HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.C.3. Position Request - Assistant Fire Chief General Business 7• C. 3•
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TO: Mayor and City Council
Mark McNeill,City Administrator
FROM: Kris Wilson,Assistant City Administrator
DATE: 09/02/2014
SUBJECT: Position Request--Assistant Fire Chief
Action Sought
The Council is asked to review the attached position request for the new position of Assistant Fire Chief.
Background
After the August 19 City Council discussion of personnel-related items for the 2015 budget, it was brought to my
attention that the position request for an Assistant Fire Chief that went out in the Council packet was a very early
draft of the document and not the final,fully-developed position request that Chief Coleman submitted. Attached is
that final version of the document which provides a much more detailed outline of the need for and intended focus
of the requested position. I apologize for the mistake and ask that Council give thorough consideration to the
attached.
Attachments: Position Request-Ast.Fire Chief
City of Shakopee
Personnel Request or Position Change
2015 Budget
Department: Fire
Prepared by: Rick Coleman,Fire Chief
Request for: Full-Time Assistant Fire Chief
Addition: Yes (slightly off-set by the elimination of the part-time Assistant Chief
position,2014 salary of$6,200)
Pay Grade Estimate: Grade 10
Date of Change: January 1, 2015
Description Details:
Training for the Fire Department's staff of 46 firefighters is currently organized and
coordinated by a part-time Deputy Chief of Training.
This requires planning for and carrying out trainings three times per month on Monday
evenings, which is a significant workload for a part-time position. Responsibilities
include staying up-to-date on industry mandates and trends,planning, coordinating and
scheduling training, and serving as an instructor or identifying and scheduling outside
instructors. Additionally, there is a significant amount of documentation and record
keeping required in order to ensure that all firefighters are meeting the continuing
education requirements for their certifications.
Besides our Monday night training the department also has three specialized rescue
teams:
• Dive rescue, open water and ice diving along with swift water rescue
• Rope rescue, high angle and confined space
• Hazardous materials
The currant part-time training position is also responsible for the training for these teams.
The training for the specialized teams is held most of the time on Saturdays mornings.
This part-time position pays an annual salary of$5,600 and requires an average of 16
hours per week of work, above and beyond responding to fire calls and, in most cases,
working another full-time job. This workload results in the Department seeking a new
Training Chief every two or three years due to a high rate of burn out and results in a
knowledge loss every time the position turns over.
Therefore, the Department seeks to add a full-time, salaried Assistant Chief position,
who's primary responsibility would be training, safety and compliance; but who would
also assist in other areas.
With a full-time person responsible for training,training sessions can be offered more
than once a week—ensuring staff who are absent or unavailable on Monday evening have
alternative options for receiving the training. A full-time person will also strengthen the
Department's record-keeping and documentation,which is currently falling short.
In addition to coordinating and delivering training,the full-time Assistant Chief will also:
• Allow the Fire Department to play a larger role in the City's emergency
management function;
• Provide back-up for the Chief in supervising the daytime duty-crew and
responding to daytime calls for service;
• Help strengthen the City's OSHA compliance program, by providing some
of the annually-required training needed in non-public safety departments,
thereby reducing our reliance on(and the cost of) a contract safety
consultant.