Commission Expresses Concern Over Fire Dept. Unification Plans

September 12, 2008

The Escambia County Commission considered a final fire department unification agreement at their Thursday Committee of the Whole meeting, but they express concern over the agreement about promoting volunteer officers without proper training for their positions.

The plan grandfathers any officer that does not meeting minimal standard for their position for three years. The volunteer not meeting the requirements will be allowed to advance in rank during the three year period. But they would no longer be able to advance in rank after the three year exemption period unless they met all requirements of the advanced position.

“That doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever,” Commissioner Mike Whitehead said. “The whole purpose of this was to create a professional organization that whenever we looked at somebody whether they were a volunteer lieutenant or a paid lieutenant, they had the same qualifications. And this seems to be a huge step backwards.”

“It would be on thing if you said you are frozen at your position…and we are going require that over the next three years you meet these certifications,” he said.

Whitehead said that there are officers in the volunteer system that do not meet Firefighter I standards, the most basic standards above the level of Firefighter Trainee.

Escambia Fire Chief Kenny Perkins said those firefighters, even though they may hold officer positions in a department, would not be allowed to go into the area of a fire, the “exclusionary zone”.

“Then you’ve got officers that can’t fulfill the obligations, the responsibility of the position,” Whitehead said. “He can’t led a group in because he can’t go in. That goes against the very spirit of what we were trying to accomplish here.”

Commissioner Grover Robinson said he agreed, and he found it difficult to imagine promoting someone that did not meet the minimal standards for the position.

Perkins said firefighters, both volunteer and paid, had agreed to the plan.

Commissioner Gene Valentino suggested that long term volunteers with many years of experience get an equivalency type rating without taking the Firefighter I course.  He suggest that some of them might not be able to pass the test because that they might not do well on a written exam.

“They’ve given 30 years of their life to this county,” Valentino said. “I’d be foolish to turn my back on them and limit them in their ability to advance in the program if we can design a way to design a program of alternative equivalency.

District 5 Commissioner Kevin White said he had no problem delaying a vote on the agreement until he had the opportunity to meet with some of the volunteers.

“There may be an educational issue. They just aren’t used to taking exams. And they can’t pass it as hard as they try,” Valentino said, “but they are the best darn guys, soldier I want out there on the front line of a fire because they are good.

“I’ve got no problem keeping them where they are,” Robinson said, “and keeping them doing what they are doing. ”

“If in the next three years a lieutenant can’t achieve the status of a Firefighter I, I’m concerned about him leading a group into a fire. I don’t care how many years he’s done it,” Whitehead said. “I don’t see life safety issues qualifying under a GED approach to things.”

“Do you want someone that can’t pass the 160 hour course trying to save your wife?” Whitehead asked Valentino. “Or your child?”

“But they’ve been saving wives for 30 years,” Valentino responded. “How do you judge that?”

Assistant Chief Robbie Whitfield told the commission that he will personally contact the approximately eight volunteer officers that do not meet Firefighter I standards to find out why they have not yet passed the course.

“These people had eight years to catch up with the program, Mike Herron, chief of the Warrington Volunteer Fire Department said as he encouraged commissioners to not delay action on the agreement. “This is something they have know about since 2001. If they tell you otherwise, it is a lie.”

The commission will vote on the plan at their next regular meeting on September 18.

Click here to read the entire unification plan. (63 pages, 3.73 Mb pdf)

Comments

3 Responses to “Commission Expresses Concern Over Fire Dept. Unification Plans”

  1. WOW!! on September 16th, 2008 12:53 am

    The training qualifications should be even across the board, just because they don’t make a paycheck for the job doesn’t mean that people’s lives don’t depend on officers making competant decisions. Everyone that is making life or death decisions i would hope to have as much training as possible, and if they don’t like it just go back home and let those that take the job seriously continue to provide the community with the protection they deserve!!! And by the way Mr. cheif of warrington what you say is a lie because it’s my understanding that you have been against the county the entire time, and are just trying to jump on the train here at the end because you think it’s going to get you somewhere, when you just need to sit on the airfield and watch planes fly so your reckless decisions cannot hurt those under you!!

  2. Chuck on September 13th, 2008 2:34 pm

    Puzzled- unless I read the plan wrong a lieutenant is only encouraged to have a cert 1 which is what the paid guys have,or as the plan put it cert 1 is desirable. As far as the other stuff, you can go on FEMA.gov and get your NIMS 100, 200,700 (and 900 if your a glutton for punishment) in one night, one long boring night. I’m kinda glad that the county is holding true on the training requirements for the job since in the words of retired B/C Pat Herrington “This( expletive deleted )will kill you!

  3. Puzzled on September 12th, 2008 3:42 pm

    I just don’t get it. Is there not a happy medium? Can the two sides not come to gather? Is there not common ground? Why don’t the two sides meet and form a plan that is acceptable by booth sides?

    They have it is called an unification plan. For several months the county chief and his staff have been
    meeting with representatives of volunteer firefighters (known as the executive committee and made of district volunteer chiefs).

    I do not agree with all of the plan, but the points that are in question seem to be easy to me. Firefighter 1 is the most basic of all the training. If you have been around for thirty years you should have no problem with what is expected of entry level volunteers. A GED or diploma means you are educated to the point
    of comprehending this basic material. I personally know several firefighters without a GED or diploma
    that have passed the firefighter 1 exam.

    Now let me talk out of the other side of my mouth. It does not seem right for a volunteer lieutenant
    to be expected to have the same training as a career lieutenant, that is earning 35 to 40 thousand dollars
    a year. Maybe we could train the volunteers for their district, and not let them take their rank outside of
    the prospective district unless they meet the training requirements of career officers.

    I certainly hope these issues can be resolved, and not become a personal or political issue. This is much
    too important to let personalities or greed influence the decisions of our leaders.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News