Syracuse NY

[johndanger]

Heard that the city closed down Truck 1 and Rescue 2 and reopened a squad company, details?

[fyreline]

Yes, due to budgetary constraints and a directive from the Mayor's Office, Truck Company 1 was closed on September 6th reducing the manpower by 4 men per shift. At the same time, Rescue Company 1 was reduced from 7 men to 6, for an additional reduction of 1 per shift. This resulted in elimination of their light rescue unit, which had been designated Rescue 2. We took the Rescue 2 vehicle and assigned 3 personnel to it, designating it as Squad 1. Their primary duty will be vertical vent, responding in place of the 2nd due truck on residential structure fire assignments. While the Mayor's Office had been seeking a manpower reduction of 4 personnel per shift, this plan reduces the on-duty strength by only 2. Chief McLees was able to get the politicians to see the value of the proposal, and they accepted it.



Obviously this is not a development we are big fans of, but reality has a way of focusing your attention wonderfully. The economic path the city was on was unsustainable, and reductions had to be made - not just in the fire department, but more importantly to us, not excepting the fire department. It's always better for your department leadership to have a plan (or two, or three...) rather than let the politicians do it - which they will, with you or without you.



After a few weeks of operation, this system is working well. Squad 1 was predominantly staffed with Truck 1's former personnel, and they have plenty of expertise cutting roofs. Truck 1 was chosen for closing due to their being the most centrally-located of our six truck companies - the remaining 5 each picked up about 8 or 9 blocks into the center city. The Squad, of course, has additional duties as well and it's all still a "work in progress" . . . but Syracuse has had a Squad Company before, and we know how to do this.



So we now operate:



10 2-piece engine companies (2000 gpm engine and EMS response vehicle)

5 95' tower ladders

1 Rescue Company (Heavy rescue /135' aerial & Special Ops unit also available to respond)

1 Squad Company

4 ARFF Units at Hancock Int'l Airport

1 HazMat Co. (HazMat Command Unit and three support units, operated by Engine Co. 5 & Truck 3)



While no one knows what the future may hold in store, it was imperative that at this point in time we position ourselves to allow some flexibility. We have done that, always bearing in mind that the one thing we must always conserve the most of is our most valuable resource.



Our firefighters.

[senatobiafire704]

Chief, this is an excellent example of how a fire administration should work! When forced to make cuts during these drastic times, you guys made the best out of it and are making things work with what you were given. Thanks for saving as many jobs as possible and hopefully we'll make it out of these drastic times soon.

[johndanger]

Thanks for the update Chief. Those 3 Squad guys must have a heck of a time squeezing in to a 2 door pick up truck in turnout gear <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/eek.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[fyreline]

Actually, the former Rescue 2 rig which is now Squad 1 is a full 4-door crew-cab unit - one of a few we have in the fleet. It's also a fairly new unit s it's in good hape for the pounding it's already taking responding to every full structure assignment. It is also planned for Squad 1 to function as a backup to Rescue 1 for extrication when that unit is unavailable . . . and Rescue 2's utility body was already set up and carrying a portable Amkus unit and tools. So, Squad 1 is current;y accompanying Rescue 1 on any potential tool job for on-the-job training. I suppose a busy company is a happy company - and if so, these guys are grinning from ear to ear. So far, so good.

[jim kay]

I just read on the Syracuse IAFF site about some recent company closures and units relocating to different stations, anyone have any insight to this...

[fyreline]

By the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1st, the Syracuse Fire Department has been directed to reduce its on-duty manpower from 69 per shift to 65. This will result in the closure of Engine Company 7 and the relocation of Engine Company 6 to the more centrally-located Station 1, where it will be renamed Engine 1. Rescue Company 1 will then move to the quarters vacated by Engine 6. This realignment will enable us to maintain acceptable response times while meeting the required financial constraints. We hope to have this new deployment plan up and running by June 1st.


There has been a lot of press coverage of the changes, and of course the union opposes any cuts, closures or reductions (as they understandably should). The reality is that there is a looming 18 to 20 million dollar shortfall in the city budget this coming fiscal year, and all city departments are required to make cuts. We are not immune. As a higher-ranking member of the command staff than I was the last time we had this conversation - go up about five posts and back to October 2011 - I have a lot more knowledge and a bit more insight into the way the process works. As more and more fire departments, especially in small to medium-sized cities, face reductions in funding due to diminishing tax revenues, difficult and unpopular choices need to be made. No one is a cheerleader for this plan or for anything that reduces the level of services we provide, but reality demands that you act responsibly and plan accordingly, and we are doing exactly that.


And we move on.

[129k]

Fire duty is up this year as well, correct Chief?

[fyreline]

Yes, alarms were just shy of 29,000 city-wide in 2012 and are projected to exceed 30,000 this year. Our serious working fires used to average right around 100 per year, the last few years they have averaged closer to 85.

[chief60]

I hate to see it happen but it sounds like it is the only option. I know others have done it but are you guys looking at mergers or providing coverage to other areas outside the city limits?

[fyreline]

We are certainly open to that, but the volunteer departments around us are not.

[johndanger]

I wonder how many more companies can close before they have to scrape that ISO 1 off the rigs.    

[fyreline]

More than a few, but obviously that point would eventually come. We're OK for now.

[jim kay]

With the closure of Eng. Co. 7 and relocating Eng. 6 to Sta. 1 whats the work/call load for surrounding companies and the new Eng. 1 look like.. I do understand the need to close budget gaps, its a shame but a necesary evil....

[fyreline]

The new Engine 1 will assume a good part of Engine 7's former response district and a smaller portion of Engine 6's. Both of those companies answered about 4000 alarms in 2012, so E1 will be plenty busy. The remainder of both Engine 6 and Engine 7's former district will be absorbed by the surrounding companies. No one's district grows by more than a few blocks and response times should stay well within our current 3-4 minute average. We had a working fire a couple of days ago in Engine 7's first due district while they were out on another alarm, and the first arriving company was on scene within 2.5 minutes with all companies on scene within 4. We'll be OK, obviously we wish this were not necessary but you have to play the hand you're dealt.

[jim kay]

Thanks for the info Chief... and thanks again for all you do and have done for the City of Syracuse...

[fyreline]

Thanks, but it's certainly not just me . . . Lots of sleepless nights, long command staff meetings and numbers crunching along the way by a lot of good people working towards the same goals. At the end of the day, people are more important than paper. As long as we remember that, we'll be OK. As I've said countless times, the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. Henry Ford said that problems are just opportunities in work clothes. Time for us to get to work.

[ACPD227]

Chief

 

Will their be any layoffs?

[fyreline]

Absolutely not . . . And here I have to give proper credit to our new Chief of Fire and the rest of the Command Staff, there were a few things we were all united in opposing. First and foremost, no one loses their job. Second, no cutting staffing from 4-man crews to 3-man crews. I have said many times that if I only had a 12-man fire department I want three 4-man engines, not four 3-man engines. And lastly, we were opposed to "brown-outs" which basically guarantee that your next fire will be next door to the browned-out station, or to cobbled-together "combination" companies with adjustability but no clear mission. The successful fireground commander needs to know who's coming, where they're coming from, what they can do when they get there, and who's left. As a sidebar, in my opinion that's the hardest part for many volunteer fire chiefs - they can't know any of those things with certainty.


No, we decided that the safest and best plan for the Syracuse Fire Department to meet the required staff reductions and budget cuts was to reduce the number of fire stations we safely and properly staff. They will all continue to operate within our existing SOPs, and we had (and in fact still have) sufficient district overlap to maintain our ISO Class 1 rating. Yes, we will all be working harder because there will be fewer of us . . . And anyone, politicians especially, who says that these changes "will not effect" our operations is a liar. We are obviously stronger with one more fire station than without it, but that was not an option. Tough times call for tough choices, and we are confident that this plan will succeed because it must succeed. This is one case where that tired old statement is actually true:


Failure is not an option.

[senatobiafire704]

Very well said, Chief! Best wishes to you all.