $8,000 - $10,000 each, and contracting the cleaning out is very expensive, and the equipment is gone for several weeks. He said the best option would be to get rid of equipment after one use, but that is not a financially viable plan. Commissioner Dorosin asked if recruitment could be discussed, and if understaffing is a problem. Matt Sullivan said recruitment is actually two different questions: the escalating harm risk and salary. He said the Council is working with the Human Resources department to see what can be done. He said starting salaries are not as high as Wake County and Cary, so competition is high, but there is a local training opportunities program, which helps. Ralph McDonald, Eno Assistant Chief, said the other issue is with the rural areas. He said volunteers who are getting out of school are going out of the County, or with their working schedules, they fail to show up. He said the new kids are looking at it as a career;