PG, the GM of combination fire departments

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AFTER READING DAVE STATTER’S UPDATE ABOUT VOLUNTEERS REFUSING TO STAFF AMBULANCE 821 I REALIZED … the Prince George’s County combination fire department is like General Motors and their dealers. (HERE)

OUTDATED BUSINESS PRACTICES

Auto dealers are independent businesses that have negotiated a contract with General Motors to sell vehicles. Each of the 38 35 volunteer corporations in PG have negotiated individual staffing and resource agreements with the county fire chief.

The metrics measuring car dealers are pretty clear … the number of new cars sold and the revenue generated by the service department. One of the goals of the post-bankruptcy GM is to increase the number of Chevrolet sales per franchise to match Toyota.

That is quite a challenge, since Chevy averaged 208 vehicle sales/franchise in 2008 … and Toyota sold 980 vehicles/franchise. Cadillac averaged 73 sales/franchise and Lexus was 675/franchise. Now I understand while GM is continuing to slash it’s number of dealers.

OUTDATED VOLUNTEER EXPECTATIONS

Fellow fossils, who spent much more time in PG than I did, took me to task when I criticized Chief Finamore for not having qualified volunteer drivers at Allentown Rd 32 (HERE). They described his years-long effort to get 24/7 county staffing increased from two to four.

They suggest his political power, as a retired county deputy fire chief and current volunteer division chief, is the reason why all of the new front-line rigs (Engines 832 and 847, Truck 832 and Rescue 847) were purchased by the county and not the corporation. Until the start of this fiscal year, it appeared that Finamore maximized his assets to best serve his community.

In a department where each corporation has to fend for itself for county resources, it makes sense. It appeared that the resources assigned to 32 were protected. Until the start of Fiscal Year 2010, when career staff are moved out of seven of the 44 stations every day to cover vacancies. Allentown Road 32 was without staff on July 9.

Allentown Rd 32 - courtesy STATter911

WHERE DID THE VOLUNTEERS GO?

When TriData did a report for PGFD, they showed that 1,099 volunteers took the “fit test” in 2003. An annual assessment to use respirators and SCBA, there are just 320 volunteers listed on the June 29, 2009 eligible list (PG ID numbers that start at 00034 and end at 18439). A change since 2003 is the requirement that the federal ICS training and a SCBA refresher course be completed before taking the fit test.

If there are just 320 operationally qualified volunteers in the county, their ability to cover many of the July daywork and 24 hour career vacancies is impressive. Especially as the county continues a practice of ineffective communication and last minute moves. It is difficult to arrange for weekday coverage when the volunteer leadership learns about it at 10 pm the night before. Even harder at 7 am the when the county crew does not show up.

The extraordinary stress of removing county staff from up to seven fire stations every day is revealing a problem with many of the volunteer corporations. So far we have seen that Boulevard Heights 17, Beltsville 41, Allentown 32, and Oxon Hill 21 cannot muster a weekday crew. Chief Finamore says that 32 has no qualified drivers and former Chief Hancock says that there are just three or four active members at Oxon Hill 21.

I am still wondering how can a volunteer fire department exist with a handful of operational members.

FAST OPERATIONAL BANKRUPTCY FOR PGFD?

The 39 day “fast bankruptcy” that the federal government engineered for General Motors accomplished what the corporation could not do by itself. The new “Government Motors” has far fewer employees, will have far fewer dealerships and jettisoned many of the legacy obligations incurred by the 100 year old corporation that lead to it’s demise.

Acting Chief Eugene Jones has his confirmation hearing today. PGFD is a combination fire department with fewer county employees and operational volunteers. The TRIM admendment and outlawing of the “Las Vegas-style” fundraisers have resulted in 15 years of increasingly threadbare operations.

Maybe it is time for an operational reorganization.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

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Posted by fossilmedic on July 14, 2009 • Filed under: Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, commentary

Chris

Mike,

Good post, but the other key to the analogy that I am disappointed you did not touch on was the fact that local 1619, much like the UAW, priced themselves out of a job.

They are one of the highest paid, if not the highest paid in the region. They conceded new hires for bigger raises, effectively telling the County we would rather jeopardize our safety for more money. This was done in hopes of having volunteers support their staffing requirements. This was a gamble that paid off in the short-term, but is starting to hit them hard today.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the response.

I am pretty sure that Local 1619 was not planning to have "... volunteers support their staffing requirements."

I think it was in the last contract that the local was able to abolish the one-employee shift staffing and require a minimum of two county employees on duty.

In reviewing the 2006 staffing records, it shows that in the stations with shift staffing, county employees are on the ambulance 95% of the time.

Mike

Mike

Chris as a 1619 member for over 5 years I never voted to take a raise over hiring more staff. We get the salary we do because A) the county agreed to it and B) it is hush money to deal with ludicrous staffing, a ridiculous chain of command and an outrageous lack of resources.

Dan

Mike,

It is amazing to me to see the statement from career personnel that do NOT acknowledge the cost of their employment contract (and previous contracts) as part of this equation. The GM Union just took the most RISK (you and I as Federal taxpayers also) it has ever had too to keep their ship from sinking or imploding by having to become a major shareholder AND making MAJOR benefit concessions. Health care & retirement liabilities where one of the BIG financial hammers pushing GM to the brink.

Of course a municipal union local cannot become an OWNER and I am not sure PG 1619 or any local would make major GM type contract concessions to help in the fiscal crisis. The Retirement Benefits for PGFD current and past retirees are very lucrative - I know several who took off early (at a fairly young age) because it was totally idiotic NOT too from a financial perspective - this also accelerated the an experience and brain drain on the career side.

If I remember a previous Statter thread late last year the annaul retirement liability costs for the Department alone nearly equal the entire annual operating expense of the volunteer component of the system (the 51 vs. 52 budget line items).

Unwinding and/or consolidating volunteer corporations that have truely become supplemental NOT primary to service delivery in several Battalions is a reasonable idea but it needs to be done with respect, motivation AND A PLAN the stakeholders all can agree TOO which has been sorely missing in in recent years in the Top FD/EMS Brass and County Government. Many career up thru the ranks spend alot of energy chewing away at the volunteers - and the volunteers attack back - and vice a versa.

There are several newer examples of Combination Departments that have the leadership and management focused to get the most out of their people and resources. PG lead as the first integrated Combination Fire Department and was the model that many "looked up to" for ideas and examples for years - the Estepp and Edwards reigns.

As I see it PG's short term options are limited to what the current Chief is doing - trying to maximize the least expensive component of his system to get as much service as possible - and this is really pissing off the career component and money is coming out of their pocket so the reaction is understandable BUT not necessarily the BEST for the citizen/taxpayer at the moment.

All (career & volunteer) need to return to the cooperation and leadership the Department demonstrated in the 1970s and 1980s - otherwise PGFD will become much like a mid-atlantic suburban version of a Northeast Rust Belt City FD - lots of fire and action with limited resources which stinks for ALL.

Dan

Eddie

To Dan,
You state that the cost of the retirement is a cost that Prince George's County Government has to absorb. Could you please research that a little bit and stop being a Wikapedia resource. The Prince George's County Police/Fire Pension Fund has been fully funded without county money until 2 years ago. If you have more fact based answers, please post them here.

-Eddie

Mike

Dan-
Of course the career compensation component of the budget is high. That's because everything else is so underfunded. This year the vehicle repair budget was exhausted, supply budget was exhausted. If there is not appropriate budgeting, everything fails.
I agree that the department needs an operational overhaul. My suggestion, the volunteer organizations combine resources, assets, and finances. Extra apparatus eliminated, accurate volunteer staffing can be allocated, operational funds can be monitored by one finance board instead of 40 something different stations. Once the PGVFD is created it can enter into contract with the county to provide career staffing and apparatus as needed.
Impossible no, possible not likely. Too many people will lose their kingdoms and free rides. For my time in Pee Gee I have noted that it is me me me operation. Untll that can be changed no one will win and someone possibly a citizen, likely a brother or sister will die.

Paul

During the Wayne Curry administration the union gave up merit increases, COLAs and revamped the pay rate on holiday and overtime to save jobs. From what I can see as a career member of the department the county has been unwilling to even talk to the union to work out any sort of deal. We were told from on high that this is how it was going to be, like it or not.

I have been with the department as both a career and volunteer for over 25 years and I see the divide between all the various factions growing at a time they should be coming together to work out a solution. I agree with the previous poster that it is a very me, me operation. I can't see the volunteers cooperating on consolidation; one only has to look at the mess at Co. 55 when the county combined stations 2, 3, and 4. They maintained three chiefs and three presidents and it was only after the county said they would only recognize one that they picked one overall chief and there is still a very real sense of separation, especially among the older members.

Another problem that needs to be addressed is the volume of EMS calls. In 2008, the percentage of EMS calls was almost 80% of the total, yet many members, both career and volunteer see EMS as a necessary sideline for the real job of fire fighting. In fact with the current expansion of billing, EMS calls may very well pay for suppression activities. The county is continuing to pursue other avenues to increase revenue from services. However the money collected goes to the general fund and not directly to the fire department budget. The department gets no direct advantage or increase in budget from billing for services.

I wish the new Chief the best, he has his work cut out for him, but given his past performance both before and since being named chief I don’t know if he is the man for the job. The politicians, especially the county executive are running the department and the new chief seems to be their puppet. I hope I am wrong, but retirement is looking better all of the time. Now if I can just get Fossil Medic to give me my degree early, darn those pesky requirements.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Paul:

Thanks for posting. Keep completing those courses, a degree is in sight!

Dan:

I share your concern that PG becomes "... like a mid-atlantic suburban version of a Northeast Rust Belt City FD - lots of fire and action with limited resources which stinks for ALL."

<<<<<>>>>

Off-line I have had a couple of conversations with folks from the volunteer side expanding on the issue that it is 1619's fault for the budget crisis.

Also that the list of volunteers qualified for this year's fit test, supplied by the career staff at the Academy, is grossly under-represented.

The rolling brownouts was because none of the volunteer corporations wanted a permanent reduction in the number of career staff working at their station.

The TriData report provided a 2003 snapshot of the department. Since then:

The career workforce has shrunk by 15%.

The number of operational volunteers has plummeted from 1099 to somewhere north of 320.

The emergency ambulance workload has continued to climb.

PGFD is still handling more structure fires than any other DC area fire department.

Mike

Mike, You hit the nail on the head about PGFD becoming a "me, me" department and the fear of some kings losing their fiefdoms. I don't think there will ever be a time when a solution is worked out that both sides will be happy with. I was there during the Estepp, Edwards, Roberts, Estepp,Bell, and Blackwell era's and nothing has changed in all those years-it is just the same rehashed items in which the people who ultimately depend on the system-the TAXPAYER-end up suffering the brunt for the failure of the system as it is.

Dan

Mike "FossilMedic",

Thanks for the additional clarifications on some of the the facts out there. My post was not intended to be an attack on the career staff - but to point out a reality that is cost factor that is NOT helping the situation. The previous management and leadership of the Department should be ashamed of the sharp decline in volunteers because this decline clearly was a loss the Department could NOT afford - this doesn't fit the PGFD Fire Chief's job description.

To Eddie, Mike - I'm not endorsing a "PGVFD" just pointing out the taxpayer needs to fund the cost of PAST and future retiree's. There is no retirement fund that is "fully funded". All get annual receipts to pay for those who are collecting. Look at the PGFD budget - it is a clear line item that is big bucks and growing because more are collecting. I would expect the investment losses of the past year will spike this annual line item and the MASS exodus of those who want out and retire as fast as possible could also significantly increase this cost further eroding the PG Governments ability to pay for the people needed to run the Department today. Welcome to the world that all of us (not just you in PG) are facing - I'm in the Northeast now and we have had many layoffs up here that are horrible - and in most situations there is no volunteer to fill the vacancy created.

I have many friends and collegues career & vol in PG - from what I hear this is a mess that no one wants and the previous FC choices contributed alot to this!!! The Pro-career or Pro-volunteer folks need to stop attacking each other wake up fast and find common ground or both will CONTINUE to lose - putting your political clout together might get more clamour from citizens to help get additional $$$$ but slamming each other sure won't. The "Me Me" applies to all in the PG system.

Chief Jones (like nearly every FC in America at the moment) is working with what he is being dealt and the last FC smashed the confidence and trust of the volunteer component of the Department. At least FC Jones still has a volunteer component in his Combination Department - and he has no other options but to make it function as one as best as possible ASAP. If any of us were in his shoes we would likely do the same or get fired or just leave out of frustration.