This Blog is intended for discussion regarding the Fire Authority agreement between Lane Rural Fire / Rescue and Lane County Fire District #1. Please feel free to leave feedback, questions,comments and concerns. We will do our very best to reply in a timely manner.
Looking forward in hearing from you!
Chief Ney - LCFD#1
Chief Borland - LRF/R
When will Chief Borland, Chrissy and anyone else, that will be moving, move to the Veneta station?
ReplyDeleteAre there plans to close, or consolidate, any stations within LCFD #1 or LRFR? If so, would it be an immediate thing or in the distant future?
DeleteSorry for the delay in answering, I had some confusion about the way I viewed comments on the blog. Chief Borland and Chrissy will probably move over to the Veneta station on July 1st. Our plan is to keep the chief's office at station 51 set up so that any of the 3 senior chiefs (Ney, Borland, and Smith) can plug in their laptops, be on the shared network, and work from that office. You will probably see each of us spend a day at station 51 on a rotating basis.
DeleteAt this time there are no plans to close any stations. Obviously a major annexation move by the City of Eugene could cause a closure of station 51, but I don't see that happening for many years. Chief Borland and I have talked about the fact that a station in the area of Clear Lake Road and Territorial Hwy would make strategic sense and could be a consolidation of stations 53 and 11-5, but the problem is the location of responders in relation to that site. But at this point that is just brainstorming, and any change there would be years in the future as well.
Chief Ney
As a combination fire department we have several types of members serving in different capacities. This is a common thing in combination departments across the country. One of the capacities that exists in many other combo departments is that of paid Part-Time Firefighter. Has there been any consideration of using this type of position within the new Fire Authority to address the growing and consistent staffing issues that exist in our near future?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Both district already use part-time personnel hired from within the volunteer ranks to supplement the maintenance staff. The problem with hiring them for actual firefighting duties is that the federal FLSA or Fair Labor Standards Act makes it illegal to volunteer and work for pay doing the same duties for the same employer. That is why, presently, when we have a part-time paid person doing maintenance work for us (which is outside the job description of a volunteer firefighter) and a call occurs, they have to go off the clock before they respond on a call (which is in the job description of a volunteer FF). If a volunteer FF get paid to be a FF, he/she cannot respond as a volunteer FF for the balance of that pay period. In other words, you can be either a paid FF or a volunteer FF with an agency, but not both (with one agency). The law allows you to be a paid FF with one agency and a volunteer with another agency, but even that gets into a legal issue if you respond on a mutual aid call between those two agencies. The bottom line is that if you were to work as a paid part-time firefighter on a regular basis, the agency would be forced by federal law to restrict your response as a volunteer.
DeleteChief Ney
When will the results of the logo contest be announced? Will everybody vote, for a winner, or will management pick?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance for your reply!
Bill P.
We had about 20 entries from about 10 people. Management is currently reviewing the entries, and we will post the finalists for input from all members. I hope to do that by the end of the month.
DeleteChief Ney
The Logo contest?
DeleteWe're refining the top choices....should have some to post next week.
DeleteChief Ney
Rumor is the new logo has already been picked...is that true?
DeleteWe have a draft that we showing at drill nights, asking for input. No final decision has been made.
DeleteIs this thing on? Hello? Check, 1, 2. Can you hear me? Must be a dead battery...
ReplyDeleteDave,
DeleteI'm sorry, it was my fault. "Blogging" is a new form of communication for me, and I had misunderstood how to view the blog for replies. When I looked at the home page for the blog, I only saw the original posts from when Chrissy set it up. I'm learning.....
Chief Ney
One of the topics amongst paid staff for both agencies has been how will we work out paydays? LRFR currently has paydays every other week and LCFD is only once a month. Will we adapt to one of the agency's paydays, each stay the same? Is this a management decision or will it be bargained during negotiations? This may seem like a petty issue right now, but it has been a concern for us since it affects family life.
ReplyDeleteFor the fiscal year July 1 2012 thru June 30 2013, your paycheck will continue to come from the agency it comes from today. Your employing district will "loan" your services to the LFA based on an addendum to the IGA. During this year we will be negotiating a new contract for all employees. While the issue of paydays isn't in the present contracts, it seems like the right thing to do, because of the impact you pointed out, would be to either negotiate it in the contract, or as a sidebar negotiation. Past practices certainly applies here, even if it's not in the present contracts. Anyway, there won't be any change before July 2013, and all career staff will have an opportunity to have input into the final decision. I will say that it is not the intent of the management team to cause unneccessary burdens for any employee, and I for one do not see this as a petty issue.
DeleteChief Ney
Thank you for the replys!
ReplyDeleteI just learned, and many others, that the Willamette Valley Fire Authority is dissolving and going their separate ways. This comes as a disappointment but also extremely disturbing. Many of us are concerned since we have been using them as a model. Is the administrative staff and board of directors studying where they went wrong before we head down the same path? The only information I can gather without actually talking to WVFA people, is of a "cultural difference." Don't we all have cultural differences? This is a huge investment for both agencies, seems like we're jumping into this awfully quickly after only looking at the Fire Authority concept for a short time.
ReplyDeleteOur management team has had many conversations over the past two years with many people at WVFA, including with their chiefs, line personnel, volunteers, and board members. The dissolution of that organization isn't as sudden and "new" as it appears in the media, but has been coming for quite some time. Cultural differences were a huge factor, but not the only factor, in the breakup of the WVFA. In fact, I had a conversation with a Turner Board Member about that this morning. From what he told me, much of the decision was based on the fact that Turner felt they were losing more than they were gaining from the IGA as it stood, but that some sort of continued partnership would continue in the long term.
DeleteMarion County Fire District #1 is a suburban fire dept serving a commercial, industrial, and residential area on the east side of a larger city (Salem). It is greatly dependent on its career staff, with a strong union influence. Turner Fire District is a small town, well separated from Salem, and is predominately a volunteer dept with a small career staff. The cultural gap was far, far greater than any that exists between our two districts.
In addition to the cultural differences, there have been a number of legal disputes involving WVFA, and these have polarized different groups within the organization as well as within their constituents, and have resulted in a credibility issue for their management.
The fact that WVFA is dissolving points to one of the advantages of the fire authority model, and that is that there is a "path of retreat" outlined in the IGA (Inter Governmental Agreement). This is one of the reasons that the boards of our two districts have chosen to follow the FA model instead of a full merger. You only have to look at the struggles in the south part of the county to see that mergers can be difficult to undo.
I am confident that the fact that WVFA is dissolving doesn't mean that the model is flawed. One can find many examples of successful, long-standing fire authorities in Washington and California. It's sort of like marriage....just because someone elses fails doesn't have a lot of bearing on whether it will work for you.
As far as moving quickly....there have been talks between our two districts about some form of "coming together" for about five years. My arrival two years ago coincided with a change in the conversations from "merger" to "fire authority", but there were about three years of discussions about a merger prior to that. We have had an outside consultant study the matter and provide a comprehensive report. I can't imagine what else we would look at if we were to wait longer. At some point you have studied all that can be studied, and it's time to either move forward or not.
Chief Ney
Does Lane rural have a gun policy like we have at Dist.#1? If not what is their policy?
ReplyDeleteThe short quick answer is "no". Lane Rural does not have a policy in place with respect to the carrying of guns in any form or fashion whether on District property or in the course of carrying out our duties during an incident. This very subject came up almost 2 years ago when Lane Rural was in the process of updating all their policies. There were lengthy discussions at the Board level and a few examples of draft policy were produced for their review. Consideration was being given to a "weapons" policy which was all encompassing and not necessarily just guns. As we began to discuss various scenarios such as the Lane County Sheriffs Deputy or State Patrol Officer entering your premises the subject became very complicated. It did not seem reasonable to ask a law enforcement officer to leave their weapon in the car as it is a crucial component of the course of their duties. Ultimately a weapons policy was never adopted due to the impact on the personal and constitutional rights of our members. Our Board is quite clear, the safety of members and our constituents is paramount. We expect our responders to conduct themselves with the utmost respect of all others and have policies in place for those who do otherwise. We have for now "let the sleeping dog lye" on the subject of weapons and more specifically guns in our workplace.
DeleteHas there been any consideration of involving Santa Clara FD or Zumwalt if/when Eugene assumes full 'ownership' of the incorporated areas of the UGB?
ReplyDeleteHi, Matt,
ReplyDeleteWe have had several conversations with Santa Clara FD staff about the possibilities for SCFD and the LFA, especially if the scenario you suggest happens. Randy Wood and I were talking about it again last week at the chief's conference, and he will be having me come and talk at an upcoming board meeting.
Zumwalt has strategic importance for the LFA, as the intersection of Hwy 126 and Greenhill has great access in four directions, and the west side of Greenhill Road is outside the UGB. If you give me a call sometime we can chat more about that.
Terry
How do you plan on preventing one district from feeling as if they are being "Consumed" by the other? For example, with management, administrative opperations, and many of the services (IE o2 bottle filling...and now with PPE and apparel potentially moving as well) moving to the veneta station it seems as if the Lane Rural Fire District is really being consumed by the LCFD#1 Fire District and giving it a new name.
ReplyDeleteWe can't totally prevent that feeling. But let's take a look at the changes you mention. Many of the changes are driven by available space....for example at Veneta there was floor space to allow the construction of three new offices, and there was not comparable space available at station 51. The OSHA approved oxygen filling system had already been purchased by LCFD#1, and buying a second one isn't justified. The old system at LRFR was not legal, so it had to go away. We may move the oxygen filling station from LCFD#1 to the maintenance shop at station 51, that hasn't been determined yet. There has been no decision to move PPE and apparel to Veneta, but rather, that Tim Welch may take over managing those items at both locations. Many aspects of the maintenance department have already been moved to LRFR from LCFD#1, including installation of the new hoist purchased by LCFD#1, all the welding equipment, etc. Not to mention that Don Culy is now primarily working there. So there has been movement of services, equipment and staff in both directions. The intent of the consolidation is to take advantage of opportunities to increase efficiency, and sometimes that means moving people and things around.
DeleteWith the new station numbers and other number changes will the door codes and gate codes change?
ReplyDeleteBoth districts are due for a routine change of door code numbers, so we will take this opportunity to select a new one that is the same for all stations. Not sure about gate codes, we need to discuss how to make a consistent system there.
DeleteHow are unit number's chosen for the fire truck's and rescue rig's?
ReplyDeleteThat was a decision by the chief officers, keeping within a range of numbers that was established by a subcommittee of the county fire defense board.
DeleteI have a few question for you.
ReplyDeleteHow come since this merger that the tap outs for each call has been increasing? Today you had 5 calls with each call with at least 2 and some with as many as 4 tap outs.
The fire station that is in Alvadore area is basically empty, are you planning on shutting it down? Since the majority of the calls are rescue calls and we know longer have a rig to do so, what are your plans. As an Alvadore citzens, response times are currently 20+ minutes. Our level of service is going down hill.
I can not say that this merger has been good for all the people, except those that are in a paid position.
I understand that it is a volunteer job.
How many calls has that station been on since you took the rescue equipment?
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteMyself or Chief Ney would appreciate it if you would give one of us a call at the office so that we may discuss your questions further. The number is 541-935-2226
Wouldn’t calling and getting a response defeat the purpose of the blog? The definition of blog that I found is the following:
ReplyDeleteA Web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis.
The information may be beneficial to others that have the same concerns.
What color class B uniforms are we going with? When are we getting them?
ReplyDeleteKoch
is there any new info since oct? That was the last post on this blog.
ReplyDeleteTHE STRAP, A TOOL OF NECESSITY WHEN USING REMOTE SPEAKER MICROPHONES. ATTACH THE STRAP TO PORTABLE RADIOS, SCBA SHOULDER HARNESSES, THEN HOOK THE MIC. TO THE STRAP.
ReplyDeleteIT'S YOUR MIC. GET IT HOOKED. 503-910-3489, Kirkman3@juno.com