BACKGROUND:
The Battalion Chief is an experienced, highly trained executive staff member within the Fire Department. Responsibilities include the supervision and management of daily activities in City fire stations, as well as response and tactical command at complex emergency incidents. The Battalion Chief is also tasked with administrative duties, managing facilities, staffing, training, and ensuring the operational readiness of the department. There are three (3) Battalion Chief positions in this classification. It is detrimental to the City and the Fire Department when one of these positions remains vacant for a prolonged period and presents an adverse impact on remaining personnel within the classification.
Battalion Chief Stephen Tumir’s 26 ½ years of knowledge and operational experience in the Fire Department, most of which was as a supervisor, are critical to the department’s ongoing succession planning. Due to his untimely retirement, there is an established critical need to hire Stephen Tumir to continue working as the Accreditation Manager and Peer Assessor with the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), succession planning to include employee development programs and the “Bridge Program”, as well as maintain staff levels consistent for operational readiness and outstanding service to our citizens.
Under the 180-day wait period exception rule, there is an established critical need to be able to hire Stephen Tumir. He can maintain the Battalion Chief staffing level and with his expertise and knowledge, he can continue the accreditation program and succession planning projects.
DISCUSSION:
As the city conducts the Battalion Chief recruitment, Battalion Chief Stephen Tumir would be limited to 960 hours per fiscal year to assist the Fire Chief with the establishment of a professional standards unit and assist with the completion of CPSE Accreditation and succession planning.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Per CalPERS Retired Annuitant requirements, the salary must be listed in the employer’s publicly available pay schedule for the Battalion Chief position and cannot be less than the minimum or exceed the maximum salary step paid to other employees performing comparable duties. The current step 8, salary range 471, ($54.91/hr.) will be used as the rate of compensation for 960 hours per fiscal year. The Battalion Chief position is budgeted for the current fiscal year so there will be no impact.