HomeMy WebLinkAboutChaz's Plan Proposals
1 Staffing efficiencies previously adopted by Council $950,000
2 Cut One Battalion, reassign personnel to engine companies $713,431
3 Eliminate PI position(0 FF on ME231) $150,000
4 Eliminate Dispatch Supervisor $100,000
5 Eliminate discretionary money $82,000
6 Eliminate vacant Fire Prevention Officer $83,000
7 Consolidate fire and city mechanic shops(building lease amount$60k, staff, 60,000-???
utilities, economy of scale)
8 Eliminate EMS Coordinator position $100,000
Efficiencies to Eliminate/Defer Administrative Expenses
1 Reduce Firefighter overtime by filling Vacant Firefighter positions
2 Extend Current Promotional Lists until exhausted
3 Train new firefighters during shift training,instead of a Fire Training Tower
Proposals
2 Cut One Battalion,reassign personnel to engine companies
This will reduce the fire departments ability to respond a second chief officer to an incident,and
possibly,other administrative duties may fall behind. The administrative responsibilities would
need to be prioritized,and assistance from other qualified department personnel would be
implemented. Incident Command responsibilities would continue to operate effectively,as the
Engine Company Captain would assume these responsibilities until the arrival of the Shift
Battalion Chief,unless a person is trapped and is in need of rescue. All Captains are currently
certified and proficient as Incident Commanders. This initial assignment would reduce the initial
attack capability by one person,rather than the 'Brown Out' alternative, which reduce the initial
fire attack by one engine and THREE firefighters, eliminating any possibility of rescuing a
person in need. By initially eliminating only one firefighter,versus three for an extended
duration of the event,firefighters will be able to perform duties more efficiently(safely and
effectively)thereby reducing the city to the exposure of worker injury.
3 ElnalgPl position(4s EE on N
JE23 1)
The elimination of the firefighter assigned to ME231 will reduce the engine companies
effectiveness on the shift he is currently assigned(38% less effective). The engine will no longer
be able to deploy sufficient firefighters inside a burning building upon arriving; to look for
survivors(2 in/2 out OSHA rule)until an additional engine company arrives. With three
personnel,the engine company will ONLY be able to enter a burning building once it HAS
BEEN DETERMINED that a person is indeed trapped in the fire. The firefighter injury rate
increases as much as 36%when staffing is reduced from 4 to 3.
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4 Eliminate Dispatch Supervisor
The current dispatch supervisor would be reduced to senior dispatcher and would be assigned to a
dispatch console. There is currently a Shift Battalion Chief who is assigned as the administrator
of dispatch who can remain responsible to oversee administrative operations, and the on duty
Battalion Chief would be able to make day to day decisions, similar to when the current dispatch
supervisor goes home at the end of the shift.
5 Eliminate Discretionary Money
6 Eliminate Vacant Fire Prevention Officer
The position is currently vacant and the duties have been effectively reassigned.
7 Consolidate Fire and City Mechanic Shops(building lease amount$60k, staff,utilities, economy
of scale)
The current building being used by fire maintenance costs$60,000 per year. With the
consolidation of the City and Fire operations, several cost savings can be realized. Fire
mechanics would be specifically utilized for fire pumps and other fire engine specific equipment,
but all mechanics would be able to work on all vehicles oil,tires, engines, etc. The utilities,
maintenance, specialized equipment,stock of parts and supplies, and re-evaluation of mechanics
and supervisors all will benefit from economy of scale.
8 Eliminate EMS Coordinator Position
The EMS Coordinator position responsibilities can be accomplished with on duty personnel.
Several firefighters are local and nationally certified instructors, are responsible to precept new
paramedic students from outside colleges, and have been actively involved with the FD EMS
Committee work. Two current Station 221 Captains have performed the work of EMS
Coordinator in the past, and will be able to provide the same level of attention the duties require.
In addition,EMD should become the responsibility of the EMS Coordinator and Committee with
the elimination of the dispatch supervisor.
Efficiencies to Deter Administrative Expenses
1 Reduce Firefighter Overtime by Filling Vacant Firefighter positions
If vacant firefighter positions are filled with permanent employees, existing firefighters overtime
will be reduced by 4,800 hours per month.
2 Extend Current Promotional Lists until exhausted
Currently,there is an active promotional list for Captain,Engineer, and a hiring list for new
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firefighters. By extending the lists until all candidates have been exhausted,the department will
defer or eliminate the expense of re-testing when qualified members are available.
3 Train new firefighters during shift training, instead of a Fire Training Tower
Since 2006,the department has hired small groups of firefighters and provided orientation and
basic training through a'Tower'lasting as little as four weeks to as much as eight weeks.
Although this method of training is preferred,it is very costly. The tower provides the basic
training and then sends the candidates to the field(on shift) for practice and testing(of the same
material covered during the tower). All candidates are certified and licensed by the state as
Paramedic or EMT,so no medical training is performed. While on shift,the Captains are
responsible to insure the new employees are following procedure and performing skills
according to department evaluations. The new employees are tested by the department training
personnel(truck companies)at 3 month intervals over the entire scope of training. The
elimination of the formal tower training will reduce the firefighter overtime by a minimum of
360 hours per person, and not modify shift training or quarterly evaluations.
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