Ohio Drafts Plan to Address Low Firefighter Morale, Aging Fleet

Jan. 11--Amid concerns from firefighters about outdated equipment and low morale, the Springfield Fire/Rescue Division has crafted a strategic plan to improve its operations.

A massive, five-alarm fire last week showed the need to update the division's equipment, including when a fire engine stalled a few hours into battling the flames, fire officials said.

A group of 12 firefighters, including Chief Nick Heimlich and IAFF Local 333 President Andy Rigsbee, compiled the strategic plan with City Manager Jim Bodenmiller. It will be implemented over three phases between now and 2018.

Even though firefighters may be dissatisfied, Mayor Warren Copeland said it hasn't affected their ability to do their job.

"They're still doing a darn good job given the fact that they're frustrated and we need to find ways to deal with that frustration," Copeland said.

The goals identified in the plan include:

--Ensure equipment and facilities support effective and efficient fire and emergency services.

--Reorganize the leadership structure.

--Adapt to increased demand.

--Improve the community's preparedness for and understanding of emergencies.

--Prepare for the future.

"We needed to decide what was best for us as a group and figure out which one of those things we needed to work on first," Heimlich said.

The fire division first performed an assessment, which was compiled by Mel Marsh of Acorn Consulting in November. As part of the assessment, focus groups of firefighters were interviewed. About 39 people interviewed said they were currently satisfied with their job, while 23 were dissatisfied and another 23 were mixed.

The largest concern from employees was the equipment and facilities, which includes older fire engines and station houses. One firefighter said the division has "become a laughing stock" in regards to its equipment. It's not unusual for firefighters to "go out the door and have something break or not working," according to the assessment.

"They want to know they can be counted on to do their job," Heimlich said. "They don't want to feel like they couldn't do it for something that we should have control over. I can't fault them for that. The message is loud and clear. My job is to do something about it."

The agency currently has 22 vehicles that are more than 10 years old, including several models from the 1990s.

The other two major concerns were leadership and pay. Since that time, the IAFF ratified a contract that included three 2-percent raises between now and 2016.

"We're much happier that the contract is settled and we've started to begin some type of financial recovery," Rigsbee said.

When asked about strengths, firefighters said they're "highly regarded" as paramedics and firefighters by other professionals and "make a broken system work."

The fire division's annual budget is about $13 million. It employs about 125 firefighters. They performed more than 14,000 runs in 2013, spending about 85 percent of staff hours on emergency medical services runs -- a nationwide trend.

As city general fund revenues have remained static in recent years, the division has deferred replacing certain equipment, particularly fire engines, Heimlich said. They typically expect to receive 20 years of service from a fire engine, he said.

The division hasn't had any critical failures at a scene, Heimlich said, but rather smaller issues that could affect the reliability of a fire truck, he said.

"You don't take little things for granted," Heimlich said. "That's the complacency that gets you into trouble."

The division must often choose fixing one item over another, he said, especially if it involves the safety of firefighters.

The job is inherently dangerous, Rigsbee said, but he doesn't believe the city makes decisions on deferred maintenance that would make firefighters unsafe.

"I truly believe they don't make their decisions to the detriment of our safety," Rigsbee said.

Partner agencies interviewed for the assessment said the fire division has strong personnel and is professional, but it also has poor equipment and vehicles.

The assessment wasn't totally surprising, Copeland said.

"When you do something like this, you want people to be candid and they were clearly candid," the mayor said.

The work load for emergency medical services has increased in recent years, which may have led to burnout.

As part of the strategic plan, the division will examine changing service and the effect it could have on other agencies, including dispatchers, Springfield Regional Medical Center and neighboring departments.

The division is evaluating moving to two-man EMS crews, which is something it did in the past. It may provide more flexibility for staff, especially when many of the calls don't require a three-man crew.

As revenues have declined, municipalities like Springfield have had a hard time finding money to pay for new equipment, fire stations and even raises for employees, Rigsbee said. The assessment will provide more information to city staff and commissioners about how to improve quality repair of fire trucks, as well as improving the leadership structure.

Morale has been declining for years, Rigsbee said, but it hasn't kept the division from doing the best job possible.

"They do that day-in and day-out and they do that in bad conditions," he said.

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