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Fire department’s restructure works, chief says
By LESTER R. DAILEY
| Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 |
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CLEARWATER – A 2002 fire at the high-rise Dolphin Cove condominiums killed two residents and nearly ended Clearwater Fire Rescue’s perfect record of never having lost a firefighter in the line of duty. At the Dec. 1 City Council work session, fire Chief Jamie Geer, who was hired in 2004 to reorganize the department’s command structure and hopefully prevent similar tragedies in the future, briefed the council on the results of his efforts.
“We didn’t put a new management team in place just to manage what we had,” Geer said. “We changed everything.”
Many believed change was needed. A 2003 report by the U.S. Fire Administration blamed a “lack of effective incident command” for much of the chaos at Dolphin Cove.
“They failed to act is what happened,” Geer said of the on-scene commanders.
The report cited bad tactical maneuvers, poor discipline, ineffective communication and insufficient firefighter training as contributing factors. A consultant’s 2004 study also criticized an ineffective command structure, the lack of senior staffers being “on call” at all times, not having a manager on duty at all times and management’s inattention to certain department functions.
Geer’s management priorities were to develop an effec-
tive command structure,ensure accountability at all levels, provide continuous training and leadership development, and revise procedures and policies to reflect the highest national standards.
He replaced the six district chiefs with six assistant chiefs and assigned them to key functional areas such as emergency medical services, special operations, health and safety, training and fire prevention. Two of the assistant chiefs were promoted from within, and the other four were hired from other departments. They have an average of more than 22 years of service, a degree or advanced training and leadership experience.
Assistant chiefs provide on-site management and incident control at all times, on-call response, equipment maintenance scheduling, assistance on special projects, and firefighter training. Instead of being paid a straight salary regardless of the number of hours worked, they are paid an hourly rate for the hours they actually work. Overtime is paid at the normal hourly rate, instead of time and a half.
“We’re getting a much bigger bang for our buck than we did under the old district chief system,” said Joe Rosetta, the city’s human resources director.
Geer said that the changes have reduced his department’s regular overtime from $1,109,514 in fiscal year 2005 to $557,233 in fiscal year 2008, and its training overtime from $198,468 to $107,617. As a percentage of general fund expenditures, his department’s budget has dropped from a high of 13.12 percent in 2005 to 11.23 percent this year.
Workers’ compensation claims by firefighters dropped from 41 in 2003 to 27 last year. Geer gave much of the credit to an improved physical conditioning program and having management on-site 24/7. But City Manager Bill Horne added that he personally reviews reports of firefighter injuries and has Geer or one of his senior subordinates explain what measures have been taken to prevent similar injuries in the future.
“I don’t want to spend money on workers’ comp claims,” Horne said. “I’d rather spend that money to give them resources to do other things.”
Geer said that training has been improved and a new training center has opened. Command experience has increased, and overtime and workers’ compensation claims have decreased. He added that continued training will qualify some current employees for future promotion to assistant chief, although they may prefer to stay in their current positions.
In summary, he said that training will continue on the latest firefighting techniques, leadership development and incident management, and that management rights, training and assignments will be an integral part of labor relations. He added that the restructuring has enabled his department to meet its operational objectives, and the assistant chief position is a critical component in operational improvements.
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Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
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