By Bayne Hughes
The Decatur Daily
DECATUR, Ala. — Decatur firefighters will have to meet new training, education and experience requirements to advance through the ranks under a career-development plan approved by the Personnel Board.
Fire Chief Nathan Springer presented the plan at the board’s August meeting, saying it is intended to develop well-rounded firefighters and officers through training, experience and demonstrated proficiency.
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The Personnel Board voted unanimously to adopt the plan as department policy. Implementation begins Tuesday, with a 24-month transition period before all requirements take effect.
The plan establishes minimum training, education, certifications and professional development necessary for advancement. Personnel who already hold a rank will not be demoted for failing to meet requirements newly established for that rank, Springer said.
Springer said the goal is to establish a career roadmap from a firefighter’s first day through the department’s highest operational rank and put the entire department under one set of expectations.
The new program does not replace Decatur Fire & Rescue’s promotional process, Division Chief John Mims said.
Mims said department personnel have known for several years that the plan was being developed. A new group of firefighters started with the department this week, and he said he has already discussed the plan with them.
Mims said firefighters have been encouraged to begin taking courses before the requirements become mandatory.
“I put the word out to all of the department, telling them, ‘Get ahead of the curve, start taking classes because this is coming. This is the future, so you need to start taking classes. I don’t want you to have to scramble and start trying to compete with other people when the time comes.’”
Mims, a chief master sergeant who also serves as fire chief for the Alabama Air National Guard’s 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham , said the military unit has used a similar system for decades. Several Birmingham -area fire departments also have similar programs, he said.
Mims said the requirements should encourage employees seeking promotion to obtain training appropriate for the responsibilities they would assume at higher ranks.
He said the department previously lacked a formal roadmap spelling out the education and training firefighters should obtain as they prepared for promotion.
Mims said the guidelines are intended to help firefighters build what he called their professional “tacklebox” — training and information they can draw on when making decisions.
He said the policy should reduce uncertainty about how to qualify for promotion by setting “exact expectations for future leaders.”
The department’s operational ranks are firefighter, driver-engineer, lieutenant and battalion chief. Deputy chiefs oversee administration and operations.
The city’s merit system requires employees to serve at least two years in a position before advancing to the next rank.
Springer said requirements at each rank build on those at the previous level.
For example, firefighters seeking to become lieutenants must complete several instructional and fire officer courses through the Alabama Fire College after serving as firefighters and driver-engineers, Springer said.
Every firefighter must become certified as an emergency medical technician at the basic level, Springer said. The department encourages personnel to advance to the advanced EMT level and then become paramedics.
Springer said higher emergency medical services certifications allow firefighters to provide more advanced patient care.
He said the goal is to prepare employees for a higher rank before they receive the promotion, rather than train them afterward. Mims said that preparation also can give newly promoted officers more confidence.
“We had a firefighter who came to me and said, ‘Hey chief, I just got promoted to lieutenant. I don’t feel like I’m ready for the position,’” Mims said.
Mims said the experience reinforced the value of additional education and mentoring before employees move into positions carrying greater responsibility.
“Maybe he should have waited, been mentored a little longer and taken some additional education to prepare for the role,” Mims said. “At every higher level, you’re having to meet higher expectations.”
Mims said the program separates those firefighters who want to do more than the bare minimum and show they are willing to round out their careers.
“We’ve got people who are technically skilled as a firefighter, but they don’t go get the necessary requirements on the other side that are administrative. This is very important for a higher ranking,” Mims said.
Springer said Decatur’s status as a regional training site allows personnel to complete most required courses locally, reducing travel costs and making classes easier to attend.
“The good thing is we are a regional training site, so a majority of our classes are right here in Decatur ,” Springer said. “That helps with cost and opportunity.”
Mims said it may appear that firefighters seeking advancement are constantly in class, but some requirements can be met through duties they already perform.
For example, firefighters conduct inspections of businesses and government buildings as part of regular operations, providing opportunities for on-the-job learning.
“It’s already part of a firefighter’s task anyway to do inspections,” Mims said. “Part of the class is the training and bookwork, but they also have to get out and do inspections. They had to create a (pre-incident) plan for the facility as part of the inspection.”
Mims said lieutenants also gain experience by leading at fire scenes.
“They’re going to need to determine things like, ‘What was the cause of this fire? Was arson possibly involved? Was it an accident? Where did the fire start?’ All of these things are necessary in firefighting instead of having to call in an off-duty investigator,” Mims said.
Mims said the requirements “lean heavily” into classes as employees reach higher ranks because those positions carry more administrative responsibilities and responsibility for leading personnel.
“It’s more than kicking in doors and fighting fires,” Mims said.
In separate action, the Personnel Board voted to recommend Springer’s proposed administrative reorganization of Decatur Fire & Rescue.
The reorganization still requires City Council approval. Springer said he hopes to get the proposal on the next council agenda.
Springer’s proposal would designate 10 new or revised administrative positions as exempt from the city’s merit system.
They are: deputy chief of administration, deputy chief of operations, fire marshal, deputy fire marshal, division chief of training, division chief of emergency medical services, division chief of health and safety, fire training officer, EMS training officer and logistics and support services officer.
Springer said the reorganization would give administrative positions clearer titles, update job descriptions, better define responsibilities and provide greater flexibility.
He said the changes would not reduce operational staffing or emergency-response capabilities.
Does your department have a clear career-development path for firefighters seeking promotion? What training or experience should be required before moving into a leadership role?
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