The Next ECFR Fire Chief Hiring Status: Lots of Issues to Fix and 60 Names on a List.......

According to staff the process for hiring the Fire Chief is underway and the eventual  successful candidate will be hired sometime shortly after the new year.  This is good news as solid leadership is DESPERATELY NEEDED!

One of the county positions for which I have advocated the loudest and for which others have as well is the Escambia Fire Chief position. We currently have this position filled with an interim, temporary placeholder. In fact, it's been going on two years since our last permanent Fire Chief, Rusty Nail, left the job shortly after taking the job in the first place after a lengthy search the county conducted. 

 And since this time, this has been the position I believe we most desperately need filled. I've stated the fact bluntly--stated it publicly at meetings and privately to staff: There is a total and complete lack of leadership in that department right now---in part I believe this is due to the lack of a fire chief, a leader.

We need strong, competent leadership in that role and this has been absent for many years now. Too long. And in the meantime--unprofessional conduct has been tolerated. And what is tolerated is condoned. What is tolerated and condoned becomes behavior and culture that is embraced. 

 But this is going to get corrected, and this is going to get fixed. 

Eventual 3rd place finisher, 
BCC candidate signs were
found in ECFR station 6
in August--in violation of
county ordinance-resulting in
a letter of reprimand for one
ECFR Battalion Chief....

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate violation of County Policy regarding political signs on Public Properties and in Public Fire Houses. 

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate efforts to "run-off" well-trained and perfectly capable volunteers--several blatant instances of which are being investigated as I write this. 

Imagine the fantasy world where an
employee is asked a direct question for
which he knows the answer
regarding an investigation and such an
employee responds by saying to his boss
"I know the answer, but I won't tell you!"

 --We will fix the unprofessional, despicable, and unacceptable conduct by those in fire who put out deliberately inaccurate misinformation on social media immediately after a tragic loss of life fire where certain personnel attempted to leverage this tragedy (totally disregarding the victims' families in the process) for union negotiations and bargaining. (when asked which employee it was that posted inappropriate, misleading, and false information online regarding a fire at which a citizen died-- the only three employees that had administrative posting rights and "access" to this site actually told their supervisor when queried "We don't have to tell you who posted it-and we will NOT tell you!" [picture here the image of man holding his thumb to his nose while simultaneously wiggling his other four fingers vigorously while looking at you in the face, laughing while telling you  "na, na, na, na, na, naaaaa--I'm not going to tell you!"]) 

--We will fix the rampant abuse of sick leave by the practice (of which I have been appraised) where 24 hour employees (who accrue sick leave at a high rate) and who legitimately become disabled subsequently have been allowed to "transfer" to a 9-hour billet during their period of disability in order to burn 9 hours of sick leave for each day missed--instead of 24 hours--saving themselves big money on eventual sick leave payouts upon separation. This practice is ending immediately, by the way. (But the fact that it was allowed to happen at all DISGUSTS ME!)

--We will fix the shift-swapping buddy-buddy histrionics which allow some personnel to accumulate long shifts at the overtime rate--maximizing their personal salaries to the detriment of other employees

 and the taxpayers---when the utilization of other personnel would allow for coverage at a reduced rate by other personnel and at a savings to the budget (aka taxpayer money).

 --We will fix these and  many other issues related to lack of leadership of which I am not at liberty to disclose.  But believe me on this, it will all get fixed. 

 So, with this all in mind, at a recent 2-hour meeting at Public Safety with Janice Gilley, Jason Rogers, Alison Rogers, Debbie Bowers, and myself this past week-----this and many other topics related to ECFR--to include their CBA which we are working on---were discussed in great detail. 

 This is going to be a special, intense area of focus for me in my next 48 months as commissioner. We simply MUST get control of this department--budgetary, leadership, equipment, efficiency, and morale. And we will. I can say that with confidence. 

 But it starts with getting the right leader in the job. We need a leader with a proven track record of leading a busy department, managing budgets, managing a combination department, and managing a department that desperately needs a cultural "attitude adjustment." Desperately. 

So I asked for an update on the search for our new fire chief, as the position has closed.

I asked for the list of names of those who applied, and I received a list that has 60 names on it.  I recognized a lot of the names, many current personnel have applied.  I see names on the list that have no business applying for this job and that couldn't do the job if hired to do so-------in my opinion only (full disclosure-I have no play in the hiring, I'm not on the committee, and as a board member I won't have a vote on this).

Because this is the preliminary, initial list--I have agreed not to publish it and I won't--even though it is a public record.

I'm told that this list has been checked and re-checked, and many of the initial applicants do not meet the qualifications.  16 others that may not necessarily meet the specific qualifications must be interviewed under Federal Law due to their status as Armed Forces Veterans.  Still others have not been fully vetted.  Interviews will start for the applicants that make the cut, starting this month.

I'm told we will wrap up the interviews for this position and hire a chief sometime next month.

Good---it cannot happen soon enough so far as I can tell.