|
minutes 04-01-00Page 18 of 22
<br />get their feeling. Some of them are fairly new people. Some of them have been around forever. I think the vast majority of
<br />them feel they like this idea. They want to take the politics out of the appointment of the chief. They want to take the Mayor,
<br />specifically, out of the appointment of the chief, which I concur with. And most of them agreed, a few of the didn’t, but the
<br />one person said, and I’ll get this to you, that there should be a Public Safety Commission, which is a broader Commission
<br />that includes Civil Defense, Fire and Police. I guess you don’t want to redo this today but -
<br />HERKES: No, they wouldn’t vote for it.
<br />HOLSCHUH: Okay, so that isn’t a new idea.
<br />HERKES: It’s on the way, though.
<br />HOLSCHUH: Okay. I have this in writing from somebody, which I will submit to you. All right, that’s it for Fire
<br />Commission.
<br />I just wanted to make one quick comment about the next issue, item 5, the Department of Environmental Services. Basically,
<br />I’d just like to change that to the Department of the Environment, and the reason is I think that really places the emphasis on
<br />the preservation and protection of our environment, which, presumably, is what this is about. Then all the other functions, the
<br />services, can very easily and effectively come under that, but I just like that language. I think it has a solid -
<br />RAY: That’s not really what it’s about. The Commission is about the two specific departments, with some included areas of
<br />responsibility. It’s not to create a Department of Environment, to look at whatever people think of as their environment. I
<br />mean that’s way too broad and that’s not the intent of this department. It’s a new department of the Public Works
<br />Department. Okay? So that’s not the intent.
<br />HOLSCHUH: John, forgive me. Could I respond to that? The only reason I suggest this, I mean you’re bringing in something
<br />that is extremely critical, namely the solid waste issues and recycling, although you’re right, they may interact, I mean I
<br />would think that might put a broader venue on this than what you just said. That’s just my own opinion.
<br />RAY: Okay, thank you.
<br />SANTANGELO: I have a question. Fred, and wait, let’s not throw out wastewater. It’s in there too. It’s that environmental
<br />part. With the Fire Commission and this chief and this 10 or 15 years, having worked with that bureaucracy a little bit, there’s
<br />so much more to a Fire Chief than what a lot of people understand, and there’s a lot to do with budgeting, funding, lobbying,
<br />of really getting out there and being a political advocate for that Fire Department. If I understand you, you want this
<br />requirement of this other experience in actual workings of the Fire Department. Is it possible to move that onus over to the
<br />Deputy Chief so that you could have a Fire Chief that, maybe, was a little more broad in its abilities, but you’re meeting the
<br />requirement to have someone there in the chain of command, in that line officer position, that can operate and support, and
<br />advocate for what’s going on in the field? I don’t know if that’s what you meant.
<br />HOLSCHUH: No, I don’t think I said that. Actually, I left out something about
<br />a comment from one of the Fire guys with vast experience, who actually addresses what you’re talking about, perhaps. He
<br />said that he thinks the Fire Chief should come from Battalion Chief and above, which really limits it to about 12 applicants.
<br />I’m not sure I agree with that because I think there’s a lot of very fine potential applicants at the next level down of the
<br />different types of chiefs in the department. And forgive me, I have to look at the flow chart to remember how it goes, but
<br />Battalion Chief and above, I believe there’s only nine, and then if you add the Deputy Chief and the Chief, you get up to 11
<br />or 12. Maybe there’s 10. What I was really talking about is just not getting somebody that just showed up two years ago who
<br />maybe was very politically active, and popular, and then became chief without understanding the workings of the department.
<br />I don’t know where you, necessarily, have to come up - I can’t imagine anyone rises to Battalion Chief level, or even Chief
<br />level, without having been on-line, having had the experience of that. One of the problems in the department, of course, has
<br />been always that EMS people have a tough time going high up in the department. I mean now we have some Battalion Chiefs
<br />who’ve come up through the EMS line, but you have to, kind of, switch gears, because of Civil Service, from EMS. And
<br />there are some wonderful paramedics who stay at that lower level because they love rescue work, and paramedic work, but
<br />they never can get up because you have to go through Fire and go through two or three different things to get up to the chief
<br />level. Thank you very much.
<br />RAY: Okay, Roger Evans, followed by Bonnie Goodell. And there’s one more speaker, just so you know, after that,
<br />file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 04-01-00.htm7/1/2011
<br />
<br />
|