By Tania Valdemoro
The Miami Herald
MIAMI BEACH — Floyd Jordan, the Miami Beach fire chief credited with diversifying the fire department, upgrading equipment and overseeing the construction of two fire stations, retires this month after eight years in the job.
Colleagues say the 64-year-old Jordan will be a hard act to follow.
“He represents an era of fire service that I don’t know exists any longer,” said City Manager Jorge Gonzalez. “We agreed on an overarching theme: to professionalize the fire service, to build new fire stations and upgrade the fleet. I think he’s achieved everything we talked about.”
Perhaps the most concrete examples of Jordan’s legacy: the city’s two new fire stations. In 1999, Jordan promoted the passage of a new series of general obligation bonds. With the money, the fire department was able to update its fleet and equipment and build two new fire stations, Gonzalez said.
Crews finished construction of Fire Station No. 4, at 6880 Indian Creek Dr., earlier this year, and firefighters moved there in May.
For years, historic preservationists battled with the fire department over tearing down a 1937 Colonial-style fire station at the site after the city’s Building Department condemned the original structure in 2001 because of structural deficiencies.
A second facility, Fire Station No. 2 at 2300 Pinetree Dr., is supposed to be completed this fall.
Colleagues say the true legacy left by Jordan, who was the city’s first black fire chief, may be much less tangible.
According to Assistant Fire Chief Eric Yuhr, Jordan brought a fresh perspective and leadership style to the job he assumed in 1999.
‘We were encouraged to make our own decisions, make mistakes and learn from them. For officer development, that’s critical. One of his favorite phrases is ‘press on,’ ” Yuhr said.
Jordan also established an open-door policy.
“I think most firefighters felt they had the ability to go and see the fire chief individually when they had issues. When I started, you never saw the chief unless you were in trouble,” Yuhr said.
Jordan also visited every fire station each quarter, talked with firefighters, took notes and then addressed those issues, he added.
Gonzalez said Jordan professionalized the fire department by putting policies in place to ensure fairness and by making sure the department performed its work consistently.
In 2002, he brought an accreditation agency made up of fire chiefs nationwide to rate the department’s work. It won accreditation in 2004, and may be on its way to receive a Class I designation from the Insurance Service Organization.
“If we get a Class I designation, people’s property rates will drop. It’s kind of like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval,” Gonzalez said.
In an interview Monday, Jordan said one of his goals was fostering “social change” within the fire department.
For example, he pointed to the fact he tripled the number of women firefighters at the 209-person department, from three to nine. He hired the city’s first female fire marshal, Sonia Machen. Jordan said he also increased the number of Hispanics and blacks in the fire department.
“The department does not look the way it did when I first got here,” Jordan said.
According to Gonzalez, “the fire service in general is a profession that has traditionally been a white-male organization. We’ve worked to try to bring diversity to the fire stations. There are a lot more females, blacks and Hispanics than there were years ago starting with the recruiting classes.”
Adonis Garcia, president of IAFF Local 1510, said that although he did not always agree with Jordan over union issues like contracts, the chief worked with his union to solve problems.
“He has proven that labor and management can resolve issues,” Garcia said.
Jordan’s last day is Sept. 30. Gonzalez said he will name an acting fire chief in the next few weeks, but hasn’t decided how the search for a replacement will be conducted.
As for his future plans, Jordan says, “I want to write a book, maybe two or three, and spend time with my grandchildren in Georgia and Miami.”