The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
Copyright 2006 The Columbus Dispatch
All Rights Reserved
A Dispatch article on Dec. 10 concerning Columbus Division of Fire staffing was followed by a similar editorial on Dec. 19. The first article received higher front-page placement than the national news of our hometown hero, Troy Smith, winning the Heisman Trophy.
That article by Staff Reporter Barbara Carmen was well-researched and accurately reflected pros and cons on replacing firefighters with civilians. Then the editorial, headlined, “Desk jockeys,” utilized information from the article and proceeded to find fault and question the management of the Division of Fire. Illustrated were Dispatch opinions on hydrant repair, routinely missed inspections and questionable payments of overtime. It is reported that firefighters are exhausted from working mandatory overtime.
Managing the Columbus Division of Fire is not unlike running other businesses or fire departments. Challenges never stop and creative solutions are the rule. The editorial questioned fire management over several issues that have been long solved.
The report of the exhausted firefighter working overtime is deceiving. Firefighters are typically scheduled to work overtime after being off-duty for 12, 24 or 48 hours. A firefighter may be asked to work overtime around once a month and typically may turn down this offer. But the division must fill all positions. In isolated cases, when a volunteer cannot be found, a member is forced to work.
However, the current fire administration managed to reduce the need for overtime by 25 percent and consistently calls back fewer members as compared with previous fire administrations. It was reported by The Dispatch two years ago that the total overtime used by the city would have increased if not for the Columbus Division of Fire reducing overtime by $900,000 in one year. Today, recruits have been hired and are being trained. Until the firefighter ranks are supplemented, overtime will continue to be an issue.
An examination of the missed inspections revealed that the Division of Fire and the building inspectors lacked a good internal communication system. The Dispatch initially reported ‘alleged’ missed inspections and now reports ‘routine’ missed inspections. A fire investigation into the missed inspections revealed that all but three of 40 missed inspections were the result of no notification from the Building Services Division, which scheduled the joint inspections. The “routine” is that inspectors show up and perform professional, comprehensive and on-time inspections.
The Division of Fire and the building inspectors now use an electronic joint-scheduling program. This system was devised by the fire administration with no additional computer hardware or software expense. A missed inspection has not been reported since. The use of fire-inspector overtime is no longer in question, and the overtime for fire inspectors is a charge to the business that created the need for the overtime.
Forty years ago, the Fire Division had a hydrant crew. Not only were hydrants quickly repaired, but each hydrant received routine maintenance. These jobs then went to civilians in the Division of Water. However, they also experienced a staffing shortage and could not fix hydrants as fast as they were breaking. Routine maintenance can no longer be afforded.
The Fire Division is currently using two firefighters who manage a program to ensure that more than 24,000 hydrants are routinely checked for water leakage and freezing. If the water shop cannot fix all of the broken hydrants, the firefighters step in to make sure that the most critical hydrants are fixed first. The fact is these “desk jockeys” protect property and save lives.
While firefighters battle blazes, the fire chief has effectively worked to solve problems inside and outside of the Columbus Division of Fire. In fact, if the fire department were a football team, the chief might have received a Heisman, too.
WARREN COX
Executive officer
Columbus Division of Fire