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04-15-98 vI 1 IIIMINUTES OF THE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP HELP IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT 7:15 PM ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1998 Present: Suzanne Shaughnessy, Mayor Mike Borno, City Commissioner John Meserve, City Commissioner Theo Mitchelson, City Commissioner Also: Jim Jarboe, City Manager David Thompson, Public Safety Director John Ruley, Fire Chief Claude Mayo, Fire Marshal Maureen King, City Clerk Absent: Richard Beaver (Excused) The meeting, which was held for the purpose of discussing future plans for the Fire Department, was called to order by the Mayor. She confirmed that commissioners had received materials from staff prior to the meeting and indicated that firefighters had been IIIgiven an opportunity to have input into those materials. Commissioner Meserve felt the City Commission needed to give staff direction for future budgeting and also for the upcoming Fire Department contract negotiations. He felt the Fire Department had a bare-bones staff and firefighters had to work overtime when other firefighters were sick or on vacation and depended on backup from other departments, particularly in medical emergencies. He felt the department offered limited opportunities for advancement and would not ever be able to compete with Jacksonville. He felt the city should consider adding an additional firefighter for each shift. He also felt it may be beneficial to have in-house capability for Advance Life-support Systems (ALS) and emergency medical services. However, he felt that better trained personnel would be more attractive to large departments such as Jacksonville, and Atlantic Beach would continue to lose firefighters. He felt it may be possible to get an agreement with Jacksonville wherein Jacksonville would reimburse Atlantic Beach for a portion of the cost of training of Atlantic Beach firefighters who were hired by Jacksonville. Commissioner Meserve also favored a regional fire department but indicated that this would require cooperation of the other beach cities. Commissioner Borno agreed Commissioner Meserve's comments regarding the level of staffing at the Atlantic Beach Fire Department. He indicated he would like to have ALS 0 capability in Atlantic Beach but expressed concern regarding the cost of training. He also Page Two Minutes of Commission Workshop April 15, 1998 liked the idea of an agreement with Jacksonville for reimbursement of training costs when Atlantic Beach firefighters are hired by Jacksonville. He also supported a joint inter-agency agreement with the beach cities. Commissioner Mitchelson felt that Atlantic Beach residents liked the fast response time of Atlantic Beach Fire Department and also liked the relationship with a small fire department but felt that residents were concerned about the low pay rate in Atlantic Beach. He felt that Atlantic Beach could not compete with Jacksonville but should try to create a career type atmosphere and possibly turn around the high rate of turnover. Mayor Shaughnessy indicated that when she was elected in 1993 the city had a well trained fire department but when money from the Interlocal Agreement settlement was not used for fire department salaries, a mass exodus began. She favored a step pay plan because she felt employees needed to know what their income would be in the future. The Mayor pointed out that the fire department now had some firefighters with young families and better salaries and benefits would provide stability for these employees. The Mayor also supported the idea of ALS capability but would like to have more information regarding the cost and benefits to Atlantic Beach. The Mayor also pointed out that additional staff had been added at management level and felt that the city may not be using resources as wisely as possible. Mayor Shaughnessy also felt that the idea of a regional fire department should be investigated further and agreed to discuss this with the other beach mayors. She also felt that there were ongoing morale problems due to low pay and working conditions and felt the policies regarding training needed to be reviewed. Commissioner Meserve felt the ALS capability would be beneficial to the community and should be explored further. He also felt the matter of a regional fire department should be looked at further ro at least see if it would be feasible. While he believed in paying employees for services, he indicated he did not believe in step plans. The Mayor encouraged commissioners to ride a shift with the fire department, which she felt would help them to better understand the job of a firefighter. Commissioner Mitchelson suggested having a non-staff, non-commissioner person or committee to determine the level of interest from other cities regarding a regional fire department, and to meet with firefighters and make recommendations to the city Page Three Minutes of Commission Workshop April 15, 1998 commission. He also indicated that some concerns regarding equipment had been voiced during his election campaign but he did not know if this situation still existed. Following a complete discussion of the issue, it was the consensus of the City Commission that the following areas should receive further consideration: Salaries and benefits Advances Life Support capability Morale Equipment Regional Fire Department Overtime Reallocation of resources from the top down Appointment of non-staff, non-commission person(s) to review and make recommendations regarding the fire department 411 There being no further discussion, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM. Maureen King City Clerk