Western Coventry Fire District

4661 Flat River Road

Greene, RI  02827

(401) 397-7520

_____________________________________________________________________

17 March 2009

OFFICIAL  NOTICE

ANNUAL MEETING

THE WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT WILL HOLD ITS ANNUAL MEETING ON:

                        DATE:    MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2009

                        TIME:     7:00 P.M.

                        PLACE:  WESTERN COVENTRY ELEMENTARY

                             SCHOOL CAFETERIA

                                         4588 FLAT RIVER ROAD

                                         COVENTRY, RI

THE MEETING WILL BE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS, APPROVING A PROPOSED BUDGET, AND CONDUCTING ALL OTHER DISTRICT BUSINESS THAT MAY BE DEEMED NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE.

THE ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION PACKET IS AVAILABLE AT THE SUMMIT FIRE STATION LOCATED AT 4661 FLAT RIVER RD., GREENE,RI; THE SUMMIT GENERAL STORE;  LOCATED ON OLD SUMMIT RD., GREENE, RI, AND KOSZELA LUMBER YARD LOCATED AT THE INTERSECTION OF RT. 102 AND RT 117, GREENE, RI AND AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ON OUR WEB SITE LOCATED AT   http://www.wcfd.net.

ADVERTISED IN THE KENT COUNTY DAILY TIMES;  POSTED AT THE SUMMIT FIRE STATION, SUMMIT GENERAL STORE, AND KOSZELA LUMBER YARD.

Jean Pomfret

District Clerk

WCFD

WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT 

ANNUAL MEETING

7:00 pm, Monday, April 6, 2009

Location:  Western Coventry Elementary School Cafeteria

4588 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI

Agenda

Call to Order:                                                         Moderator, Charles Smith

Pledge of Allegiance:                                          Boy Scout Troop 39

Invocation:                                                            Reverend Robert Auld, Summit Baptist Church

Call to Meeting:                                                    District Clerk, Jean Pomfret

Minutes of Previous Meeting:                           Stenographic Report on file with District Clerk

Treasurer’s Report:                                              District Treasurer, Glenn Underwood

Tax Collector’s Report:                                       District Tax Collector, Joan Smith

Board of Director’s Report:                                Chairman, Kent C. Novak

Chief’s Report:                                                     Chief Joel Pomfret

Awards & Presentations:                                   Chief Joel Pomfret

Election of Officers:                                             Moderator, Charles Smith

District Clerk – (One position is open and one qualified candidate has applied for the position. Thus, the person is unopposed. The Moderator may request the Clerk cast a single ballot for the candidate.)

Board of Directors – Two Board of Director positions are open and three qualified candidates have applied for the two positions. One position has a term of 3 years and the second position will be for 1 year.

Old Business:

New Business:                                                      District Budget for Year 2009-2010 (3/1/09 – 2/28/10)

                                                                                Resolutions

Adjournment:

Notes:

1. To assist the Moderator in recognizing taxpayer voters, all non-taxpayer members of the audience will be requested to sit in the area designated for non-taxpayer guests.
2. Votes for the election of officers running unopposed may be made by the Clerk casting a single ballot.
3. At the Moderator’s option or by the majority vote of the taxpayers present, votes on motions and resolutions may be by written ballot or by standing vote.
4. All motions and resolutions will be presented in writing to the Moderator.
5. Board of Directors’ Candidates will each be afforded two minutes to address voters and five minutes per candidate to respond to questions from voters.

2008 -2009

Board of Director’s Report

Western Coventry Fire District

            This past year has been an exciting and challenging year for our district.  The members of the Western Coventry Fire Department have continued to provide critical public safety services to the Western Coventry community.  Our current staffing of two full time members and twenty-five plus volunteer men and women have responded to 412 fire and rescue calls (119 fire, 293 rescue).  They are committed to providing our residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week coverage. Their dedication to duty is particularly noteworthy.  Please join me in thanking the members of the department for a job well done and also the support provided by their families.

            The District has suffered the loss of three individuals who have made lasting contributions to our volunteer organization.  Thomas Haynes, a member of the Board of Directors (BOD), passed away on October 28, 2008.  Tom has served the Western Coventry Fire Department since the 1960’s in many roles, including but not limited to volunteer firefighter, rescue member, department officer, mentor, Deputy Chief and Chief.  Tom’s professionalism and dedication to improving the department and district are second to none.  Our District Clerk, Denis Fournier, passed away on January 7, 2009.  Prior to serving as District Clerk, Denis was a volunteer firefighter and rescue member.  He was a longtime advocate for a new fire station and served on the Building Committee.  Denis’s commitment to moving the department and district forward are sorely missed.  On January 28, 2009, Roland Robert, our architect for the new station passed away.  Roland is largely responsible for developing the design for a new fire station that the district could afford to build. He has been a good friend of the district and we are now beginning to see the fruits of his labor.

            We have increased the amount of information available to the public on our district website http://www.wcfd.net.  Postings regarding positions available on the Board of Directors and District Office are now on the web.  Also the notices, agendas, minutes and submitted reports for the BOD meetings are posted.  There is also extensive information posted in regards to the Building Committee Meetings and the associated Meeting Reports.  Our goal is to continue to make improvements to the website and provide even more information as the year unfolds.  Thanks to CPT Kelly Guastini for her efforts in maintaining/improving the website.

            The district has received $81,131.16 in grant monies this fiscal year.  CPT Robert Mann and CPT Kelly Guastini co-authored the Assistance to Firefighters Grant and were successful in garnering $61,137.00 to update our gear and equipment.  With these funds we were able to purchase 27 complete sets of turnout gear (including structural firefighter turnout coats/pants, boots, helmets, gloves, hoods, jumpsuits/coveralls, and flashlights) and 25 brush helmets and brush goggles.  We were able to purchase 5 radios for $12,357.00 from the RI EMA Grant.  Also, the district received an EMT-B Grant for $2000 to help conduct an EMT Course and a 50/50 Woodlands Grant for $5,637.16 to purchase a skid mount and assorted hand tools.  Members of the department and the BOD have recently attended seminars that have detailed the various grant programs that we may qualify to participate in.

            The Board of Directors is presenting a proposed operational budget of $520,833.00 for the fiscal year March 1, 2009 – February 28, 2010.  This amount reflects a $11,895.00 or 2.34% increase over the 2008 – 2009 operational budget of $508,938.00.  It should be noted that $90,000.00 is included in the proposed operational budget to fund the anticipated mortgage payment for the new fire station.  We anticipate the tax rate increasing to $1.06 from the current $1.04, a tax rate increase of 1.9%. The BOD has held many budget meetings and examined every item in the budget to ensure that every tax dollar spent on behalf of the district is justified.  The BOD strongly urges your favorable consideration and approval of the proposed budget.

            The BOD has continued to retain the services of the firm of J. William W. Harsch and Associates to serve as legal counsel to the district.  Attorney Harsch, the lead attorney in the firm, earned his legal degree at Harvard University and is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island, The U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.  His office has specific experience working with the fire departments of smaller communities.  Additionally, Attorney Harsch has served as the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Chairman of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and in a number of other senior governmental positions at the state and federal level.

            During this fiscal year, Attorney Harsch has provided all required legal assistance and representation to the District, including assistance with legal, procedural and contractual issues and assistance with compliance with regulatory and reporting requirements.  He has assisted with employee and volunteer matters, insurance-related issues, and liability issues and the conformance of bylaws and operational manuals with the District’s Charter and relevant state and federal laws.  Over the past year, the firm has advised the District regarding compliance with applicable regulatory laws including the Open Meetings Act and the Access to Public Records Act.  Attorney Harsch has been immediately available and responsive to the legal needs of the district.

            I would like to thank the following District Officers:

                                    Moderator - Chuck Smith

                                    District Clerk – Jean Pomfret

                                    District Tax Collector – Joan Smith

                                    District Treasurer – Glenn Underwood

for their dedication and attention to detail in fulfilling the duties of their respective offices.

            Additional thanks to the members of the Board of Directors:

                                    Robert Guastini

                                    Jonathan Mitchell

                                    Peter Beauchaine

                                    Richard Holt

who volunteer their time and make the sometimes tough decisions to move the district and department forward.

            A special thanks to John Humble, our Building Committee Chairperson.  John’s perseverance and attention to detail are exemplary.  He has held weekly Building Committee

W.C.F.D.

2008 – 2009 CHIEF’S ANNUAL REPORT

It is with pleasure that I present the annual Chief’s report.  Our department was faced with 412 emergency calls.  119 of them were Fire calls with an average of 6.45 personnel responding.  293 of them were EMS calls with an average of 6.30 personnel responding.  We had a slight increase in personnel responding to both Fire and EMS calls versus the previous year.  Of the 412 calls last year there was a lack of sufficient man power for only 5 of them this means we handled 98.8% of our calls last year.

The apparatus continue to have maintenance performed by Mack Truck and Coastal International.  A few of the department members continue to perform some of the minor maintenance and repairs.  The snow plow on the new Brush Truck got quite a bit of use this winter while keeping both stations free of snow.  We are awaiting arrival of the skid tank unit for the RTV.

The funds from the A.F.G. Grant were spent on the new structural turnout gear and wild land turnout gear.  We were able to outfit 27 of our Firefighters with new compliant gear.  Our department now meets the new N.F.P.A. standards for turnout gear.  Our department officers & officials worked collectively on the grant submittal.  We also submitted a grant request to the State Wild land Division for the skid unit for the RTV.  Again we were successful as well as receiving a supply of hand tools for wild land firefighting.  The department officers and Board of Directors continue to keep a watchful eye for any available grant money.

One of the challenges that a Chief is faced with in the volunteer service is recruitment and retention.  Many people have joined volunteer departments not realizing the full scope of the fire service.  Many people do not have the time to commit in order to gain certification.  The EMT-B course requires an average of 160 hours; the EMT-C course requires and average of 180 hours and the FFI and FFII courses requires an average of 120 hours each.  Our department members continue to devote quite a bit of time to gain certification and respond to the call of duty.  Five of our members attended the EMT-B course and received their State EMS license.  Two members passed the FFII course and one member passed the FFI course.  We

WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT

Proposed Budget

March 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010

*   Compensation & Payroll Taxes includes salaries for District and Fire Officers, the full-time staff, run pay, duty crew (call responders), payroll taxes, clothing, and IRA expense.

WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT

2009 Proposed Resolutions

RESOLUTION 1:  That all actions taken by the Officers and Board of Directors of the Western Coventry Fire District during the fiscal year ending February 28, 2009 be ratified.

RESOLUTION 2:  That a Fire Department Operating budget of $520,833.00 be adopted for the fiscal year March 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010.

RESOLUTION 3:  That the Board of Directors be empowered to borrow $100,000.00 from the Rescue Recovery Fund for construction of the new fire station.  Upon sale of the old station, $100,000.00 of the proceeds will be returned to the Rescue Recovery Fund.

RESOLUTION 4:  That $28,500.00 from the Rescue Recovery Fund be used to replace the water tank and re-pack the pump on Engine 8.

WESTERN COVENTRY FIRE DISTRICT

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTED OFFICE - (2009)

DISTRICT CLERK:                         Unopposed      1 - Year Term

                                                            Jean M. Pomfret

                                                            6803 Flat River Road

                                                            Greene, RI  02816

MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS:     3 – Year Term              One Position

                                                                        1 – Year Term              One Position

Richard Holt                                                   Robert Guastini

1340 Plainfield Pike                                          861 Perry Hill Road

Greene, RI  02827                                           Greene, RI  02827

Steven Autieri                                               

581 Victory Highway

Greene, RI  02827                                                                              

During the Annual Meeting, the Moderator will permit each candidate to address voters regarding their credentials and their candidacy for a maximum of two minutes (if desired by the candidate) and five minutes per candidate to respond to questions from voters.