Moline Administrator Eliminates Joint Fire Chief Position As A
                                                         Viable Option At This Time

Posted 0603/09

Moline City Administrator, Lew Steinbrecher, has announced that creating a Joint Fire Chief position with the City of Rock Island has been eliminated as a feasible alternative due to a number of factors, including economic reasons. The primary reason is the cost associated with maintaining a full-time Deputy Fire Chief position. The cost of a new full-time Fire Chief is estimated at about $146,000 while half the cost of the Joint Fire Chief and full-time Deputy Chief would be about $222,750. There would be no cost savings associated with the Joint Fire Chief compared to the $130,000 savings that could be experienced by filling a full-time Fire Chief position and eliminating the Deputy Fire Chief position.

City Administrator Steinbrecher also noted that he was particularly sensitive to any adverse effect a Joint Fire Chief might have on the morale and productivity of the Moline Fire Department personnel. Moline fire service has a proud tradition and after meeting with all three shifts, he discerned an appreciation of the cultural value within the Moline Fire Department as well as their philosophical approach to fire protection. The absence of a full-time Fire Chief would also impair day-to-day communications between the three shifts and weaken the administrative function within the Fire Department. Reducing management personnel from two full-time positions to one half-time position was not feasible in maintaining the overall span of control necessary to ensure that the department would continue to operate smoothly. There was also a concern that pushing more administrative duties down to the Battalion Chiefs and Captains could adversely impact the field operations of both ambulance and fire services.

City Administrator Steinbrecher admitted there is a general perception that the City is administratively top heavy, but confirmed that this is not the situation based on his careful assessment of the Fire Chief’s position. The administrative ranks have been thinned considerably throughout the organization in the past several years, but there is a substantial managerial workload within City government that largely goes unnoticed and under-appreciated.

There are however, other cost saving measures still under consideration. If a new full-time Fire Chief is appointed and the Deputy Fire Chief eliminated, there are also opportunities to eliminate front line firefighter positions by reducing overall shift strength, reduce overtime by employing the JUMP system (eliminating certain vehicles from responding to calls for service), close one of the existing stations, or restructure other administrative staff positions in an attempt to further reduce costs.

City Administrator Steinbrecher further announced that he will initiate a process to select an Interim Fire Chief to replace Fire Chief Rick Jewell for an indefinite period of time until a final decision has been made on whether or not the permanent full-time Fire Chief position will remain as currently structured.

City Administrator Steinbrecher also expressed his deep appreciation to the Rock Island City Council, City Manager John Phillips and Fire Chief Doug Vroman for their willingness to consider the Joint Fire Chief position with the City of Moline. Understanding the significance of the responsibility and the impact on two very proud fire services and knowing the potential impact this could have on both organizations, it was very satisfying to know that the importance of intergovernmental cooperation brought both entities together to study the potential cost savings to the taxpayers of Moline and Rock Island to seriously evaluate this opportunity.