Beach Fire sets first step in chief hiring process
Recommendations for details to solidify the position of the next fire chief of the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District were brought forward to the Beach fire commissioners at their monthly evening meeting last week.
The JTS Association has been officially hired to lead in the overall process of selecting the next fire chief of the island’s independent taxing district.
Once a selection is made and a contract signed, the future fire chief is expected to have a negotiated salary in the range of $115,000 to $135,000 to include a comprehensive management benefit package. He or she is anticipated to work 40 hours per week with on-call requirements based on emergency needs and will be provided a District vehicle.
Other application requirements will fall under an approved DACUM job description.
This is the first act of a seven-step process, which will next involve advertising and promoting the position, receiving and streaming applicants, identifying qualified applicants, processing them through an independent review board, preparing interview criteria for the Board for top candidates and aiding in selection and negotiation of a top candidate.
The next fire chief will need to reside somewhat close to the Beach Fire Control District.
“You probably will need to put that there will be a reasonable resident requirement in negotiating down the line,” said James Steffens of The JTS Association. “Do you want someone from the south side of Naples commuting? Probably not.”
The JTS Association is preparing a two-page flyer to be attached to the job announcement. A draft of it will be brought to the fire board’s attention for approval, possibly at its Oct. 6 meeting.
“It will talk about the community, the fire district, the position and salary benefits,” said Steffens.
It was noted that current Beach Fire Chief Darren White, whose current contract term runs through Sept. 30, 2015, began with an annual salary was $120,000 that was increased three percent on Oct. 1, 2014.
Beach Fire to hire five fire fighters
Due to employee retirements and exits, the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District is looking to hire five fire fighters in the near future. But, employee recruitment and retention appears to be an issue.
Beach Fire did have a selection pool of 35 interested candidates, but only 13 showed up to take a written test. Ten candidates passed the test but only three passed the subsequent physical agility and medical scenario tests.
Many fire officials are disappointed with the limited resources.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that 20 something people did not show,” said Commission Vice Chair Ted Schindler. “Is there something wrong with our process?”
Commission Chairperson Carol Morris was bothered by the outcome and the recent rate of return of fire fighters in the District.
“It seems like they come in, stay for a short time, get some training and leave,” she said.
After a recommendation process, usually from a larger field of candidates, the fire chief would make the final selections.
“We go through a three-step process. From that process, it is scrubbed down to oral interviews through an interview panel. From that panel, they are ranked,” said Acting Fire Chief Tom May.
Commissioner Larry Wood would like fire staff to talk to recent hires to seek answers to unsolved questions.
“Someone needs to sit down with them and say ‘why did you take the job, what were you looking for in the position and what do you think it will take to get more people to come here’,” he said.
May cited a hiring freeze during the down economy and a large recent restaffing at fire stations on the east coast of Florida in particular.
“Palm Beach County hired 5,000 fire fighters,” he said. “There is a lot of competition out there.”
Beach Fire administrative staff held a meeting and recommended to reach out and speak with the qualified non-attendees to see what kept them from attending.
“We recommend to hold the assessment again,” said Human Resources Director Tammy Peacock.
Another collective process is expected to begin soon. A plan of action will be reviewed at the Oct. 6 meeting. Once the field is narrowed, May plans to bring selections from a yet-to-be assembled interview panel to the board, since he has been instructed he cannot hire or fire employees.
The previous hiring process began in June with advertising. It was deemed necessary due to staffing reasons with Capt. Dave Reno’s recent retirement, two employees leaving employment (Firefighter/Paramedic Jean Carlo Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez) and two more employees set to retire in May 2016 (Battalion Chief Pete Micelli and Capt. Tory Vagle).