Dec. 16--One after another, four finalists for Newport News' open fire chief position, took questions about managing in a difficult budget environment and whether the department should bump up the number of firefighters assigned to fire engines.
The next chief will manage a department of about 370 people with a budget around $30 million that's one of a only a small number of departments in Virginia that's nationally accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
But it was clear from the forum, which about 30 people attended, that the eventual chief will face tricky decisions about resources right off the bat.
Three of the four candidates were asked by Capt. Donnie Lewis if Newport News should have four-, rather than three-, man engine companies, a potentially costly proposition.
The National Fire Protection Association recommends four-man crews as a minimum, which in theory gives firefighters more manpower when they arrive at a burning building. A number of departments across the country have sought to ramp up staff to meet that goal, and several local firefighters associations and unions also have advocated for the standard.
Lewis first put the question to Robert "R.B." Alley, a Virginia Beach native, who more recently served as fire chief of College Station, Texas, where he pushed for four-man engine crews.
Alley said College Station hasn't attained the goal yet because a competing priority ultimately took precedence.
"The bigger priority was new stations so we could get responses (to fires and other emergencies) under five minutes," Alley said. Had average response times lagged, he said the city's insurance costs would have gone up.
Still, he indicated he supports four-person engine companies.
So did Kenneth Lay, the Newport News Fire Department's deputy chief and the sole internal candidate for the job.
"I'd love to have four people on an engine truck (and) five people on a ladder truck," Lay said.
But he added he doesn't think it's currently in the cards because of fiscal constraints.
"I'm going to have to go with the economic climate" for now, he said, but he added he'd like to see a long-term plan developed to achieve the higher staffing levels.
Lay has been with the department for two years, previously worked at departments in Fishers, Ind., Gastonia, N.C., Jackson, Tenn., and Muskegon Heights, Mich.
Lay described himself as an ex-athlete and current sports fan, and said he golfs, cooks and rides motorcycles in his spare time.
A third candidate, Mitchell Mauer worked his way up through the Kansas City, Mo., fire department, where he said top officials adopted the four-man engine crew standard.
"That fourth person a rig makes a huge difference on that rig," said Mauer, a deputy chief at the Kansas City department.
But he said it would be a "tough sell" given the resources available.
"It'd be difficult for me to walk in on Jan. 1, defend a budget I haven't built yet and say, 'by the way, can I get 15 to 18 more guys?' "
Mauer said there are other ways of responding to fire calls, however, that can help with manpower at a scene.
Mauer had been a finalist for Kansas City's chief position but was beat out for it by a close friend and colleague, something he noted during his presentation. He said he nevertheless aspires to lead a department and realizes that he will probably have to move to accomplish that. He said his family is on board with such a move.
The fourth candidate, Freddie Broome, an assistant fire chief in Winston-Salem, N.C., focused his presentation and responses on leadership skills and potential community initiatives.
He talked specifically about initiatives his department has taken to raise awareness for breast cancer as well as one to provide warm clothes for homeless people.
And Broome sprinkled quotes throughout his speech, including ones from presidents John Quincy Adams and Barack Obama.
He said he knew the position was a good fit for him "because one of the things they were looking for was a strong, innovative leader."
"That's who I am," he said.
Shapiro can be reached by phone at 757-247-4744
Copyright 2013 - Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
