By Tony Plohetski
The Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Fire Chief J.J. Adame has eliminated the chief of staff position in the department, created a mentorship program and said he is trying to be more visible in the community in an effort to keep his job.
He also recently released a video message to the department’s firefighters that explains changes he is making and tells them that he wants to continue to be chief.
“The Austin Fire Department is the premier fire department in this country, and I am fully prepared to be the one to lead it into the future,” Adame said in the video. “With the support of the hard-working men and women of this department, I have no doubt I can successfully lead us into the future.”
Adame was informed in a March 17 memo from Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald that he had 45 days to improve his overall performance and renew faith in city officials that he could lead the department.
McDonald wrote in the memo that he thinks Adame has a wealth of technical knowledge but that he is worried about his assertiveness and his ability to create a vision for the department. The memo also said Adame relied too much on Chief of Staff Jim Evans.
Adame said he has made several organizational shifts and has several others in the works. He declined to discuss some of them until they are finalized but said one key change was having more higher-rankin g firefighters, including four assistant chiefs, reporting to him. Evans is one of four assistant chiefs.
“I’ll get direct input from them, and they’ll get direct input from me,” Adame said.
Adame has also assigned leaders of the professional standards division — the equivalent of police internal affairs — and the recruiting division to report to him.
He said he also has created a mentorship program in which firefighters interested in promotions can learn about other jobs in the department from those who currently have them.
Promotions will still be made according to state civil service law and the fire union’s contract with the city, he said.
“This program " will allow the department to give a more full-service approach to preparing candidates for leadership roles within the department,” Adame said.
Adame said that in recent weeks he has tried to be more visible in the community. He recently conducted a media briefing about fire safety at downtown high-rises and met with students at Johnston High School in East Austin.
Assistant City Manager Bert Lumbreras, who took over as Adame’s boss this month, said he is pleased with Adame’s efforts to reorganize leadership in the department and create the mentorship program.
“I think these are two positive moves,” he said.
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