July 29, 2005
Joe Roseto
Human Resources Director
City of Clearwater
P.O. Box 4748
Clearwater, FL 33758-4748
Re: Fire District Chief Abolishment
Dear Mr. Roseto,
The Union demands the City of Clearwater cease and desists from implementing, before
completion of the collective bargaining process, its announced decision to abolish the
Fire District Chief classification. The Union demands meaningful good faith bargaining
before the Fire District Chief classification is abolished. Meaningful good-faith
bargaining cannot occur before August 7, 2005, the date the City intends to abolish
this classification. Meaningful good-faith bargaining cannot occur as the City has
failed to provide sufficient information about its decision.
Specifically, the Union requests the following bargaining and/or public record documents:
All documents which describe, analyze, consider, or reference the City's plan to abolish
the Fire District Chief classification. This includes all self-analysis and third-party
analysis of this decision.
Specifically, the Union requests the following information and requests to bargain over
the following safety and operational issues created by the City's decision to abolish our
Fire District Chiefs.
1. The loss of experienced leadership and command and the effect that will have on
the personnel safety, citizen safety, and operations. Presently, the Fire District
Chiefs each have between 18-32 years of experience with the City of Clearwater and the
City requires at least 4 years experience as a Fire Lieutenant , currently our Company
Officer position, before promotion to Fire District Chief. The City proposes to replace
these Fire District Chiefs who have extensive command experience with Assistant Fire
Chiefs who are not required to have had any prior command experience anywhere according
to the current job description for Assistant Fire Chief and who generally perform
administrative office work on the standard 40-hour per week schedule.
2. The loss of locally experienced leadership and command and the effect that will
have on the safety of personnel, safety of citizens, and operations. Again, the Fire
District Chiefs each have between 18-32 years of experience with the City of Clearwater.
This means they have multiple years as incident commanders with extensive personal
knowledge and experience with:
A. the 600 Series, Pinellas County Fire Departments Standard Operating Procedure
which requires each department to have Fire District Chiefs;
B. members of the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department;
C. the City of Clearwater's resources, capabilities, operations, boundaries, traffic
patterns, special hazards, industrial parks, and high rise structures; and,
D. surrounding cities' capabilities, resources and emergency operations. None of the
Assistant Fire Chiefs, to whom the City will transfer the Fire District Chiefs' duties
and command, has the longevity of service and breadth of experience as a commanding
officer with the City of Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department and surrounding cities.
3. The loss of command experience with Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team and the
effect that will have on safety and operations. None of the Assistant Fire Chiefs have
had such experience.
4. The City of Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department's and personnel's inability to comply
with the 600 Series, Pinellas County Fire Departments Standard Operating Procedure which
relies upon, assumes and requires the presence of Fire District Chiefs for each department
in Pinellas County and the effect that this will have on personnel safety, citizen safety,
and operations.
5. The potential loss of accreditation and the effect that will have on personnel safety,
citizen safety, and operations. Clearwater Fire & Rescue is currently Internationally
Accredited by the Commission on Fire Department Accreditation 2003-2008. Only 5% of Fire
Departments nationwide meet these standards. The Accreditation is based on the current
structure of the Fire Department including the positions of Fire District Chiefs who
maintain a presence 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The Assistant Fire Chiefs work a 40
hour work week and do not maintain such presence.
6. The hours/shift and stations to which the current Fire District Chiefs will be
assigned and the effect of this assignment on other bargaining unit employees' currently
assigned hours/shift and station. If there is no change to other bargaining unit employees'
currently assigned hours/shift and station, then identify the station accommodations that
will be made to accommodate increased shift personnel.
7. The creation of an Acting Assistant Chief and the qualifications, experience, pay,
and selection for such position and the effect that will have on personnel safety, citizen
safety and operations.
8. The placement of the current Fire District Chiefs in the contractual matrix for
overtime and the effect this will have on other bargaining unit employees.
9. The current Fire District Chief's right to select vacations and how the effect on
previously selected vacations.
10. Training for the current Fire District Chiefs to perform any new job duties including
but not limited to reports and how this will affect the training accounts.
The Union demands the requested collective bargaining documents and information and
demands to bargain over these issues. The City must cease and desist from implementing
its announced change until completion of the collective bargaining process.
Sincerely,
John Lee, President Local 1158
