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June 16, 1997 Work Session
NO TICE ADMINISTRATION OF COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Joseph Sturdevant Councilmembers DonaM G. Jolly Meg Jones Gary L. Peterson Robert YE. Ruettimann City Manager Walt Fehst Notice is hereby given that a Council Work Session is to be held in the CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS as follows: Meeting of.' CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER AND CITY STAFF Date of Meeting: MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1997 Time of Meeting: 6:30 P.M. Location of Meeting: CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM Purpose of Meeting: COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA Auditor's Report (the audit report and the management letter were distributed previously to the Council. Please bring this information with you) HERC Water Cleaning System Jbr Innsbruck Police Department Staffing Public Safety Director Position (effect on Assistant Fire Chief Replacement) The City of Columbia Heights does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all City of Columbia Heights'services, programs, and activities. Auxiliary aids for handicapped persons are available upon request when the request is made at least 96 hours in advance. Please call the City Council Secretary at 782-2800, Extension 209, To make arrangements. (TDD/782-2806 for deaf only) MEMORANDUM DATE: June 11, 1997 TO: FROM: RE: JO-ANNE STUDENT COUNCIL SECRETARy, WILLIAM ELRITE ~'f P CTOR WORK SESSION AGENDA, 6/16/97 The first item on the agenda is the meeting with the auditor. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30; could you verify this for me? Under the item for the auditors, in parentheses please note that the audit report and management letter was distributed previously to the Council, and request they bring it along to the meeting. The other item I have is a packet that will be provided to you separately regarding the police officer grant costs and the savings due to the vacancies in the Police Department. If there is anything else you need from me for the packet, please let me know. WE:dn 9706111 Public Works Department Worksession Discussion Item Worksession date: June 16, 1997 Prepared by: Mark A. Winson, Public Works Director/City Engineer Item: Update on Innsbmck Water main Cleaning and Consideration of Water main Cleaning on Argonne Background: In September, 1996, H.E.R.C., Inc. was con~acted to clean the existing 6" water main in Innsbruck Parkway from Johnson to Rainier, Innsbmck Parkway West and Innsbruck Circle West. This is a total of 2,476 feet of water main. The cost of the contract included: Water main Cleaning - 2,476 feet ~ $14.50/ft=- Mobilization Setups - 4 ~ $1,000 each Temporary water system - 2700 feet ~ $~3.18/ft Total $37,903 4,500 4,000 8,597 $57,5OO The cleaning operation was completed in a little of three weeks. The use of a temporary water service and this method of cleaning greatly reduced the inconvenience to the residents of the area compared to replacement of the line or a scraping and grouting operation. The project was successful in that water flows have increased through the system. The project was less than successful in that some of the residents have experienced discolored water since the cleaning process was completed. The discolored water, typically a pale yellow to red, is caused by fmc particles of mst or particles of the iron tuberculation being carded in the system. Probable causes are: resting of thoroughly cleaned sections of the pipe where water is now in contact with the bare ductile or cast iron pipe, (typically ~vater mains are lined with mortar, asphalt or enamel when originally installed), breakup of softened but not removed sections of tuberculation or "scouring" of tuberculation in adjacent sections of the watermain that were not cleaned in this project now that there is more water flow through these lines. At least a portion of the llne was totally cleaned by the process. This was discovered when the City's crews repaired a break at the comer of Innsbmck Parkway and Innsbmck Parkway West. The tuberculation was softened but not removed. H.E.R.C. has installed and maintained a poly orthophosphate injection system on the High zone, (generally west of Central), in order to reduce the discolored water problem. The poly orthophosphate binds to the pipe to form a barrier to corrosion. This has been at least partially successful in reducing discolored .water problems, but is quite expensive to maintain over a long period of time. Whenever complaints are reported of serious discoloration come in our crews will flush the system in this area to clear up the water. We are currently reimbursing three or four residents for purchases of drinking water. H.E.R.C. is committed to fulfilling their contract with the City to clean this line. They are Worksession Item - Water main cleaning projects Page 2 willing to identify the location of any remaining tuberculation and to remove it. Within the 1997 Water Construction Budget there is $60,000 for cleaning additional water main within the system. Staff has identified the 6" water main in Argonne as a good candidate for cleaning. This line was installed in the same time frame as the line in Irmsbruck and flows from the hydrants in this section are very low. For many years, the residents served by this line have expressed their concern to the City over the lack of "pressure" in the line. Actually, what they are experiencing is restricted flow caused by tuberculation in the line. Discussion: As previously stated, H.E.R.C. is committed to a thorough cleaning of the Innsbruck lines. In order to accomplish this and to meet our demands for verification of the cleaning, they intend to televise the entire line and clean those sections that need additional work. This will require a complete shut down of the line. H.E.R.C. would like to coordinate this work with another project, if possible, to reduce the loss from mobilization of the equipment. A possible solution is for the City to award a conditional contract to H.E.R.C. for the cleaning of the Argonne line. The contract would be conditioned on the fmal cleaning of the Innsbruck line to the satisfaction of the City before work is done on the Argonne line. Under this scenario, H.E.R.C. would mobilize its equipment for the televising and cleaning of the Innsbruck line and then directly proceed to do the cleaning of the Argonne line. It is proposed that this work be done in September for several reasons. The major watering season is over, our crews will be more available to assist as needed and, at my suggestion, the work would be done over the period when the International American Public Works Conference is here in Minneapolis. By timing the work to coincide with the Conference, it is my hope that we would be able to get a price break. H.E.R.C. is willing to send a letter to all the residents affirming their commitment to cleaning the Innsbruck line and informing them of the intended schedule. We would continue to respond to discolored water calls by flushing and valving. H.E.R.C. is also offering a process in which a cleaned line is lined with epoxy. They will be providing us with a proposal for this process on both the Innsbruck and Argonne lines. Requested Action: Staff seeks direction from the Council at this time on their willingness to consider a conditional contract with H.E.R.C. for the cleaning of the Aa'gonne line. MEMORANDUM DATE: June 12, 1997 TO: FROM: WALT FEHST CITY MANAGER WILLIAM ELRITE FINANCE DIRECTOR POLICE GRANTS/FUND BALANCE GENERATED FROM UNFILLED POSITIONS As a follow-up to the conversation that you, Tom Johnson, June Johnston, and I had, I have attached two updated schedules showing the status of the federal police grants and the fund balance generated from unfilled positions. The 1997 budget has a budgeted transfer from the General Fund to the Cops FAST grant of $17,237. With this transfer, it is projected that at the end of the four-year grant commitment there will be excessive funds in this grant fund of $34,010. It is staffs recommendation that this overage be transferred to the Clinton Cops grant. Under the Clinton Cops grant, there is no budgeted transfer to this fund for 1997; however, for the fund to have a zero fund balance at the end of the year it would need a transfer of $35,240. In addition, in 1998 it will need a transfer of $84,240 to meet the funding level for the four-year grant conditions. If the projected surplus in the Cops FAST grant of $34,010 is transferred to the Clinton Cops grant, it would leave a four- year funding level deficit of $85,470, which could be transferred from the General Fund. The second attachment is a simple schedule headed, "Police Department Personnel". This shows the savings generated in the Police Department budget from the vacancy in Jendro's position for 1996 and 1997, along with the generated savings from the vacancy in Hickey's position for 1997. These two vacancies generated a savings of $153,660. The second part of this form shows the proposed use of those savings, which includes an $85,470 transfer to the Clinton Cops grant to fulfill the funding requirements under that grant. The second item is $15,567 to be used to bring the part-time CSO budgeted for 1996 to a full-time level. The third and fourth items are the addition of a first and second police officer. If these positions are f'flied on August 1, 1997, the cost will be $15,441 for each position. The end result is a net savings of $21,741 in the Police Department budget. If you would like any additional information, please let me know. WE:dn 9706122 Attachments FEDERAL POLICE GRANT (Clinton Cops) Revenues: Federal grant Interest Transfer from General Fund T~alrevenues CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS FEDERAL POLICE GRANTS Total expenditures Revenue over (under) expenditures Fund balance, January 1 Fund balance, December 31 Projected Projected Projected 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total $ 10,520 $ 43,062 $ 45,036 $ 37,005 $ - $ $135,623 1,839 - 1,839 135,623 11,705 35,240 84,240 266,808 146,143 43,062 58,580 72,245 84,240 404,270 26,371 86,394 91,213 116,052 84,240 404,270 119,772 (43,332) (32,633) (43,807) - 119,772 76,440 43,807 - $119,772 $ 76,440 $ 43,807 $ $ - $ $ - COPS FAST GRANT Revenues: Federal grant Interest Transfer from General Fund Total revenues Total expenditures Revenue over (under) expenditures Fund balance, January 1 Fund balance, December 31 $ $ 7,005 $ 30,965 $ 30,355 $ 6,675 $ $ 75,000 3,682 3,955 4,033 2,663 14,333 76,363 60,000 17,237 153,600 83,368 94,647 51,547 10,708 2,663 242,932 14,011 32,171 48,956 56,370 57,414 208,922 69,357 62,476 2,590 (45,662) (54,751) 34,010 69,357 131,833 134,423 88,761 $ $ 69,357 $131,833 $134,423 $ 88,761 $34,010 $ 34,010 City of Columbia Heights Police Department Personal Savings 1996 and Projected 1997 Prepared 11-Jun-97 Savings for Savings for Savings Em pioyee 1996 1997 Total Jendro 44,0121 67,748 111,759 Hickey 0 41,901 41,901 Total Savings 44,012! 109,648 ~iliiii!i~! Bud~let savings before reappropdations~ Proposed use of Savings Cost Net savings Funds needed to fully fund Grant Commitment for the full 4 years 85,470 68,190 Part time CSO (50% of Position for 1996) 15,567 52,623 Replace vacant positions with entry level officers effective August 1, 1997 1 st Officer 15,441 37,182 2nd Officer 15,441 21,741 Budget savings after reappropdations CITY OF RED WING COORDINATED PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR STUDY PREPARED BY: Edward W. Krause Public Safety Study Coordinator ~ of Red W'mg, l~mmesota :July 3'1, 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................... Page Executive Summary Conclusion .................................. -. ....Page Recommendation ................................... Page Introduc:ion Specific Recommendations ............................. Page 4 Basic Forms of Consolidation ........................... Page 5 Study Questions .................................... Page 6 Response to Study Questions Questions 1-2 ..................................... Page 7 Fire Department Organizational Chart ...................... Page 8 Police Department Organizational Chart .................... Page 9 Questions 3-4a ................................... Page 10 Questions 4b-4c ................................... Page 1 1 Questions 5a-6 ................................... Page 12. Questions 7-9b ................................... Page 1:3 Quesdon 10-1 1 ................................... Page 14 Methodology of Study Benchmarks ...................................... Page 16 Benchmarks ....................................... Page 17 Flagstaff, Arizona .................................. Page 18 El Dorado, Kansas .................................. Page 18 Augusta, Kansas ................................... Page 18 Ottawa, Kansas ................................... Page 19 Durham, Norr& Carolina ............................. .Page 19 Richfield, Minnesota ................................ Page 20 Bumsville, Minnesota ................................ Page 21 Bemidii, Minnesota ................................. Page 22 1Mankato, Minnesota ................................ Page 2.2 Biblio~aphY ............. : ........... · ............... Page 24 Appendix .......................................... Page 25 Appendix h Mankato Public Safety Director Letter .............. Page Mv ACKN OWLEDG EM EN TS The following groups of people and individuals are to be recognized for their suppor~ of this study and for their efforts in contributing to the process. The study could not have been completed without their help and support. Mayor Romeo C. Cyr City Council Mike Hall, President Harold McKinley Glen Carlson Tom Walsh Rhoda Newlin Roseanne Grosso John Selkirk, Ir. Nancy Mikitta Dewey Baringer Council Administrator Steven L. Perkins Review Committee Roger Hand / Timothy Sletten William Metaling Kenneth Crane Phil Mathiowetz Paul Schafer Mike Amendolar Brian Peterson Special Thanks To: John H. Campbell Section Chief FBI National Academy Quantico, VA CITY OF RED WING COORDINATED PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR STUDY EXECUTIVE SUlvfl~ARY BACKGROUND: The move to study Public Safety consolidation actually began in 1994 following a lengthy and contentious legislative debate concerning the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. The debate very clearly pointed out that Red Wing needed to give serious thought as to what steps might be taken to deal with the very substantial loss of tax base should the plant be forced to close. Legislators repeatedly questioned the city as to what plans were in place to deal with the "inevitable transition". This led to the development of the Strategic Plan which focused entirely on municipal government services. One of the goals of the plan is to consider organizational consolidations which can improve or maintain city services at lo,er future operating costs. PURPOSE: To research the feasibility of combining administration of police, fire and emergency management by conducting a study of the various consolidation models. The intent of the study was to examine all models of public safety even though the City of Red Wing is actually only considering nominal consolidation. CONCLUSION: Minnesota communities selected were those with programs mostclosely resembling the model being considered by Red Wing, nominal consolidation. All have a Public Safety Director with separate police and fire departments and each has developed a program which is unique to their respective communities. Four out-of-state cities were visited, all who have experienced full or selected area consolidation. All out-of-state cities visited except one have reverted back to separate police and fire departments with individual department heads. Reasons given for returning to conventional models were almost entirely political. 2 If Red Wing is to go to Public Safety, a model which will be unique to the community must be developed. As Mankato, Minnesota Public Safety Director Glenn Gabriel points out "One size does not fit all." Such a program need not be in place immediately, but will evolve over dine. It will be very important to include employees in the process and keep them fully informed. Change always brings a certain amount of fear and distrust and anything that can be done to minimize this will obviously be to the City's advantage. Caution should be exercised when eliminating administrative staff positions. There are a couple of reasons for this. Other departments saw many of their employees leave when the switch was made to Public Safety. It may happen here too, that the good motivated employee would seek employment elsewhere when there is lit:lc left to aspire to. Morale problems could also result and these may in turn lead to the political problems experienced by other communities. Consideration should also be given to the idea that the incoming Chief or Director be given an opportunity to express their views on a workable structure. RECOIH~ENDA~ON: While there are no compelling reasons for the City of Red Wing to go to a Public Safety model at this time, there are some reasons why it makes sense to consider it now. Retirements of key administrative personnel present a unique window of opportunity which makes the-study very timely and implementation more easily accomplished. Some savings will be realized. While the amount~ in terms of the overall budget seems relatively small, in time it becomes fairly significant. Additionally, while Red Wing departments now operate'with a high level of cooperation, things can ~nd do change. A Public Safety Director may help to assure continuity in the area of operational efficiencies. Consider also, that it would be far easier to revert to the present system if, for some reason, Public Safety does not work out, than it would be to continue the present system and attempt to implement Public Safety at a later date. INTRODUCTION A particularly difficult 1994 legislative session dealing with the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant and storage of spent fuel assemblies brought into focus the tremendous impact the eventual closing of this facility will have on our community. This led to the development of a Red Wing Strategic Plan. A very important phase of the Strategic Planning process involved a local citizen task force meeting together to study ways to continue to maintain or improve services while reducing expenses. The possibility of consolidating a variety of functions came as a result of that task force process. The following recommendations are those pertinent to law enforcement and resulted in this Public Safety Consolidation Study. SPECIFIC RECONIt4ENDATIONS ~ Possible Consolidation Studies Consider Not Consider City Police Department with County Sheriff's 53 votes 12 votes Department Combined Emergency Dispatch for Police, Fire, 64 votes I vote Ambulance, and County Emergency Responses Public Safety (Combined Administration of Fire, 63 votes I vote Police, Safety, and Emergency Dispatch) 4 BASIC FOR]~S OF CONSOLIDATION The following are the commonly used fi~rms of Public Safety Consolidation and a general description of each. Keep in mind that programs will vary in content to reflect the needs of a particular community. FULL CONSOLIDATION: This occurs when police and fire services are performed by a single, unified department employing Public Safety Officers (PSO's), who are fully trained to perform both police and firefighting functions. A minimum number of PSO's are assigned to the fire station while the rest perform police duties, respond to fire calls, and conduct fire prevention activities. When there is a fire call, cross-trained officers, working on what is essentially police patrol duties, respond to the fire calls and are met by fire trucks at the scene. PSO's are usually paid more than either straight police or fire personnel because they must have both police and fire skills. PARTIAL CONSOLIDATION: This occurs when separate police and fire departments are kept, but part or all of the police personnel are trained as Public Safety Officers (PSO's) and serve in both a police and firefighting capacity. The rationale for partial merger is that firefighting in commercial and industrial areas can be highly specialized and cities need to retain a small, highly trained firefighting force augmented by PSO's from the police department. FUNCTIONAL CONSOLIDATION: This exists when deparrJ~ents are separate, but some duties normally performed by one department are assigned to the other. For example, police officers might prepare hydrants for hoses at a fire scene before firefighters arrive, or firefighters might help with administrative duties at the police station. NOMINAL CONSOLIDATION: This occurs when departments are separate, but operate under the direction of a Public Safety Director. z SELECTED AREA CONSOLIDATION: Other studies, in fact most, will include this category of consolidation. This exists when police and fire departments remain separate except for specially trained Public Safety Officers (PSO's) who are assigned to work in limited geographical areas of a community, usually areas newly annexed to the municipality. · STUDY QUESTION Should the City of Red Wing reorganize the Fire, Police, and Emergency Management Departments by establishing a Consolidated Public Safety Depan~nent? One of the goals of Red Wing's recently adopted .Strategic Plan is to consider organizational consolidations which can improve or maintain city services at lower future operating costs. An opportunity to review and implement a new organizational structure for police, fire, and emergency management departments presents itself at this time because of the retirement and impending retirements of top management personnel in all three departments. Key Study Questions: 1. What are the concerns and issues related to the existing organizational structures? 2. What do the existing structures look like and what are the histories behind them? 3. What have been the staffing and budgetary trends? 4. What are the pros and cons of various consolidation levels? $. Identify some of the cost involved in consolidation. 6. What changes would have to occur in the City Charter and Codes? :7. Does the Public Safety Director need to be a licensed police officer? 8. Are there other issues such as Union Contracts, facilities, etc.? 9. How does the County interest in Joint Law Enforcement relate to this issue? 10. How does the :Joint Dispatch proposal relate to the organizational structure issues? ! 1. How does the City's interest in developing a housing code enforcement program and improved building administration relate to this issue? 6 STUDY QUESTIONS What are the concerns and issues related to the existing organizational structure? This question arises from the Strategic Plan process which suggests the City of Red Wing explore ways to consolidate services where possible., One possibility is to consider Nominal Consolidation of police and fire and place both full time departments under the direction of a Public Safety Director. This is timely due to the retirement of the Fire Chief at the end of 1995 and the impending retirement of the Police Chief at the end of ! 996. What does the existing structure look like and what is the history behind it? Both police and fire have employed the traditional staffing hierarchy of Chief, Assistant Chief, Captains, or variations thereof for at least the past :30 years. This has proven to be a very workable model for the City of Red Wing. During the ! 970's the police department operated with only two (2) administrative personnel, the Chief and Captain. This proved to be burdensome for the persons occupying those positions. With the appointment of a new Chief in ! 980 came the splitting of duties and the appointment of a second administrative Captain. The fire department has had a similar structure with two (2) Assistant Chiefs for a number of years, and more recently with one assistant. (SEE ATTACHED ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS) 7 3. What have been the staffing and budgetary trends? 1 1976 I 1986 1996 Fire Department 27 27 27 Staff Police Department 23 21 25 Staff BUDGETS Civil Defense $214 $3,529 $28,432 Police Department $503,675 $1,301,120 $2,070,736 Fire Department $474.025 $1,432,631 $1,325,:376' TOTAL I $977,914 I $2,737,280 $3, a49,068 * Does not include Ambulance Budget (Enterprise Fund with amount $600,383 budgeted for 1996.) 4a. The annexation of Burnside Township in 1972 brought an increase of 5 firefighters and 2 police officers. Police Staff declined again by 2 when parking enforcement was taken over by the Public Works Department, probably in the late 1970%. What are the pros and cons of full/partial consolidation levels? Virtually every study I was able to locate dealt with Full Consolidation and either told why it wouldn't/hadn't worked, or tried to explain why it was a terrific idea. There seemed to be little middle ground. Proponents believe consolidation of police and fire will provide the city with: · A reduction in the "non productive" time of firefighters. · A quicker response time to fires, thus enabling PSO's to contain or extinguish some fires with equipment available in the squad unit. · More police officers on patrol, hopefully reducing the Crime rate. · A reduction in city spending; and · An insight for police officers into the duties and problems of the fire service and vice versa. The main argument of opponents to consolidation is both polke and fire protection are extraordinarily difficult tasks that involve unique skills. Expecting one individual to be able.to perform both jobs adequately is unrealistic. 4 By the time patrol officers get out of their police gear and into firefighting gear, the time lapse is so great it negates any possible advantage. Public Safety Officers are generally paid more, thereby eliminating some of savings supposedly created by the consolidation. 10 Resentments are created in both departments because Public SafeB, Officers are paid more. They are seem as "prima donnas" by other employees. These arguments, pro and con, will probably apply to each of the levels of consolidation which involve cross-training of personnel. What are the pros and cons of nominal consolidation? Proponents believe nominal consolidation of police and fire will provide the city with: · Nominal reduction in costs · Streamlined structure · Efficiencies - sharing of resources such as equipment, duties, etc. Budget adjustments between departments made,easier Opponents believe nominal consolidation of police and fire will result in: · Nominal reduction in costs · Employee resistance · The perception that one department is favored over another · Fear of change · Fear of downsizing · Little or no effect on service delivery How might the same be achieved with separate departments2 (Status Quo) The key here, as the study points out, is for the police and fire chiefs to communicate, share, and cooperate, and local departments do very well in these areas. Of course, there is always room for improvement. When examining working relationships between police and fire in Red Wing it is apparent there is good cooperation when it comes to shared resources. Police have asked for and received ladders, lights, standby ambulances, etc. (usually with firefighters to operate the equipment as well), and police have been quick to support firefighters as well at medical and fire calls. There are areas that have not been tested, such as vehicle usage and budget considerations. A~reement has been reached, however, on the Opticom system purchase and installation. The fire department will purchase and the police department will install the equipment in the emergency vehicles. Both departments utilize equipment and vehicles for service delivery. However, the equipment and vehicles are generally of a specialized nature particular to each agencies specific job duties. Sharing of such equipment and vehicles is naturally limited by their specialized nature. II 5a. Identify some of the costs involved in full/partial consolidation. These figures can be used to arrive at a rough cost for any level of consolidation which requires cross-training of personnel - Full, Partial, or Selected Area. Functional Consolidation would require very little in the way of training or equipment and consequently costs of implementation would be very low. Nominal Consolidation involves separate departments operating under a Public Safety Director. LOCAL COST FACTORS FACTOR I COST # ElvfPLOYE£ I EXTENSION Police Training (2 year degree) $6615 26 $1 71,990 Firefighter Training (1 year) $2500 25 $62,500 Paramedic Training $2500 25 $62, $00 Firefighter Turn-out Gear $ 3000 25 $ 75,000 Police Equipment $2300 27 $62,100 Additional Vehicles $ 30,000 ? ? Salaries (Training and shift coverage)? ? ? Annual Training Requirements ~ ~ ? Psychological and Physical Examinations $700 27 $18,900 Salary Step Increases for PSO's ? ? ? 5b. Identify some of the costs for nominal consolidation. Because nominal consolidation involves retaining separate departments and combines only the administration of the departments, costs would be kept to a minimum. The savings would be realized in the hiring of one director as opposed a chief in each department. Conservatively figuring a reduction of $50,000 in salary and benefits and a 3% inflation rate, this should lead to approximately $570,000 in savings over a 10 year period. e What changes would have to occur with the City Charter and Ordinances? Section 2.07 of the City Code addresses the Mayor's general control and supervision of the Police Department and the "Chief Law Enforcement Official". Under a Public Safety system, the Fire Department, and Emergency Management would be under the direction of the "Chief Law Enforcement Official" as well as the Police Department. This is an appropriate time to reconsider the Mayor's "control and supervisory role" with regard to the Police Department. 12 e Overall in the City Code there are numerous references to the "Chief of Police" in various sections. These references will likely need to be examined and changed to "Public Safety Director". Does the Public Safety Director nc~l to be a licensed Police Officer? Minnesota Statute 626.846, Subdivision 6 reads "A person seeking election or appointment to the office of Sheriff, or seeking aPDointment to the position of chief law enforcement officer, as defined by rules of the board, after June :30, 1987, must be licensed or eligible to be licensed as a peace officer. The person shall submit proof of peace officer licensure or eligibility as part of the apl~lication for office. A person elected or appointed to the office of Sheriff or the position of chief law enforcement officer shall be licensed as a peace officer during the persons term of office or employment. According to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, the Public Safety Director must be a licensed peace officer. 8ao Are there other issues such as Un~on Contracts, facilities, etc? How a Public Safety Director would interact with Union Contracts needs to be determined. For instance, would the Director be included in the ~evance process or not? This can be addressed in the position job description or simply added to contractual language. Obviously there exits a need for a suitable office. I really see no need to change facilities to accommodate the position should the City decide to go with a Public Safety Director. All interviewed Directors had their offices located in the law enforcement buildings. More important than location is the ability to communicate effectively. Oao How does the County interest in joint law enforcement relate to this issue? Joint City/County law enforcement is really a completely separate issue which will require a ~Teat deal more study involving issues far removed from the Public Safety Director study. With the County jail study, however, the Police and Sheriff's Departments have met to discuss areas that mi~ht be shared in the event a new combined law enforcement center is built. Items discussed have been rather limited, including such areas as training and space needs where duplication can be avoided and significant savings realized for both agencies. 10. How does the joint dispatch proposal relate to the organizational issues? This is really a totally separate issue as well and should be explored as such. Whether or not a Public Safety Director were to be hired should have no bearing on a move toward combined dispatch. This is a matter of efficiencies that can occur at any time. This could free up firefighters to accomplish more in the way of inspections, etc. How does the City's interest in developing a housing code enforcement program and improved building administration relate to this ~ue? This, as well, can be viewed as a separate issue and developed in any case. However, some of the Directors interviewed have such programs in place and they functioned very well. This is especially true in the case where inspectors were under the supervision of the Public Safety Director and, as one Director said, "...there was no bureaucracy...". Everyone functioned as part of a team. 14 ~IF. THODOLOGY OF STUDY A total of eight (8) cities, four (4) outside of the state of Minnesota, and four (4) in Minnesota were contacted in connection with this study. Information from prior Public Safety studies on file with the FBI National Academy was used to identify cities outside of Minnesota that would be contacted in connection with this study. Those cities were Flagstaff, Arizona; El Dorado, Kansas; Augusta, Kansas; and Ottawa, Kansas. Of these four, only one remains in Public Safety consolidation. The Minnesota cities contacted were Pdchfield, Bumsville, Bemidji, and Mankato. All of these departments have some form of Public Safety consolidation in place now, and in some cases have had more than one form of consolidation in their pasts. The following is a brief review of benchmark data obtained from each community and information from personal conversations with administrators of departments within those communities. FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA Selected Area Consolidation Flagstaff had initiated a selected area type of Public Safety with a squad in each end of their city. Each vehicle was equipped with firefighdng gear. The city discontinued the program about 20 years ago after its having been in place for five years. The program was discontinued following intensive lobbying by the fire department during which time the department actually went on strike for two weeks. A police department spokesman who had worked during the time of consolidation felt the program actually seemed to work fairly well. His recollection was that one of the larger concerns was that the officers assigned this ~uty worked a eight hour day, five days per week, as opposed to the traditional fire department schedule. EL DORADO, KANSAS Full Consolidation The Public Safety department was created in 1964 when a director was named to supervise the police and fire departments. Initially the departments remained separate, but after training the departments were fully consolidated. It should be noted that many of the employees left during this transition so, in effect, El Dorado had an almost entirely new work force. The director was primarily a policy and budget person and each department was headed by a deputy director. With this program the major benefit was seen as maximum use of personnel resources. The down side was that it took five minutes for an officer to change from police gear to firefighting gear. That was determined to be an unacceptable delay. Eventually the demands of training placed such stress on the department that the program was dissolved in January of 1995 and El Dorado has returned to separate police and fire departments. 6 AUGUSTA, KANSAS Full Consolidation Augusta, a community of 8,000 population near Wichita, had traditional police and fire departments until ! 961 when they moved to full consolidation. The current director, a former Wichita police officer, has held the position for three years and is very happy with consolidation and states "it is right for their community." He saw a major benefit to the community in decreased insurance rates due to increased personnel level because of cross-training. Also, because of training, an officer can respond to a fire scene with the knowledge to direct the appropriate fire response. The Major fire problems in this area are grass fires. Both Augusta and El Dorado have responsibility for 100+ square miles and have mutual aid agreements in place with other departments. The only negative mentioned was the initial difficulty in getting officers to do both jobs even though they were trained to do both. Clarification of responsibilities and accountability resolved this problem. 7 18 OI-I'AWA, KANSAS Full Consolidation The City of Ottawa had discontinued consolidation in January of 1991. The chief advised that his prior employment had been with the Olathe, Kansas Public Safety Department. Olathe had the nominal form of consolidation with a director overseeing both departments. Captains acted as department heads under the director. Olathe discontinued Public Safety consolidation in 1991 for many of the same reasons that caused Ottawa to discontinue consolidation. Some of the complaints cited were: B. C. D. Virtually no savings The system generated rumors causing a lack of confidence with the public. The system promoted distrust between police and fire personnel The shared facility created security concerns on the part of the police which in turn only compounded feelings of animosity because fire personnel were not allowed in certain areas of the building, s DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA Full Consolidation While Durham was not a city visited in connection with this study, a study completed by Eldon Willingham and David Hartin, "POLICE AND FIRE CONSOLIDATION; HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT" was reviewed and information contained in that study appears below. Durham experienced the loss of 324 employees out of a total of 400. They also had great difficulty in recruiting new employees and wasted huge amounts of money on having to retrain the new employees. Several lessons were learned from the Durham experience which would seem to fit, to some degree, all levels of Public Safety consolidation. · Strong opposition can be expected from employees · Managing a Public Safety department requires strong management skills. Police and fire services are especially difficult to manage because human life is at stake and because there is constant contact with the public. The constant, sometimes insatiable, demand for police service makes it difficult to allocate time necessary for fire training · Management needs to be careful to keep the support of the rank and file for Public Safety · Pay issues, understaffing, and rapid annexation became problems · The Durham case illustrates the difficulty in evaluating police effectiveness in general and Public Safety operations in particular. Increased staffing and quicker response times did not result in a less than average crime rate. · Lastly, proponents of programs like Public Safety have to be aware of the nuances of urban politics. Public support for law enforcement is not necessarily a function of changes in the crime rate. While the crime rate in Durham may have declined, public perceptions about safety and the effectiveness of law enforcement appear to be influenced as much by national trends as by local conditions. Thus, special attention has to be given to promoting the public image of the department. ~9 There is little in the literature advocating Public Safety that focuses on anything but efficiency~ City'-- governments not only provide services like police and fire, they also provide employment for individuals and both symbolic and material rewards for groups in the polity. Defenders of Public Safety in Durham - claimed that they lost a political battle that had little to do with the strengths and weaknesses of Public Safety. If this was the case~ then managers of good programs need to be able to generate support among political constituencies as well as document the effectiveness of their programs. 9 RICHFIELD, HINNESOTA Nominal Consolidation The City of Richfield moved from traditional Police and Fire departments to nominal consolidation Public Safety in 1972. This change in their structure has had very little impact on personnel levels. Richfield is unique in that the Director not only has Police and Fire responsibility, he is responsible for Civil Defense, licensing, health, and inspections, which include restaurants, rental units~ and points of sales. He also has responsibility for dispatch services for the City of Richfield. Director ~]ack Erskine speaks very highly of their system and states that their team approach to problem solving has proven to be very effective. Since all disciplines are represented during an investigation of a problem, the need to refer to other agencies and then wait for their reports is eliminated. Resolutions to most problems come very quickly. Cited as some of the benefits to their system are a lack of bureaucracy - one large team works together rather than as individual agencies, the sharing of equipment and transfers of funds from one budget to another if necessary. An Assistant Chief runs the daily operation on the Fire department side. He has a Captain and Lieutenant on each of the three (3) shifts. The Police department has captains which act as Deputy Directors, Lieutenants and Sergeants. The Police Department also employes civilians in the areas of Crime Prevention, Research and Planning. Ail division managers do their own budgets with review by the Director. Special areas of concern for Richfield law enforcement include their close proximity to South Minneapolis, that boundary is only one block from their Public Safety Building, and the Hall of America. Richfield Juvenile Officers work closely with the Bloomington Police Department in curfew sweeps at the mall. Richfield Public Safety also does safety camps for 5th grade students. These camps cover a wide variety of safety related topics such as bicycle safety, Danger Stranger, fire safety, etc. It has become an extremely popular program in the community. Union members in the Richfield Police Department were not contacted in connection with this study. 2O BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA Nominal Consolidation In 1964 the city of Burnsville was created. In 1965 they had a 12 man Police Department and no Fire Department. In 1967 they entered Full Public Safety Consolidation. According to Bumsville's Police Chief, this functioned very well until the late 1970's when understaffing began to cause problems which were not properly addressed. This led to the untimely demise of the Public Safety system and the formation of two separate departments. It was the Chief's opinion that had these problems been properly addressed at that time, Bumsviile would likely endure as a fully consolidated Public Safety Department today. Bumsviile is unique in that the title "Public Safety Director" is a misnomer. The person in this position is actually a Deputy City Manager/Chief of Police/Emergency Management Director. In this capacity he directly supervises the Fire Chief, Police Captains, Deputy City Manager's secretary, planning/training/research officers, and others as required. He also supervises, indirectly, all other subordinate employees. The Fire Chief has his office in City Hall rather than in one of the two fire stations. This forces the Chief to be a good communicator and to go out to the fire stations on a regular basis to address concerns of firefighters. Both the Police Chief and the Fire Chief began their careers as Bumsville police officers. The City Hall/Police Department is one large complex, separated only by doors. This allows easy access and good communications flow for everyone concerned. The Chief felt that if the idea is primarily to streamline government and perhaps realize some cost savings in the process, then nominal consolidation can be a good idea for Red Wing. The real key, he stressed, is that the Director must have strong communication skills. I1 Burnsville Police Department Union personnel indicated the following: · · · · · System works well...it's easier having one boss Feels boss has a very balanced approach in dealing with departments which is critical System has financial advantages - one salary instead of two Old system (Full Consolidation) died because of politics Feels system works well...others may have different feelings Close working knowledge of budgets is a definite advantage Bumsville Fire Department Union Personnel indicated: System favors police Separate departments better - more benefit to the department by having direct access to City Administration (Second Person) System works pretty well Likes their set-up with Fire Chief Believes the Fire Chief makes the decisions relative their department 21 BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA Nominal Consolidation Bemidii merged their police and fire departments into a Public Safety department in 1992, naming their police chief as Public Safety director. As director, he assumed basic administration of the fire department, leaving the daily operations of the department to the fire chief. They have a joint bud. get process. When they began the Public Safety department, the fire chief was actually a volunteer in charge of the budget.. Today they have a full-dine chief with a staff of five full-time firefighters. They are currently exploring the possibility of hiring two more firefighters. Along with the full time staff, they have a fairly large volunteer force, including several who are full-time firefighters in other cities. A major issue with the fire department is that 50% of the housing in Bemidji is rental units with many of them substandard. They had a record four fire deaths in 1995. According to their data for the past three years, only 10 of the $79 fire departments in the state averaged more fire runs than Bemidji. Both the director and fire chief speak highly of their ability to work together to accomplish tasks. Examples include having firefighters assist at crime scenes with lighting, traffic direction, joint arson investigation with a high clearance rate, and some shared training opportunities. The city is served by a private ambulance service (paramedic level), however, the fire department (EMT level) also respond to major calls, and their response times are considerably quicker. Firefighters also do code inspections for Bemidji. In addition to their permanent population, Bemidji is home to a college, Bemidji State University, is a popular tourist area, a popular fishing area, and has three Native American communities with casinos nearby, the farthest being about 30 miles distant. ~2 Bemidji Fire Department Union personnel indicate: Had been volunteer at time of transition Very supportive of their system and spoke highly of working arrangements MANKATO, MINNESOTA "Administrative Consolidation" In December of 1985 the City of Mankato hired their first and only Public Safety Director. They made the decision and commitment to switch to nominal consolidation from the traditional police and fire departments with an individual chief in each department. The Mankato model most closely resembles nominal consolidation, but Director Glenn Gabriel labels it "Administrative Consolidation." Mankato employs a fairly flat organizational structure and when major calls occur administrative personnel will also respond to assist. This is a fairly common practice in many department structures. 22 Director Gabriel states that the major advantage to the Public Safety system is the ease in sharing duties and equipment. As an example, he points out that the police department has only one four-wheel drive vehicle, while the fire department has four. During the winter months, the police officers frequently use the fire department vehicles to be able to get around. At the same time, police squads carry hydrant wrenches and thus officers can offer nominal assistance at fire scenes since they are usually nearby directing traffic. Mankato has a private ambulance service, GOLD CROSS, but firefighters are Advanced Life Support (ALS) trained and. will respond as well to life threatening emergency calls. According to Director Gabriel, once the ambulance arrives on scene, the firefighters may assist with traffic control. Mankato has an innovative program using resident volunteer firefighters. They offer college students residency in their fire stations in return for volum:eer duties. Their last fire station, built in 1994, was built with this program in mind. Resident students work ten nights per month, while non-resident students staff the station three nights per month. Stations are normally staffed with one to three volunteers and one or two full time firefighters on night shifts. Full-time staff, augmented by administrative personnel, cover day shifts. In order to be promoted in Mankato, a firefighter must be a licensed part-time peace officer and a police officer must have had Firefighter I training. They also have a single training officer serving both police and fire departments. Director Gabriel is a strong proponent of Public Safety and what can be accomplished with it, but he points out that this isn't a "one size fits all" prosram. If Red Wing elects to go with Public Safety, the City needs to tailor the program to fit our requirements. He also made the observation that Public Safety programs that have failed have done so for political reasons, not operational issues. Director Gabriel has put some information in letter form and, with his permission, I've included that letter as a part of this study report, '~ Mankato Fire Department Union personnel indicate: "Does the system work? It depends on who you ask. The people who implemented it will say it works, the employees will ~ive you a different answer." Police are seen as the main entity and if adjustments are to be made, the Fire Department gets cut while additions are made to the Police side. Would favor separate departments Does not believe the public has feelinss one way or the other. Mankato Police Department Union personnel indicate: Has worked both systems - favors separate departments Has received minimal training but expected to work with fire staff on equipment they have received extensive training with Have cross trained fire commanders to lead police and police commanders to lead fire but this has never occurred Prosram initially sold on savinss throush restructuring. Felt there was little savinss, if any. 2~ BIBLIOGRAPHY 10. 11. 12. 13. City of Red Wing, Strategic Plan Citizen Advisory Committee, October 10, 1995 Co·, Charles and Joel Rosch, Benefits and Barriers to Police-Fire Consolidation: A Case Study, 1987. Willingham, Eldon and Daniel K. Hartin, Police and Fire Consolidation: How Effective is It? Co·, Charles and Joel Rosch, Benefits and Barriers to Police-Fire Consolidation: A Case Study, 1987. Journal of Police Science and Administration. Cooper, Brent F., Lieutenant, Flagstaff, Arizona Police Department, Interview. Wright, John, Deputy Chief, El Dorado, Kansas Police Department, Interview. Green, Ralph E., Fire Chief, El Dorado, Kansas Fire Department, Interview. Pate, David V., Director of Safety, Augusta, Kansas Public Safety Department, Interview. Herrman, Jeffrey D., Chief of Police, Ottowa, Kansas Police Department, Interview. Co·, Charles and ]oel Rosch, Benefits and Barriers to Police-Fire Consolidation: A Case Study, 1987. Journal of Police Science and Administration· Erskine, ]ack, Director of Public Safety, Richfield, Minnesota, Public Safety Department, Interview. DuMoulin, Mike, Deputy City Manager/Chief of Police, Bumsville, Minnesota Public Safety Department, Interview. Payne, Ronald, Fire Chief, Bumsville, Minnesota Public Safety Department, Interview. Tell, Robert, Director of Public Safety, Bemidji, Minnesota Public Safety Department, Interview. Rabe, Bill, Fire Chief, Bemidji, Minnesota Public Safety Department, 'Interview. Gabriel, Glenn R., Director of Public Safety, Mankato, Minnesota Public Safety Department, Interview. 24 April 30, 1996 Mr. Edward Krause, Chief of Police City of Red Wing 520 East Avenue Red Wing, Minnesota 55066 710 Front Street South Mankato, Minnesota 56001 Phone: (507) 387-8790 Fax: (507) 387-9292 RE: INFORMATION ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCEPT Dear Ed: ! am responding to your request for information on the "public safety" service delivery concept. While i am a proponent of the concept, i will attempt to provide a balanced approach. Public Safety Concept: There are several different approaches to providing public safety services through a public safety department. The degree of consolidation is as varied as the cities using the concept. No concept fits all communities, however, the flexibility in delivering services is maximized under the public safety concept. Should Red Wing consider implementing the public safety concept they should design a system that meets the unique needs of the community. You should not attempt to copy another system. You sh ~ould study other cities and determine what, if any, degree of consolidation fits your community. As you design a system you should maximize the available resources througt~ mutual aid and your existing service delivery systems, like your volunteer programs. The savings under public safety are normally in the fire service. Efficiencies are seen in both disciplines, however, hard dollar savings can be realized in the fire service, most of the time. Generally there are three types of public safety departments, in each of these approaches police and fire functions are managed under the direction of a single department head: Fully Consolidated - All personnel in the Department are "cross trained" to provide both police and fire services. Employees perform both functions either by assignment or through response notification. Mankato is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer Printed on recycled ~a~er, 300/0 post-consumer with soy ~nk Mr. Edward Krause April 30 1996 Page Two This approach was the first concept and provided cities, like Sunnyvale, the ability to maximize the use of the human resources in the police and fire departments. Today, the concept is very difficult to maintain because of the training requirement for police and fire professionals. The costs of maintaining proficiency in both disciplines is high (estimated at 500 hours per year). Partial Consolidation - Under this approach a city maintains a base of police and fire personnel who are assisted in their mission by a cadre o[ cross trained personnel. The supervisory and management ranks are cross trained to manage both functions, reducing the costs of managing the police and fire functions of the city. The approach minimizes the costs of maintaining an entire department of cross trained personnel, it provides a "power shift" of personnel that can be called upon to assist during times of need. The down side of this approach is the assignment of the cross trained personnel, which union will represent them, and the appearance the employees are prima donnas. Administratively Consolidated - This approach consolidates the administration, supervision and management of the public safety services while maintaining separate operations (police and fire). This is the simplest of approaches and frequently pays the greatest dividends with the least political risk. Since the management of the "department" is under a single structure the sharing of resources is maximized and the use of the human resources can likewise be maximized. This approach has been compared to a football team. They have an offense and defense, but periodically take a few players off each to play on the special teams. There are a number of coaches, however, only one head coach. This approach seeks synergism and increased efficiency (cost versus productivity). Mr. Edward Krause April 30 1996 Page Three As mentioned earlier, there are many varieties of public safety d.epartments. Most large cities and 75% of the states operate under a modified public safety concept, in these large organizations the services are coordinated under a public safety commissioner who is responsible for maximizing the coordination. Minnesota and Florida are state examples and Cleveland and Atlanta are examples of large cities. Cities and states are realizing someone needs to be accountable for the two most expensive services in government (police and fire). There are an estimated 1,000+ public Safety agencies in the United States at the State, County, Campus, or Municipal level. Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, Minnesota and Illinois have widespread use and acceptance of the public safety concept. The "failures" identified by the critics of the public safety concept have failed because of political, not operational, reasons. To the best of my knowledge there are no documented cases where the public safety concept failed because of operational reasons. Politically, the public safety concept is subject to attack. The reasons for the attacks usually fit into one of the following areas: [] Unions oppose the concept because of their desire to maximize, not minimize, membership. [] Police and fire chiefs oppose the concept because they do not want to loose their "power." Interestingly, if police and fire chiefs would communicate, share, and cooperate, the concept would have less merit. Police and fire chiefs generally do not support the concept unless they are being considered for the position as the agency head, and even then many do not want double the responsibilities for a small increase in pay. [] The public and elected officials do not fully understand the concept ar'd the impact on services and costs. As such, as with any new program, it becomes a rallying point during elections. [] Opponents raise the "baby burning fears" of the change in a service delivery system. Few appointed or elected officials are willing to risk having an incident occur during the transition or newness of the concept. Further, appointed officials are frequently ill-prepared to demonstrate that the severity of the incident had little if anything to do with the public safety response. Even if the response affected the outcome, there are no guarantees that traditional responses are fail proof. [] Cities do not clearly outline their objectives in adopting the public safety concept. Many times the objective is to "save money." As such opponents to the concept can show that the budget did not "go down" therefore the concept "failed." In reality costs are frequently less when compared to the costs of maintaining the traditional service delivery model. Further, the level of service frequently increases with a comparative reduction in costs. Remember..."efficiency" is cost versus productivity and this can be measured. Mr. Edward Krause April 30 1996 Page Four As Red Wing considers the public safety concept you need to consider the following points: O You, like every other city, are unique. You need to design a system that meets your needs with regard to the level of service and the ability to pay for the services. O A well designed system will work and provide efficiencies. The elected and appointed officials must be committed to "staying the course" and objectively evaluating the results. Don't be afraid to make modifications to the plan. It is a plan, not an "as built." O Carefully develop measurable objectives. Publicize the objectives and the evaluation. O Expect political attacks. Operational concerns should be minimal with a committed management team and a well designed program. Please let me know if you have questions on the content of this letter or if you need additional information. I would be glad to provide you whatever assistance you might need as you evaluate the public safety concept. Director of Public Safety cc: Patrick W. Hentges, City Manager COLUMBIA HEIGHTS POLICE DEPARTMENT INTER OFFICE MEMORANDUM DATE: TO: May28, 1997 Mayor Sturdevant City Manager Walt Fehst Council members City Attorney Fire Chief Captain Olson FROM: Thomas M. Johnson, Chief of Police SUBJECT: PUBLIC SAFETY CONCEPT I was asked by the City Manager to research the topic, "Public Safety Department", so that the council and administrative heads could have some first hand knowledge of this concept. I was very surprised to find how little information is avMlable on this topic. I have checked through the Internet, the local library system, and our local Minnesota Police Chiefs office with negative resuks. Knowing that the City of Redwing recently decided to change to a public safety environment I decided to contact Chief of Police, Edward W. Krause. Chief Krause researched the Public Safety concept for almost a year and his findings, in the form of a paper entitled "City of Redwing Coordinated Public Safety Director Study" is attached. I think you will find the paper very well written. Chief Krause thoroughly researched the topic and looks at both the pro's and the con's to this type of system. Chief Krause also gives us some definitions that will help to define the environment that we are looking at here in Columbia Heights. What follows are some of the pro's and con's of Public Safety for Columbia Heights. Although a lot of information was gained by reading Chief Krause's paper this is not a one size fits ali type of situation. What follows is a breakdown by section of how the public safety concept may affect our current environment. Administration: Currently the administrative staff of the Fire Department is made up of the Fire Chief and Asst. Fire Chief. In the Police Department the administrative staff includes the Police Chief and the Captain. In a Public Safety environment the administrative staff of a nominal consolidation would include the Director of Public Safety, a Deputy Director of Police and a Deputy Director of Fire. This would reduce the administrative staffby one person with an estimated savings of approximately $79,000. This is based on a salary of $60,000 and 30% of this base for benefits. The current ½ time fire secretary would be used in the combined records section of a new public safety environment. The largest challenge of this new system for administration will be to create an "US" environment rather than a "They or Them"situation. Team building will be a very critical part of the early process in this change if k were to happen. The other critical part of the administrative change is to make sure the fire section gets the attention k needs. There is a tendency to pay more attention to police issues than fire and this must be controlled. duties of a Records Technician. In turn the fire secretary could teach the current tech about the fire software and the fire records system. Records Section: This may be the area that we will see the most improvement. The Fire side of the operation would have the benefit of the records section of the police section. The entry of all fire calls and the filing of all fire reports could be combined wkh the police records. This would bring both the fire and police software into one location and would allow for easier and more available access to data for both sides of the agency. Eventually it would be beneficial to have one software package that could maintain both the fire and police records. The current aA time secretary in the Fire Department could be added to the Police records staff and trained in the The most important factor in this area will be the acceptance and welcoming of the fire secretary into the combined Public Safety Records environment. It will be critical that this person is fully welcomed and that a shared open environment exists from the beginning. When records are requested the personnel will have to treat both sides of the department police and fire with the same respect. INVESTIGATIONS AND HOUSING INSPECTIONS: The Police Section would be able to take advantage of information gathered and maintained by the housing inspection section. In turn the Fire Section would have the benefit of the information gathered and maintained by the police department. The knowledge that Housing Inspectors have of facilities and residences will be invaluable to investigations. In turn the knowledge that the police section has of people in the community should greatly assist the Housing Inspections Arson investigations especially will benefit from the shared environment of Public Safety. The potential difficulty in this area is the willingness to cooperate wkh one another. Investigators and Housing Inspectors may be hesitant to share information based on data privacy issues and/or confidentiality issues. It is important to build a trusting cooperative relationship from the beginning and for the administration to support and encourage this relationship. PATROL AND LINE FIRE FIGHTERS: Although a very strong cooperative effort now exists between the Police Department and the Fire Department I feel this could and would be enhanced if a combined department has the opportunity to exist. Although the sciences are very distinct and require many hours of training and re- training to perform there are areas that police and fire assist each other. These areas include, medicals, fires, making hydrants, directing traffic, crowd control, searching for lost people, body recovery, pulling hose from a truck, initial size up of a fire, natural and man made disasters, searching for evidence, gathering information, etc. The critical part in a combined effort in my opinion is to create an "US" environment as soon as possible. A sharing of expertise, experience, and some shared training would help to build this respect and cooperation within the department. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT/CIVIL DEFENSE: This is another area that is a plus for a combined effort. Having the combined resources of a fire department and a police department during a man made or natural disaster creates a better and more uniformed response. Personnel are familiar with command staff from either department which creates ease in direction for the line personnel The response to an unusual occurrence or natural disaster is more uniform and coordinated. Combined Unusual Occurrence plans could be created using the resources and personnel available. In this area the challenge will be to make sure that personnel understand who is in charge and to get ali personnel involved in the creation, maintenance, and training of our Emergency Management/Civil Defense program. COMBINED BUDGET: A combined budget would allow us to draw on one pool of resources and to combine our collective purchasing power. It would allow us to be more creative in our purchasing and to be more flexible in responding to the needs in each section. In talking to a Burnsville Police Captain he gave the example of a need that they had in Burnsville for a new ambulance yet the budgeting for the ambulance was not in place. The department did however have budgeting for police vehicles. After reviewing the status of the current police fleet it was decided to forgo purchasing new squads and to purchase the needed ambulance instead. We must be careful to make sure the perception is not created that the fire budget is cut to create more opportunity for the police budget. The fire side of the equation must get the attention that k deserves. CONCLUSION: As stated in Chief Kruse's paper the main elements that defeat this type of environment are political or self serving. Because of the current makeup of the Fire Department and the opening and potential openings that exist within the fire department trying this type of project may be something we would want to look at. Also as stated by many of the departments noted in Chief Kruse paper we must create an environment that works for our city. Each Public Safety Department must be custom fit to the community it serves. On size does not necessarily fit all. International City Management Association VOLUME 14 NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER 1982 Manage Information Service REPORT Update: public safety departments--combining the police and fire functions REPORT AT A GLANCE This month's report updates and re- examines the issue of consolidating police and fire departments into public safety departments--an issue that was explored in the July 1976 MIS Report, "Public Safety Departments: Combin- ing the Police and Fire Functions." Consolidation, while meaning many things to different people, is a system that many local governments now use to put more public safety personnel out on the streets, to increase productivity, and to hold the line on expenditures for public protection. The first important step in consolida- tion is a thorough planning and organ- izing process, which includes a critical examination of a community's needs, what type of consolidation is desired, building community support, and de- termining the financial aspects of the proposed program. While there have been cases of strident opposition to consolidation plans from the person- nel affected, this opposition can be changed to support and participation through education about the program, negotiations with personnel and unions involved, and guarantees of voluntary participation. Two communities that have recently implemented public safety programs or are about to are examined here to de- termine why they were successful in the establishment of their programs. Both communities--Texarkana, Arkansas and Kalamazoo, Michigan--have thor- ough planning and implementation ex- periences that can demonstrate to other communities how to begin the consolidation process. Texarkana's program has been in place in partial since 1975 and in full since 1978. Since consolidation began, response times have come down, fire losses have been reduced, and crime rates have de- creased. Kalamazoo will implement consolidation on January 1, 1983 after performing a model planning and im- plementation process. Their experience with personnel unions is instructive for other communities faced with opposi- tion from police and fire personnel. Eight communities that had consolida- tion and were examined in the 1976 report are re-examined here to deter- mine the success of their programs and to highlight the different forms that consolidation may take. Seven of the communities have retained their con- solidated program, and by and large have strengthened or expanded it. The range of their populations--9,200 to 131,900--demonstrates the range of communities in which consolidation may be successful. Management Information Service November 1982 Vol. 14 No. 11 Management Information Reports are published monthl International City Management Assocla-.'<=: tion, 1120 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Copyright .© 1982 by.the International~ City Ma. nag( ment Association. No part of this may be reproduced without permlssi0~ ~ :'~ ' of the copyright owner. .... :';~- .~-'.:*.* *: '~ .. U.. ~,~ ~.-.,',~ ,; ~.* *".*i '~; These reports'are inte~d~l' i ~ ,;:,~ ~,-~ : ~ :~.. ~ .....~ ~., · c;..-, ..::: :; provide timely information on su~ .practical interest to local g ~.~ ~ * ,, * administrators, budget and research '-' *' ........ .:~? analysts, administrative assistants, ~:_' llbr~rians, and ot~ers res ~ :,~ ~d concern~ W~[~ the oPerationaL Ideal ., goVern~ents: ":~?} ar~ tss~e~ .>. ~9-,;'lce that inclddes answers to =* ~Cahd other '~bli~tlon~: · . -,: "-;furnished scribers. Please send orders by mail and , -: ~' ': .. 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', ~/82 Organizing for ~nd ~velop- Lannc~g New ~tiatives in Da~ Le~d, Pr0du~ion ~0('?; * :' 7 "meat ControI~A Tool for of Retrenchment Reb~ ~os, ~u~ion; /,:..~,- , ,~ Economic Development, . 10/82 ~omputers: Tools for ~sist~t_ -~'~.:,~;: ~.,:~-,,~k'~,< . ..... ~9/82 ~e,. Political Manager ....... Loc~ ~ve~ent UPDATE: PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS-- COMBINING THE POLICE AND FIRE FUNCTIONS Every community faces the challenge of providing police and fire services in an effective and efficient I manner. This must be done despite the increasing demand these services are placing on the limited local government resources available. Communities can look forward to increasing expenditures for salaries and fringe benefits, shorter work weeks for employees, and pressure for additional police and fire protection. Communities are forced to examine critically their expenditures to see where cuts can be made and revenues can be redistributed. More and more, communities are looking to the consolidation of police and fire depart- ments as one way to meet these challenges without reduc- Lng service levels. In communities across the country the consolidation of police and fire departments into public safety depart- ments has been shown to maximize the utilization of per- sonnel, while providing the same or higher level of serv- ice, in a financially efficient manner. The effectiveness of consolidation has been articulated in a report by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan: ...Police-Fire consolidation can increase the number of on-duty staff available for police patrol or response to fire alarms by as much as 50070. Police-fire consolidation makes available more on- duty personnel to fight fires and provides a larger group of trained public safety officers off-duty who can be recalled in the event of a major conflagra- tion. Police-fire consolidation also makes it feasible to extend the 40 hour work week to all public safety personnel and tends to provide them with a higher degree of professionalization and job satisfaction.~ What is the Public Safety Concept? Public Safety is a system, with many variations, whereby an employee is trained to perform both police/patrol duties and fire suppression and prevention duties. A Public Safety Officer (PSO) This month's report was prepared by Isabelle SchoenfeM. She has an MPA Degree from American University, with a concentration in Urban Affairs. She prepared the report while a member of MIS inquiry service. would patrol a "district" in a police cruiser and perform all regular patrol functions such as responding to calls for service, traffic, accident in- vestigation, etc. This patrol would also respond to all fire calls. The patrol vehicle would be equipped with complete firefighting toolsJ Public safety programs in 10 communities are de- scribed in this report. All but one presently have some form of consolidation of their police and fire depart- ments. Eight of the communities were also described in a 1976 MIS Report.: Our purpose in the second part of this report is to look at these eight public safety programs to- day and see how they have changed in the last 6 years. The first part of this report looks at two communities for the first time. They are Kalamazoo, Michigan and Texarkana, Arkansas, and have been selected as ex- amples of public safety programs that were well-planned. Texarkana's public safety program was first established in 1975 and continued to expand in stages through 1978 when full consolidation took place. Kalamazoo's public safety program will establish its first operational phase in January 1983. Although their final public safety systems differ in several ways, their planning process had several factors in common. In addition, both cities had to negotiate with police and fire personnel or unions; their experience with this process is instructive. IMPORTANT ASPECTS IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION Examining the planning, implementation, and operating process from successful consolidations reveals several factors that are very important in the successful establish- ment of a public safety program. These factors are: The formation of a study commission to look at the concept of consolidation. The study commission should be comprised of representatives from the municipal administration, city council, police and fire departments, and the public. 2. A detailed study of the community that looks at the following characteristics: · Physical characteristicsmland use patterns; resi- dential, business, and industrial districts; structure of buildings and building and zoning codes. · Economic characteristics--the present business and industrial climate as well as projected growth should be known in order to plan for present and future public safety needs. · Population characteristics--expected increases or decreases in the number of residents. Age, educa- tion, income level, race, and cultural background have all been suggested as important factors. Visits to communities where public safety programs presently are established and also communities where a program had existed but later failed. 2'/ Management Information Service Determine what type of consolidation program best suits the community. The different forms of consoli- dation are:' Fully consolidated--a single unified force in which the police and fire services have been combined into a department of public safety. Officers perform both public safety functions and are usually identified as public safety officers (PSOs). A minimum number of PSOs is assigned to duty in the fire station while the remaining officers patrol, performing fire prevention activities and police patrol duties. Partial consolidationmidentity of the police and fire services is retained and a special patrol is created to perform combined police-fn'e duties. This special patrol is usually composed of personnel recruited from the police and fire departments. Such officers are also called PSOs and when not engaged in fire- fighting activities are under the control of police departments. Selected area consolidation--the police and fire serv- ices function separately except for specially trained police-firefighters assigned to combined duties in a specific geographical area. Functional consolidation--separate police and f'~re services are retained but one or more duties normally performed by one department are assigned to mem- bers of the other department. For example, fire- fighters may help with administrative tasks in the police station or police officers may prepare hydrants for hoses at the fire scene prior to the arrival of the apparatus. Nominal consolidation--both services retain indi- vidual and distinct identity both operationally and administratively, but both are under one public safety director. Broad support for a public safety program. Ideally, this should come from the municipal administration, city council, police and fire personnel, and citizens. · Robert Morris, Village Manager of Glencoe, Illinois has suggested the following advantages of consolidation be stressed to the city council? a. More trained manpower will be available for either fire or police duty. b. A single hierarchy of command will result, with less duplication and better planning, coordination, public relations, training, and communications. c. It will provide faster and better fire and police services, including increased patrol and fire prevention activities. d. It will result in more capable fire and police employees who have more interesting and challenging and higher level jobs. e. It will eliminate unproductive time for f'n'e- fighters. f. It produces higher morale among police/fire employees. o g. It provides long-range economy as a result of a higher standard of service at a lower unit of cost. · Police and'fire personnel should be kept informed on the progress of the program. Representatives from these departments should be members of the study commission. This is particularly important since many consolidation efforts have had to respond to antagonistic campaigns conducted to convince police and fire personnel that a con- solidation program will lead to disaster. One way of combating the misinformation is through edu- cation of the personnel affected and by providing them first-hand observations of other com- munities' programs in action. · The public should be kept abreast of the proposed program. Stressing advantages of consolidation to the public can be done through press, radio, and TV coverage. Persons knowledgeable about the public safety concept should speak at neighbor- hood meetings and public forums. A financial report should be produced on the pro- jected costs of a public safety system in each of its stages. This cost analysis should be compared with the projected costs of keeping a traditional police and fn'e department structure at an equal service level, taking into account future needs. There should be a review of state statutes and local charters to determine if they would prohibit the for- mation of a consolidated department or would slow the consolidation process. A detailed search should be made of the state constitution, pension regula- tions, statutes relating to pay, statutory definitions of police officers and firefighters, statutes regulating working conditions, the city charter, municipal ordi- nances, and civil service regulations. Some of these items may need to be amended for consolidation to proceed.6 Appointment of a Director of Public Safety with authority over all police and fn-e operations and related communications activities. Personnel pro- cedures and organization should be reviewed before actual implementation of the program. New job classifications and descriptions should be developed. Eligibility requirements, hours and shifts, salary levels, fringe benefits, retirement regulations, and recruitment and promotion procedures should be described. Voluntary transfer of personnel from the police and fire departments to the public safety program. Usually, all new recruits are required to train as PSOs. Conversion of the traditional personnel posi- tions should be done through attrition. Public Safety Departments / 3 10. A revisedpay scale for PSOs, which should be higher than police or fire personnel salary levels to reflect the additional training requirements and additional responsibilities. I1. Training of all public safety personnel, including supervisors, should be done before implementation of the program. Initial cross-training of police and fire personnel to be assigned as PSOs should be suffi- cient to ensure that police officers learn firefighting techniques and firefighters learn police procedures. In-service training of all personnel should continue on a regularly scheduled basis after each person has completed his/her basic public safety training. 12. Equal staffing: An attempt should be made to have public safety departments equally staffed between police and fire personnel from top administration on down. 13. The public safety program should be established in phases in selected areas, thereby aiming'for small ini- tial success before expansion of the program. 14. Adapt the program to community characteristics: Every community is unique and therefore no public safety program should be adopted exactly as devel- oped in another community. Consider your own community's characteristics, be flexible, and establish an on-going evaluation process. TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS (23,000) The information for this report came from several descriptive accounts of the Texarkana Public Safety Department and telephone conversations with city officials.7 Since 1975, when Texarkana's Public Safety program was first introduced, it has gained strong support from its citizens, employees, and elected officials. It has been a very effective program, as evidenced by a dramatic re- duction in f'n'e lossesmsignificant because it shows the Table !. CRIMINAL OFFENSES AND CLEARANCE RATE, TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS Year Number of Number of Class i % Increase Class I % Offenses or (Decrease) Offenses cleared cleared 1976 2,668 676 25.3 1977 2,509 (6.33) 1,017 40.5 1978 2,398 (4.62) 817 34 1979 2,479 3.26 1,017 43.2 1980 2,046 (12.3) 813 40 1981 1,887 (14.0) 779 41.3 impact of quick response time to police/fire/ambulance emergencies and of an enhanced code enforcement pro- gram that is part of the public safety program. This in turn has helped to reduce the fire insurance rates to com- mercial and residential customers. In addition, the Iow fire rate allows a PSO to spend approximately 90°70 of his/her time on patrol functions. The increased numbers of personnel on patrol, their high visibility, plus faster response time, has led to a significant reduction in crime since 1975 when compared to national, state, and area in- creases. Furthermore, Texarkana's "clearance rate" (crimes solved) has averaged 39070 over the 6 years since the public safety program was initiated, well above state and national norms. (See Table I.) Texarkana operates under a council-manager form of government, and is a major shopping center for a four- state area (Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana). It is the only alcoholic beverage outlet within a 70 mile radius. Because of this unique situation, the Texarkana, Arkansas Department of Public Safety is required to police approximately 60,000-75,000 people during peak shopping periods and this places a heavy burden on a department geared for a smaller population. Several reasons were given in 1975 for consideration of the public safety concept for Texarkana: · A desire to provide efficient fire and police protection to the citizens of Texarkana. · It was anticipated that the Fair Labor Standards Act would require the reduction of firefighters' hours from the current 56 hour work week. · Infrequency of fires in Texarkana (less than one call per day on the average). · A Texarkana's citizen advisory committee finding that there was a strong public demand for improved law enforcement patrol activity. · Limited local funds due to the effects of inflation. These and other reasons led to the formulation of a number of objectives from a public safety program: Primary Objectives: · Increase law enforcement patrol strength. · More productive utilization of firefighters' hours. · Reduce future personnel costs without a reduction in service level. Secondary Objectives: · Faster response time to fire calls from patrolling PSOs. * Improve police/community relations with PSOs on patrol having more time to get to know the people in the neighborhood. · Foster crime prevention, traffic accident prevention, and fire prevent-ion by conducting programs at public meetings. · Utilize night-time hours as well as day-time hours for training because of shorter shifts. Management Information ~erdce · Attract more competent personnel, retain existing per.. sonnet, and improve morale due to higher pay and a more interesting job. Public Safety Study Committee Texarkana city administrators felt that a moderate ap-. proach to consolidation, that is, a combination of selected area and partial consolidation would work best initially for Texarkana. This would allow for a slower transition to public safety to diminish the impact on the separate police and fire department organizations. A study group conducted a site visit in Durham, North Carolina, which had established this type of approach. The group consisted of the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager, the Finance Director, the Personnel Direc- tor, five of seven members of the city's Board of Direc- tors, three of five civil service commissioners, the police chief, and a fire department lieutenant. The group was favorably impressed by the visit. This was followed by a second group visit to Durham of the Administrative Assistant to the Police Chief, the Fire Chief, and the Assistant Fire Chief to learn the nuts and bolts of the Durham public safety system. Following this visit, a detailed evaluation of the Tex- arkana community was conducted. The evaluation included the physical, economic, and population charac- teristics of Texarkana and the anticipated administrative and public support existing for a consolidated program. The committee gave serious attention to several issues but emphasis was placed on the legal, leadership, person- nel, training, and financial factors of a public safety program. Legal Issues. The 1973 Arkansas Home Rule Bill gener- ally stated that if a law did not specifically prohibit a municipality from a certain action, then it is considered legal. While there was specific legislation that allowed police officers to fight fires, there was no legislation that prohibited firefighters from performing police duties. A question of liability arose regarding which pension fund would be liable if a police officer was hurt fighting fires or a firefighter was injured performing a law en- forcement duty. This problem was resolved by the pur- chase of a high-risk insurance policy by the city to cover public safety officers, a policy that would reimburse the pension system of an officer who was injured or killed while performing the opposite function. Since that time the state law has been amended so that all PSOs now are covered under the police pension plan. Leadership and Personnel. The organizational structure was designed so that both f'n'e and police services would come under the authority of the Director of Public Safety, who is under the administrative direction of the City Manager. In 1977, two Deputy Directors of Public Safety (one for Police and one for Fire) were appointed. The Deputy Direct'or/Police plans, organizes, and directs all employees and activities of the police and public safety divisions in the enforcement of laws and ordinances, the prevention of crime, the investigation of traffic matters and criminal cases, and the protection of life and prop- erty. The Deputy Director/Fire plans, organizes, and directs all employees and activities of the fire section ih the prevention and suppression of fires, the investigation of fires, the inspection of structures for fire hazards, and training activities. PSOs on a fire call are under the super- vision of the Deputy Director/Fire. All commissioned personnel are governed by the civil service system, with higher standards established for per- sonnel requesting to enter the public safety program. At the beginning of the program, selection of personnel was made on a competitive and voluntary basis. Selection of transfers from the police and fire departments was through competitive examination, oral interview, manda- tory physical examination, and agility testing. In addi- tion, new officers were required to pass a background investigation. The pay scale of the PSOs was increased 15070 due to their added responsibility. Police and fn'e department personnel were given the incentive of increased pay for taking PSO training even though they were not PSOs so that the city would have trained personnel to call upon for anticipated future need. Training. The training program was designed to train firefighters in law enforcement, police officers in f~re control, and new hirees in both police and fn-e functions. This training was accomplished through the use of the respective service academies. The training period con- sisted of six weeks of basic police training, six weeks of basic fire training, and four weeks of on-the-job training as a team. Financial Factors. The Texarkana program was designed to allow better utilization of manpower and funds--not necessarily to reduce the total budget. The Public Safety Department's budget increased during the first two phases of the program, mainly in the areas of personnel and capital outlay. Howerver, the expansion of the program in another district required no increase in expenditure, only a reclassification and reassignment of personnel and equipment. Manpower and capital outlay requirements have stabilized and a large savings is projected over a five year span, as compared to separate police and fire departments. Public Support Texarkana city officials considered public support of the program essential and worked for it through community education and publicity. Media coverage was utilized to inform the public. Successes attributed to the public safety program were publicized and the media was very sup- portive. The public acceptance of the program during the first phase was largely responsible for the expansion of the program to other districts. Public Safety Departments / 5 Police/Fire Personnel Support Texarkana included the top police and fire administrators in the public safety planning process from the very begin- ning, but later had to proceed with the plan without the support of the Fire Chief and several firefighters. Never- theless, the city was able to establish the plan because it had strong support from the city administration, the civil service commission, and the public. Texarkana faced opposition from an unofficial local fire union that brought a suit that was later dropped, and a group of retired firefighters that tried to generate oppo- sition within the community. Top administrators of the police and fire departments served on the study committee and were also part of the delegation that visited Durham. Throughout the planning process, the personnel of the police and fire departments were kept abreast of the progress of the plan through meetings and one-on-one conversations. When the pro- gram was established, 5 of 45 firefighters resigned, but a substantial number volunteered to be trained as PSOs. Implementation Phase I of the public safety plan required the employ- ment of nine additional officers (five police officers and four PSOs). Phase I was implemented as a test in one distri& of the city. The operational plan called for the assignment of one unit of 16 PSOs to that district, with the unit having full responsibility for providing fire and police service to that area. Officers worked 8 hour shifts with one officer assigned to the district substation to operate the fire truck, and the other officers assigned a patrol beat in specially equipped fire/police vehicles. Supervision of these officers came from the police com- mander except during fire situations at which time super- vision came from the fire commander. Phase I was so successful--measured by the fact that police and fire response time improved substantially, the patrols were more visible, and crime in that area "shut down"--that the citizens of another district of the city petitioned the city administration to extend the program to their area. In July 1976 Phase II was implemented. Personnel for this phase consisted of one unit with 21 members. They assumed full fire and police duties for this district in January 1977. The program continued to be very effective and welt accepted by the public. Citizens on the boundary of one of the consolidated districts requested that the program be expanded into their area and this was done in January 1978. The entire city was now under the public safety program--two years sooner than planned. Phase III was implemented in early 1979. This was the reclassification of the remaining traditional police posi- tions. Of the 60 commissioned officers (PSO and Patrol) there is only one traditional police officer remaining in the police division. No further changes are anticipated in the near future. Implementation of the program had minimal impact on the number of personnel, while markedly improving the quality of police/fire service to the community. Prior to the PSO program, there were 50 commissioned police officers and 46 fire officers (96 total). There was an average of 3 patrol vehicles on the streets at any given time and 15 personnel available for fire service. The response time for both police and fire requests was approximately 6 minutes. Presently, under the PSO pro- gram, there are 60 commissioned police PSOs and 37 Fire PSOs (97 total). This represents a reduction in PSOs in the last two years due to budget cutbacks. There is an average of 10.5 patrol vehicles in service at any given time and 20 personnel available for fire service. The response time is 2.8 minutes for police, 1.5 minutes for fire calls, and 3 minutes for ambulance calls. This record has been maintained despite cutbacks in personnel. Structure of the Public Safety Department Police Services Division. This division is divided into three subsections--Uniform/PSO Section, Criminal In- vestigation Section, and Special Services Section. The Uniform/PSO section has the responsibility of providing fire and police services to the community. The Criminal Investigation Section is responsible for initiating and con- ducting follow-up investigations made by the uniformed personnel and developing information to combat crime. In the very near future the Uniform/PSO section and the Criminal Investigation Section will be combined under the supervision of a Major. The Special Services Section provides administrative and management support to the other sections within this division. It also has the respon- sibility for budget preparation and control, planning and research, personnel, training, community relations, crime prevention, facility and equipment control, grant ad- ministration, records, communications, detention, and animal control. Fire Division. The division is responsible for providing fire and ambulance service for Texarkana and emergency ambulance service for Miller County. This division con- sists of 37 commissioned officers and is divided into three sections (Administration, Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services). The Administration Section provides administration and management support to the other sec- tions in this division. It is also responsible for budget preparation and control, planning and research, training, community relations, f'n'e prevention, facility and equip- ment control, grant administration, and records. The Fire Suppression Section has responsibility to provide fire fighting services to the community and maintaining and operating the main fire station and three substations. The fire personnel still work 24 hours on--48 hours off. This section consists of 27 officers and supervisors, and supervises all PSOs during fn'efighting situations. The Emergency Medical Services Section is responsible for providing all emergency ambulance service in the city of Texarkana and Miller County. It employs 6 paramedics ~ ~/ M~nageraent I~ormat/on ~erv~ce and one paramedic supervisor and is assigned one paramedic unit and two regular ambulance vans. Conclusion The most important factors in the establishment of Tex- arkana's public safety program were strong support of the governing body, support of the Civil Service Com- mission, and gaining public support with an incremental phase-in before expanding. Other aspects that city officials believe should be followed for a public safety program to be effective are: * Appointment of a Public Safety Director with full authority over police and fire services. · Consolidation of communications and dispatching. · High standards for personnel selected to be PSOs. · Complete and thorough training of personnel in both fire and police duties before they are placed in the field. · Detailed planning before implementation. * Additional compensation for the increased responsi- bility. · Thorough brief'rog of public officials and organiza- tional personnel and public education. · Voluntary participation by police and fire personnel. · Develop appropriate legislation to allow for a public safety program. · Have sufficient funds available. · Strong public commitment by the city council. Texarkana's Mayor Bobby Ferguson commented, "I don't believe I've ever seen a more popular program with local citizens. I'd encourage every city or county in Arkansas and other states to come look over our opera- tion for themselves." Public Safety Director John Butler stated that "the citizens would not allow us to revert back to the traditional dual system if we wanted to." KALAMAZOO, MlCHIGAN (79,700) The following information on Kalamazoo's Public Safety System includes a recap of the Public Safety Committee's report and interviews with city officials.' Kalamazoo will implement the first operational phase of its public safety system on January 1, 1983. Kalama- zoo was chosen as a case study for this report because of their thorough planning process. This consisted of care- ful assessment of the city's characteristics and future needs, on-site visits to other communities, analysis of dif- ferent factors, and negotiations with three unions through the last stages of planning. Public Safety Study Committee The conflict existing between increasing public concern for personal safety and the increasing costs for maintain- ing that service led Robert C. Bobb, City Manager of Kalamazoo to first introduce the concept of a public safety system to the City Commission in 1977. It was not until 1980, through efforts to familiarize the Commis- sioners and all parties involved with the merger concept, that it was finally recognized as a viable alternative to the traditional separate police and fire departments. The Commission formed the Kalamazoo Public Safety Committee, which consisted of the Mayor, a City Com- missioner, the City Manager, the Personnel Director, the Chiefs of the Fire and Police Departments, a Kalamazoo Police Officers Association (KPOA) representative, a Kalamazoo Police Supervisors Association (KPSA) rep- resentative, two International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) representatives, one firefighter, a former City Commissioner, and two citizens. The committee members began their research by mak- ing on-site visits to five communities that had im- plemented a form of police/fire consolidation. During the initial phases of the study, the police and fire repre- sentatives traded jobs for one week in order to gain a bet- ter understanding of each other's occupations. It was generally agreed that each job carried different expecta- tions and perceptions by the employees and by citizens and that not all of the current police officers or fu'e- fighters could be expected to perform the duties of a pub- lic safety officer. The committee recommended that the following objec- tives be followed in the formation of the public safety system: · The level of police and fire service to the community should remain at the same level or be increased under a successful public safety system. · Future costs under a consolidated system should de- crease or remain the same as a percentage of the general fund budget. · The implementation of a public safety system should be completed via a phased approach. No current police officer or firefighter should suffer layoff as a result of the program. The implementation should be accom- plished through volunteers and normal attrition. · The training currently provided should be revised, im- proved upon, and increased. · A centralized dispatch of all police and fire calls for service had to be implemented. · Public hearings on the issue should be held prior to an implementation decision. Following the completion of the consolidation plan, the city conducted an extensive public information and education campaign. Meetings were held to acquaint elected officials, affected employees, and citizens with the concept of the proposed police/frre merger plan and its projected impacts and benefits. Union Negotiation After a plan of implementation was presented to them, the City Commission authorized the city administration to voluntarily negotiate with the three unions involved: Public Safety Departments / 7 C the Kalamazoo Police Officers Association (KPOA), the Kalamazoo Police Supervisors Association (KPSA), and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). When negotiations began, the unions were in the mid- dle of three year contracts with wage reopeners coming up. The unions agreed to discuss the public safety system without a prior commitment of support. The unions wanted to discuss economics f'Lrst because they believed that if they could not reach agreement here, then it would be futile to discuss other aspects of the program. After three months of talks, an economic agreement was reached. The agreement allowed for the PSO pay scale to be l0 percent higher than the police, and 23 percent higher than the firefighter's pay scale. It also included a greatly improved pension plan. The unions were now willing to bargain on non-economic issues. The main operational issues were eligibility, hours and work schedules, promotional procedures, and providing for equal numbers of fire and police personnel, especially in the top administration of the Public Safety Depart- ment. The agreement allowed for present members of the police and fire department to be eligible to train as a public safety officer and to undergo the same strenuous physicalmwith the approval of a physician--and written examinations newly hired recruits need to undertake. The program would be completely voluntary. A non-binding letter of intent was sent to the police officers and firefighters and resulted in a 70 percent favorable response (personnel willing to volunteer). The percentage of volunteers has since increased. The stipulation con- cerning equal numbers of police and fire personnel in the top administration of the new Public Safety Department has also been met. After final agreement was reached with the unions, the city asked the circuit court for a declaratory judgment on whether public safety officers fell under the terms of the Kelly Law. The Kelly Law calls for personnel who are subject to the hazards of firefighting to have 24 hours off between shifts or a 40 hour work week in any consecutive seven day period. The circuit court ruled that the Public Safety Officers would be covered by the Kelly Law. The city then established a 48-hour work week for public safety officers with an optional one day off a week with- out pay. Final agreement with the unions was reached on June 16, 1982. City Commission Support After reaching an agreement with the unions, the next step was to get approval from the city commissioners to establish the public safety system. To that end, a day-long seminar was held for the commissioners and all points of view were presented. The seminar consisted of: * A presentation of the public safety plan by the city staff. · A presentation of the financial aspects of the public safety plan. · A round-table discussion representing different view- points. The City Commission subsequently voted 6-1 in sup- port of the public safety plan. Financial Aspects A careful assessment of the present and projected costs of consolidated service versus separate police and fire departments was undertaken by the city staff. Expenditures for police and fire services had increased by almost 125 percent in Kalamazoo during the past six years. In 1975, the police and fire budgets totaled $5.8 million, 34.1 percent of the $17 million general fund budget. The combined 1981 budgets for both departments was $13 million, 57.5 percent of the $22.6 million general fund budget. Kalamazoo's financial planning model pro- jected that police and fire expenditures would exceed $20 million in 1986. This figure was generated by projecting general increases in operational expenses and it does not reflect an increase in personnel allocated to either the police or fire departments. The city's financial planning model was utilized to pro- ject the annual cost savings of a public safety department as compared to separate police and fire departments. The study indicated that there will be a projected $3.1 million savings during a 5-year phased implementation of the public safety system. Following full consolidation (dur- ing 1986), the annual cost savings are projected as follows: 1987 - $ 917,452 1988 - 1,009,197 1989 - 1,110,116 1990- 1,221,128 Therefore, regardless of the time period analyzedmeither during phased implementation or full consolidation--the public safety system as proposed would result in a sig- nificant cost savings when compared to the costs of maintaining separate and traditional fire and police departments. The financial analysis of the proposed department of public safety also indicates a cost avoidance in excess of $2 million per year if the separate departments of police and fire provided service comparable to service attainable under a public safety department. The Public Safety Plan The public safety plan for Kalamazoo has considered current service, future needs, the geographic make-up of the city, and costs. The operational plan calls for PSOs to be trained as professional police officers and firefighters. The system eliminates the traditional downtime spent in the fire station by substituting patrol duties. Some of the traditional housekeeping duties that firefighters perform in the stations will be assigned to a lower paid custodial 8 °/M~nagement Information Service crew. The total number of personnel is reduced, but a larger number of officers are available for both police and ffrre services. Public safety districts were developed according to cur- rent and future community needs for service, population growth, and the incidence of fires and crimes. It is planned that the existing seven fire stations will be converted to public safety stations during a phased implementation and two new public safety stations will be acquired. The number of personnel assigned to each public safety district reflects the response necessary for police and fh'e service within each area of the city: · In high fire service demand areas, additional officers will be assigned to station duty to provide the necessary staffing at a fire scene. · In areas of reduced fire service demand, only one PSO is station-assigned, with more officers on patrol. · Absences in the fire or patrol ranks may be covered by personnel from the traffic unit. · Staffing levels will also be maintained by call-back or overtime in the event of a major crime or fire incident. · Eventually, all officers will be cross-trained, allowing for a possible call-back of 142 off-duty PSOs capable of providing either police or fn'e service. There also will be 93 sworn officers assigned to special units or com- mand who would be available for a major disaster or emergency. Currently, there are 100 off-duty lb'e- fighters and slightly more-than I00 off-duty police officers available for call back at any given time. The proposed public safety system consists of 344 posi- tions. The current police and fire departments have a combined staff of 383. Of the 344 public safety positions, 291 will be sworn officers, and 53 will be civilian. The operations division, with a staff of 277, will perform the primary public safety functions. The operations division reflects a reduction of 36 positions. Within this, the paramedic unit has remained unchanged, however, super- visory personnel above the current level of police officer or fire equipment operator will be reduced from 52 posi- tions to 39 positions. There will be 69 PSOs permanently assigned to station duty who will serve as equipment operators during fire service and there will be 128 PSOs, sergeants, and lieutenants assigned to the patrol function. The plan calls for the establishment of two new public safety stations in addition to the existing seven fire sta- tions. All nine stations eventually will provide both police and fu'e services. The plan calls for a core group of personnel to be assigned to and work from each public safety station. These individuals will work and train together on both police and fire duties. With a greater number of officers on patrol, office~s should have more time to leave their cars to perform security checks and informally get to know the people of their districts, thereby promoting bet- ter police/community relations. The PSO on patrol will be able to acquire a knowledge of streets, hydrant loca- tion, and types of buildings and will identify hazardous structures and fire problems during the regular course of his/her shift. There will be two to eight patrol vehicles assigned to each of the nine districts within the city or an average of 32 cars, 24 hours a day. These PSO units will respond to all typical calls for police service within their district. They will also carry fire gear in the patrol vehicles and will be dispatched to fires with the fire PSOs within the same district. The first district, to be converted to public safety presently has 4 people around the clock in the fh'e station and no more than one patrol car. After conver- sion to public safety there will be 2 personnel in the sta- tion and 3 patrol vehicles including a sergeant. Hence, 4-5 people would be available to respond to a fire call. After fuller implementation, four fu'e companies would typically respond to a building alarm with four fire PSOs. At least eight PSOs on patrol in the two connec- ting districts would respond if they were not involved in an "in progress" patrol call, which is estimated to be approximately 10 percent of patrol time. Patrol PSOs would then be shifted from other districts to provide patrol coverage in place of the officers responding to the fire call. Since each district will be patrolled by two to eight cars, the shift of personnel would still provide for at least two patrol cars in each district. EMS units would also respond. This dispatch would provide a minimum of 12 to 14 personnel for firefighting duties. The 8 to 10 hour police shift will be replaced by a 12-hour, 4-platoon shift for patrol PSOs, while maintain- ing the 24 hour shift for fire PSOs. The 12 hour shift for patrol will include training activities during slow periods. Under the proposed schedule, a maximum of four con- secutive days will be worked, with a seven day break every 28 days. The result of this schedule change which averages out to a 42-hour work week, is a reduction of the traditional 56 hour work week. Under the current system this reduction in hours would normally necessitate a 33 percent increase in staffing for the fn'e department. However, under the consolidated police/fire system, there will be an increased number of personnel available for fnrefighting duties and patrol while at the same time there will be a reduction in the total number of police officers and firefighting positions currently allocated. CONSOLIDATION UPDATE There were eight communities listed in the July 1976 MIS _Report as examples of local governments with successful consolidation programs. (The communities are: Winston- Salem, North Carolina; Sunnyvale, California; Durham, North Carolina; Clifton, New Jersey; Oak Park, Michi- gan; Flagstaff, Arizona; El Dorado, Kansas; and Glencoe, Illinois.) Six years later, all but one of the communities (Flagstaff) continue to have some form of consolidation of their public safety functions, although some programs have undergone changes. Some are more fully consolidated, a larger geographic area is now covered, organizational changes have been made, or the C~ L Public Safety Departments / 9 program has remained essentially the same but with fewer personnel. All seven communities report satisfaction with their public safety programs, and several anticipate greater consolidation in the future as their traditional police officers and firefighters leave voluntarily and are replaced by Public Safety Officers. The general consensus is that the seven communities have attained their goals of greater efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness in their public safety functions. The specific design of each community's program dif- fers somewhat. The various organizational frameworks of the public safety programs in the communities are: · A Public Safety Department administered by a Public Safety Director, with PSOs fully trained in both police and fire activities, and functioning in all areas of the community (Durham, Oak Park, Glencoe, Sunnyvale). · PSOs are fully trained for both police and fire activi- ties, but the program comes under the supervision of the Police Chief, except when PSO patrols are on f'n'e calls (Winston-Salem). · All personnel are cross-trained, and are under the jurisdiction of a Public Safety Director, but are employed as either firefighters or patrol officers (El Dorado). · PSOs are firefighters who are cross-trained for patrol work, and are under the auspices of the Fire Depart- ment (Clifton). · PSOs are fully cross-trained, and operate within a completely consolidated department, but rotate among the patrol, fire, and staff services divisions every one to three years (Sunnyvale). What follows is a short summary of the important aspects of each community's consolidated program, with significant changes that have taken place since 1976. Winston. Salem, North Carolina (131,900) The 1976 MIS Report stated that Winston-Salem had instituted a consolidated program because of factors such as annexations, property tax inequities, excessive distances of some areas from f'n'e stations, the need to reduce the working hours of firefighters, and a desire to better utilize personnel. After initial opposition, the Winston-Salem Firefighters Association voted to support the PSO concept when the city administration agreed that participation would be on a voluntary basis. The Report also stated that after consolidation, the city had reduced the available manpower at most of its fire stations, and had PSOs performing police and fire activities patrolling selected areas of the city. What had occurred in Winston- Salem, the Report said, was essentially a reallocation of personnel in selected areas for optimal usefulness. Since then, Winston-Salem's program has grown. PSOs now patrol in all areas of the city and new recruits are trained as public safety officers. The present goal of the public safety plan is to avoid higher costs by reducing the number of personnel in the fire station and adding personnel to the .patrol division, thereby adding to the police presence. PSOs are under the supervision of the Police Department, being either police officers cross-trained for fire duties or new recruits trained as PSOs. When ifivolved in fighting fires, they are under the supervision of the Fire Chief. Winston-Salem's Public Safety Program has under- gone review and evaluation twice by study commissions since 1976. Some of the recommendations, adjustments, or changes that have been made includeg: · A stronger correlation between the PSO platoons or beats and fire district or company assignments was instituted. · Lines of responsibility were clarified: the Police and Fire Chiefs report directly to the City Manager, the Police Chief supervises communications and legal affairs for both departments, and the Assistant City Manager oversees the Career Development Center. · Training requirements are more strictly monitored and enforced. · Emergency medical training for PSOs is more empha- sized, and fire pumpers are not sent to personal injury accidents unless needed for fire suppression. · Each PSO patrol vehicle has been provided with basic firefighting equipment and emergency medical equipment. Staffing and Costs. In the 1971-1972 budget, 467 person- nel were authorized. In the 1978-1979 budget, 481 PSO personnel were authorized. With a total personnel increase of only 3°70, since 1971 three additional fire stations have opened and there are 68 more patrol officers on the street. To provide the same services with separate depart- ments, the city estimates 45 additional firefighters, at a cost in today's dollars of $623,000, would have had to be provided. To put a proportional 29o7o more police officers on the street would cost the city approximately $1 million more per year.~ 0 In the near future, some personnel shifting will take place. Several companies will be reduced, one company's complement will be increased, and two new stations will open, staffed with the personnel from companies that are having their complement reduced. It is also planned that PSOs will rotate through the fire service on one to two month assignments. Program Effectiveness. Winston-Salem's consolidated program has enhanced the effectiveness of fire suppres- sion and crime prevention activities. Dollar loss per $1,000 of property has decreased from $1.54 to $1.12 from 1970 to 1977. Also, when compared to two North Carolina cities of similar size that have separate police and fire departments, Winston-Salem has an equal total dollar loss due to fires, but with 92 and 102 fewer fire personnel, respectively. In law enforcement, it is difficult to compare indi- vidual communities based solely on population, as 1'0 / Management Information Service population is only one of the factors that must be con- sidered. However, when comparing other communities in the southeast for several years during the mid-1970s, Winston-Salem experienced a lesser increase in total crimes.~ Winston-Salem plans to continue to employ Public Safety Officers to replace firerighters and police officers who leave through natural attrition. Sunnyvale, California (107,200) The Department of Public Safety was established in 1950. The public safety concept was adopted on the premise that training and equipping safety personnel to provide both police and fire services would avoid dupli- cation of effort, be more flexible and responsive to eom- munity safety needs, and would achieve economies of operation22 With only a few minor program changes, Sunnyvale's program has remained unchanged since the 1976 MIS Report. The total department personnel of 223 includes 35 Lieutenants and 150 PSOs. Personnel are not only trained to provide both police and fire services, but are reas- signed from police to fire duties and vice versa every 1 to 3 years. Personnel assigned to police patrol respond to frre emergencies when required, thereby allowing the department to assign fewer personnel to the fn'e stations while still permitting shift response and an adequate force at the scene of a rire emergency. In 1950, with a population of 9,290, and 23 employees in the Public Safety Department, the city had a ratio of 2.48 employees per 1,000 residents. The 1980 Sunnyvale population has increase,, to 107,200, with the ratio of total department personnel (223) per 1,000 falling to 2.08. In comparison, the national average for police alone is 2.1.~3 Operation. Public Safety officers assigned to fire services work four-10 hour days on and three off per week. Of- ricers on police duty, dispatchers, and certain clerical per- sonnel work eight hour shifts. In February 1982, patrol personnel requested, through a "memo of understand- ing,'' to have a four day-10 hour schedule, and this is now being tried on an experimental basis. Officers work in six teams, each commanded by a Cap- rain. Three patrol teams and three fire teams deliver tra- ditional police and f'n'e services. PSOs receive 48 hours of instruction in police science before appointment, and then complete a 320 hour Field Officer Training Program and 240 hours of fire orienta- tion. Each officer assigned to Patrol Division receives 48 hours of refresher training and 40 hours of advanced training each year. All fire-based personnel receive 298 hours of refresher training per year during scheduled weekly drills. Organization, Organizationally, thc Public Safety De- partment is divided into Police Services, Fire Services, and Support Services. Police Services. This section is under the direction of a Police Services Commander. PSOs assigned to patrol en- gage in crime prevention and suppression activities, respond to emergencies, and provide assistance upon public request. They are trained to investigate and collect evidence for all cases so far as possible prior to the case being assigned to detectives in the investigative unit. The section also includes Neighborhood Resource Of- ricers, whose primary responsibility is to address the special problems and needs of a designated area of the city. Fire Services. Fire apparatus companies are manned around the clock with a minimum staff level, since patrol officers respond and supplement f~refighting ef- forts. Fire control personnel are also responsible for inspection and enforcement of fire and life safety regula- tions applicable to commercial structures and multiple family dwellings in their districts. A rire prevention staff also checks building and development plans for fire and life safety features. Fire Services recently established a toxic and hazardous waste section, with six officers presently being trained in a national training course to respond to chemical spills and toxic releases. Support Services. This section consists of staff ser- vices, planning and research activities, emergency com- munications, and training. Durham, North Carolina (100,800) According to the 1976 MIS Report, Durham had been operating since 1971 with selected area consolidation of police and fire services. Primary factors for establishing the program included the necessity to reduce the fire- righter work week from 72 to 56 hours, and to increase law enforcement patrol strength,t` To date these goals have been met. In addition, Durham has gone from a selected-area consolidation with two separate departments to a single Department of Public Safety functioning in every area of the city. In 1977, six years after the public safety concept was introduced, a long-range plan was proposed and adopted in Durham that called for the formation, in stages, of a single Department of Public Safety. The plan called for a process of review and discussion involving the PSOs and police officers and firefighters who had long service records. ~ The department is administered now by a Directoi of Public Safety. When the police chief retired, that position was abolished. When the Fire Chief retires within the next year, that position also will be abolished and re- placed by a Public Safety Major. As new people are hired they are trained as PSOs. There remain a few traditional rirefighters and police officers who work in specialized units, but as they retire or voluntarily leave their posi- tions, they will be replaced by new PSOs. The Department. The Department of Public Safety con- sists of the Fire Services Bureau, Operations Bureau, Public Safety Departments / 11 Special Services Bureau, and the Auxiliary Services Bureau. The city has 10 pumper companies--8 staffed by PSOs. The Central Station is fully staffed by firefighters and supported by patrol PSOs. The stations staffed by PSOs have a 4, 5, or 6 officer crew, depending on the re- quirements of the area. The officers work 12-hour shifts. The PSO patrol operates on a 4 platoon system, with 4 crews assigned to each station (for a total of 16-24 offi- cers per station, plus relief.) Each crew is headed by a Sergeant. PSOs and Sergeants are under the command of Lieutenants, who are experi- enced PSOs and in command of both police and fire operations. There are two Lieutenants on duty per shift, each responsible for roughly half the public safety sta- tions in the city. Their responsibilities include personnel administration, fire and police training, station and equipment maintenance, crime prevention, and com- munity relations programs. The Sergeant based at each station is responsible for the patrol and fire suppression activities of the crew. At some stations one officer is left in the station with the'fire truck, at others, two are left. The Sergeant and the re- maining officers patrol the area covered by the station, performing routine police activities in one-officer patrol PSOs must complete combined fire and police basic training at the Durham Public Safety Academy. Training lasts 24 weeks. In-service training consists of approxi- mately 40 hours per year of specialized law enforcement training and more than 40 hours of fire training. (PSOs actually spend less than 5°70 of their time on firefighting activities.) Cost Advantage. The 1977 Long-Range Plan for Durham's PSO Program included the following analysis of the cost advantage of the public safety program? Durham had an authorized strength of 168 PSOs and supervisors. It was estimated that the number of tradi- tional police officers and firefighters that would be needed to provide the service equivalent of the public safety program was 231. Further, it was estimated that if firefighters were on a 42 hour work week, the total num- ber of people required would be 268. Therefore, it was estimated that, based on a 56-hour work week, the cost advantage of the public safety plan was more than $413,000 annually. Based on a 42-hour work week, the cost advantage was almost $850,000 per year. (This does not include additional fringe benefits that firefighters typically have gained with a 42-hour work week.) Level of Service. In January 1982, the Durham Budget and Management Office prepared a "Comparison of Expenditures and Levels of Service for Public Safety in Durham to Separate Police and Fire Operations" in two other North Carolina cities of comparable size. The re- suits show that Durham spends 2.5% and 7.1% less, respectively, per resident, than the other two cities (iden- tiffed here as City X and City Y). City X has 8.8% more protective service employees per 1,000 residents and City Y has 12.9070 more employees per 1,000 residents. (The personnel costs show a lesser gap because of the higher salaries paid in Durham.) The study includes a comparison of protective "cover- age" given to the residents of each city, according to the number of fire and police personnel per 1,000 residents. Only personnel directly involved in protective activities were included. In Durham's case, most public safety positions were counted as both police and fire protection personnel. Adjustments for Durham were made as fol- lows: five positions assigned to special enforcement were counted only as patrol personnel, eight positions were not counted as police personnel to account for time spent in firefighting and fire training, 48 positions were counted only as fire personnel, and only 75 % of on-patrol person- nel were counted as firefighters to adjust for the shorter shifts (42 vs. 56 hours) of public safety personnel. Even with this discounting, Durham possesses a signi- ficant edge in protective services, with a 2% edge over City X and a 14% edge over City Y in police protection, and 12% better coverage than City X and 25% better coverage than City Y in fire protection. The analysis also indicates a greater flexibility of a Public Safety Department in dealing with major emer- gency situations. In the event of a major emergency in either law enforcement or fire protection, Durham has more personnel per 1,000 residents trained to respond to either situation. Durham has 39% better coverage than City X and 56% better coverage than City Y in police protection. Durham's 199 Public Safety Officers com- bine with 74 firefighting personnel to give the city 41% better coverage than City X and 58% better coverage than City Y in a major fire emergency,z? Conclusion. The public safety plan was originally op- posed very strongly by the Durham f'n-efighters' organi- zation. Opponents felt one officer couldn't do both jobs, and that public safety would suffer as a result? To gain their support, the then City Manager led discussions with police officers and firefighters, and key officials made visits to other communities that had a public safety pro- gram. Now, more than 10 years have passed since the establishment of Durham's program. The program has been successful, measured by the quality and level of ser- vice, the cost advantage, and the support it has received from the community. Clifton, New Jersey (74,500) The Clifton Fire-Police Patrol Program remains essen- tially the same as described in the 1976 MIS Report. It is a partial consolidation of the police and fire functions that requires firefighters to be trained in, and function on, patrol during slow periods. The program was orig- inally initiated in 1968. The program places firefighters on patrol during those periods--night hours, weekends, and holidays--when ~2 / ~anagement Information Service they are not directly involved in their prime function of Fn'e protection. Essentially, the Fire Patrol personnel serve as back-ups to police officers when necessary. In addition, their duties include inspections, firefighter training, related police patrol training, and building and equipment maintenance. Chief Public Safety Officer Joseph S. Colca feels that the "PSOs get to know the community better when they are out on patrol...and not only assist the police as a back-up unit but can also spot fire and safety violations in the sector they patrol.''~' He also feels they contribute to a deterrent presence. Clifton records show that PSOs are able to respond faster to fires under this program. There are four persons assigned to each piece of fire equipment, with two in the fire house and two out on patrol. In at least half the tr~e calls, PSOs on patrol are at a fire before the firehouse personnel, and arrive at the same time in most of the other responses. In addition to their standard fire training, all PSOs in Clifton attend a 14-week training course at the State Police Academy to be properly trained in all police functions. The Clifton city administration believes the benefits derived from the Fire-Police patrol are many. It provides additional protection and additional eyes and ears for police patrol. For the citizens it provides a greater meas- ure of safety and sense of well-being through greater surveillance and police presence activity2° Oak Park, Michigan (31,500) The Oak Park Department of Public Safety was estab- lished in 1954 and is a full consolidation of the police and fire services. All officers receive the same training for all aspects of the services. Therefore, all PSO I's are fire- fighters and ambulance attendants as well as police of- ricers, (and 16 are emergency medical technicians and 1 is a paramedic)?~ Oak Park's objective in consolidating police and fire departments in 1954 was to improve productivity, not necessarily reduce Public Safety expenditures. Due to budget cutbacks the number of personnel have been re- duced by about two per year, going from 76 in 1976 to 67 today. Oak Park accommodated the cutbacks by reduc- ing the support staff and leaving the Operations Division intact. The Operations Division has the responsibility for law enforcement and firefighting activities and functions on a 4 platoon, 28 day cycle. Each platoon works 7 days of afternoon shift, has 2 days off; 7 days of day shift, has one day off; 7 days of midnight shift, followed by 4 days off. Each officer receives an additional day off for each cycle so that the work week amounts to 40 hours. This pattern of rotation provides 3 platoons for duty each day." Each platoon is comprised of a Lieutenant (station commander), a Sergeant (Patrol Supervisor), a Com- munications Officer (Dispatcher), and about 12 PSOs. The minimum manning requirements are a commander, a dispatcher, and 3 officers in the station on all shifts to provide for emergency equipment response, and a patrol strength of at least 3 one-man patrol units on day shift and 5 patrol officers on the afternoon and midnight shifts. The department's inspection program requires each commercial and industrial structure (892) to undergo at least 2 fire/crime prevention inspections each year. The inspection program also updates the emergency contact f'fle at the dispatch center and checks for license compliance. The Public Safety Department budget for fiscal year 1982/83 is $3,740,000. The Public Safety Director reports that their experience shows that the community strongly supports the public safety organization. The city will continue to operate a fully consolidated Department because the system has proven to be extremely successful and efficient. Flagstaff, Arizona (34,600) Flagstaff is the only community listed in the 1976 MIS Report to experience the termination of their Police/Fire Specialist (PFS) Program and return to traditional sep- arate police and fire operations. Several aspects of the PFS Program included: · Cross-training volunteers from the police and fire de- partments, enabling them to perform duties of both services. · Consolidating all dispatching services for public safety under the police department. · Eliminating the 24 hour shift for firefighters. · Putting all Police/Fire Specialists under the supervi- sion of the Police Department. Two PFS vehicles per shift were to engage in normal police patrol duties when not responding to or engaging in fh'efighting activities.'3 However, there was always strong opposition to the Police/Fire Specialist Program. The members of the fire- fighters local especially opposed reducing the work week from 56 hours based on 24 hour shifts. Only one f'tre- fighter volunteered to be cross-trained as a PFS and the rest of the volunteers came from the police department. Failing a legal challenge to the program, the fire- fighters initiated a referendum on the issue. The citizens subsequently voted to return the Fu'efighters to a 56 hour work week. After this, a new City Manager was hired, and several new council members were elected. They did not have the same commitment to the program and voted to terminate the program. Of the 12 Police/Fire Specialists who had been cross-trained, one who had been a f'Lrefighter re- mained with the Police Department, and four who had been police officers joined the Fire Department. The only remaining area of consolidation since the 1979 dissolution is combined dispatching. Public Safety Departments / 13 E! Dorado, Kansas (10,500) The Department of Public Safety consists of a combined police and fire department, and also maintains an Emer- gency Preparedness Agency. In 1975 the Public Safety Department was reorganized as a pilot project to use El Dorado's resources more ef- fectively. It involved combining the patrol and f'n'efight- ing divisions and applying the team policing concept to the new operation. The team concept groups police and fire personnel into a team under the supervision of a leader. These teams are then assigned to a permanent geographic area and are totally responsible for providing all public safety services to their assigned area. As it was designed at that time, all fire and patrol officers are under the command of the same lieutenant, have the same leave days and shift assignments, and perform patrol, traffic, fire, and other public safety functions,a` The team concept program was in effect in El Dorado for several years, but then terminated in 1978 because of a number of factors. There was a forced, and unan- ticipated reduction in personnel, due to a state spending lid law, a reduction that worked against attempts to re- duce firefighters' work week hours. These combined fac- tors, and opposition to reducing the firefighters' hours, left reduced manpower in the stations and led to the ter- mination of the team concept. However, the public safety program is still operating, although not in the team concept form. The Director of Public Safety administers the department, supported by Division Commanders (Captalns)--one each for the Fire Division, Patrol Division, and Service Division. Current authorized strength is 42--including 36 uniformed, sworn members (13 Fire Division PSOs, 14 Patrol Division PSOs, 6 civilian personnel)--alded by an auxiliary, non- paid reserve force. Minimum on-duty personnel, 24 hours per day, con- sists of one communications officer, 7 regular officers, and 1 watch commander. The Patrol Division has 3 PSOs for patrol and investigation, the Fire Division has 4 PSOs in the fire station. All employees work a 40 hour week, except for Fire Division personnel and Watch Command- ers (54 hour work week.)TM Patrol Division. The patrol function includes the sup- pression and prevention of crime, traffic control, and fire combat support. The city is divided into three motor patrol beats, each normally patrolled by one officer in patrol vehicles equipped with basic firefighting equip- ment. Two patrol officers respond to a fire or other emer- gency, backed by an immediate recall of pre-determined, off-duty personnel and auxiliary reserves to assist in the emergency or cover other duties. Watch Commanders are responsible for all fire and patrol activities during their tour of duty. Fire Division. The Fire Division's responsibilities include fire prevention activities, fire inspections, suppression, and response to related emergencies. In addition to fire equipment maintenance, firefighters perform in-house activities that are traditionally police functions, such as: · Booking and custody of prisoners. · Acting as duty officers--taking reports of incidents, relieving dispatchers, etc. · All photography work of the public safety department. The Fire Division provides fire protection for 115 square miles, including two townships. The city is paid by the townships for this protection, with one-third of ail fire calls per year, on average, originating from the townships. The department operates a "911" emergency line, and also maintains a weather alert and civil defense system as part of a community emergency preparedness program. 'lkalning. New officers are assigned initially to the Fire Division, and must complete 120 hours of basic training. They must then attend the State Police Academy and re- ceive 320 hours of training to be certified. After one year of fire experience and one year of police experience they may apply for a position in either division as positions become available. In-service training is conducted for all personnel to maintain their proficiency in both divisions. Olencoe, Illinois (9,200) Glencoe has a fully consolidated public safety depart- ment and employs only public safety officers. The De- partment of Public Safety has 61 employees: the Director, 2 Captains, 5 Lieutenants, 21 PSOs, 5 Communications Operators, 1 Parking Control Officer, a Community Ser- vice Officer, Records Clerk, 20 part-time Officers, and 3 part-time school crossing guards. The PSOs perform general public safety activities, law enforcement, fire prevention and suppression, and first- aid and paramedic services. They also perform standby police and fire station duty, including training, main- tenance of equipment and quarters, and records work. PSOs perform patrol duty 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and have standby duty for 24 hours on, 48 hours off. Program in Action. All on-duty PSO respond to fire calls, dropping the police or fire station duties that they might be performing at the time of the alarm. Officers on patrol immediately respond if they are not involved in some other duty of greater importance. In the event of combined emergencies, it is possible to send 30 trained firefighters in response. Under the traditional separate department arrangement, only 8 officers could be dispatched.~6 All patrol cars are equipped with police and fire equip- ment. In one recent year, the patrol cars were responsible for controlling 37*/0 of all fire service calls, and fire pumpers controlled 42070 of the alarms (21./0 of all fires were put out upon arrival). Of the calls handled by the fire pumpers, 68*/0 were controlled with minor equip- ment, and only 32°70 required major action and equip- ment. Therefore, 13./0 of all fires required the use of Management Information Service November 1982, Vol. 14 No. 11 Public Safety Departments major equipment, while the remaining 87o7o of all fires re- quired the use of minor equipment or personnel available in patrol cars? The stand-by officers in the station do record work; handle communications, fingerprinting, and photo- graphic work; count parking meter receipts; repair park- ing meters; and handle licenses and registrations. Glencoe officials believe the training of PSOs to per- form the dual functions is the most important require- ment of a successfully combined department. Training in- cludes attendance at a state-certified Police Academy (10 weeks) and Fire Academy (7 weeks) as well as continuous in-service training. In addition to the regular police and fire duties, the Public Safety Department in 1974 began an emergency paramedic service. After extensive training, PSOs be- come state-certified Emergency Medical Technicians. Cky officials report that the public safety program has proved successful from every standpoint: the 'Village Board, administration, public safety employees, and citizens are satisfied with the program. They feel this re- sults from: · Faster and better public safety service for residents. * Improved morale, higher pay, and better working con- ditions for public safety employees. · A more economical unit cost operation through better use of personnel?8 CONCLUSION Many communities have established some form of con- solidation of their police and fire functions. It is an- ticipated that many more consolidations will be imple- mented in the future due to continued financial pressures and the need for higher levels of police and fire services. As communities try to move away from the traditional, separate police and fire departments they may face strong opposition from the police and particularly the fire- fighters organizations. This opposition is based on many factors, and usually calls for serious negotiations. (MIS invited the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), an organization traditionally opposed to con- solidation, to submit information for this report on their present policy concerning consolidation. They declined to do so at this time.) Communities have been successful in overcoming op- position to consolidation, even when there are strong unions involved. It should be noted that if opposition compromises a program's goals, then the program may fail. In a 1974 MIS Report, Esai Berenbaum, a former Direc- tor of the Durham, N.C. Public Safety Department, related why some communities have tried consolidation and then later abandoned it: "In the programs that failed, ma. ny compromises were made with opponents of the program, resulting in a weak organization, weak leadership, un- coordinated operations, and inadequate training. This in turn led to operational errors that were used by the op- position to "prove" that the program cotildn't work.''29 It is clear that the communities that were able to over- come the opposition successfully, and that eventually won the confidence of the police and fire personnel, did so because they had the strong support of the city admin- istration and the public. ~ The Consolidation of Fire and Police Services." Public Safety Study Committee, Kalamazoo, Michigan, July 1981, p. 2. = Ibid., p. 8. 3 Marie Hayman. "Public Safety Departments: Combining the Police and Fire Functions." Management Information Service Report, (Washington, D.C.: International City Management Association, July 1976) Vol. 8, No. 7. · Ibid., p. 1. ' Tom Holcombe. "Public Safety Departments: Theory and Prac- tice.'' December 1976, pp. 6-7. 6 Ibid., pp. 8-9. ' Bob Mixon. "PSO Concept/Operational Progress Report, 1976-1981." Texarkana, Arkansas. ~ "The Consolidation of Fire and Police Services," Op. Cit. 9 "An Evaluation~6T th~ Public Safety Officer Concept in Winston- Salem, N.C., 1972-1977." Public Safety Study Commission, May 1978. ,o "A Report on the Public Safety Officer Concept as Requested by the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen." November 1979. ' ~ Ibid. ~= "Public Safety Concepts and Practices." Sunnyvale, California, 1980, p. 1. '3 Ibid., p. I. ~' Hayman, Op. Cit., p. 6. ~' "A Long-Range Plan for Strengthening Durham's Public Safety Officer Program." June 1977. ~ Ibid., p. 5. ~ "Comparison of Expenditures and Levels of Service for Public Service in Durham to Police and Fire Operations." Memorandum to the City Manager from the Office of Budget and Management, Durham, North Carolina, January 1982. ~' Esai Berenbaum. "Police-Fire Consolidation: A Case Study." Management Information Service Report. (Washington D.C.: International City Management Association, March 1974.) Vol. 6, No. 3A. '* Randolph Diamond. "Firemen Assist Policemen and It Works-- Most of the Time." The Jersey Journal, No. 39, June 10, 1981. ~ William Holster. "Clifton Tries a Fire-Police Patrol Program." New Jersey Municipalities, October 1969, p. 36. ~ Letter from Glenford S. Leonard, Director of Public Safety, Oak Park, Michigan, 1982. ~ Ibid. ~s Hayman, Op. Cit., pp. 9-10. ~' Hayman, Op. Cit., p. 10. t~ "Introduction to the Department of Public Safety." City of E1 Dorado, Kansas. ~* Robert Morris. "A Report Describing the Combined Police-Fire Service of Glencoe, Illinois." January 1981. ~ Ibid., p. 4. =* Ibid., p. 4. ~* Berenbaum, Op. Cit., p. 4. Inte,-national City Management Association Management Information Service AUS 2 1976 JULY 1976 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 7 Public safety departments: combining the police and fire functions THE REPORT AT A GLANCE The rising costs of public services in conjunction with the growing concern for increasing productivity, has caused many municipalities to examine alter- native ways to provide municipal ser- vices, especially in the area of police and ~re. One such non-traditional ap- proach is consolidation which inte- grates police and fire functions. The International City Management Asso- ciation takes no position on the issue of police - fire consolidation but recognizes its responsibility to inform municipal officials of the merits and disadvantages of th/s type of public safety arrangement. This report presents an historical over- view of the consolidation issue, defines different types of consolidated rela- tionships, and details some of ~e legal restraints which may hamper a munici- pality's efforts toward any type of consolidation effort. Finally, a case study approach is used to document the experiences of several cities with various forms of cooperative relation- ships, including several which have experimented with consolidation only to later abandon the concept. 1140 Connecticut Avenue Northwest Washington DC 20036 International City Management Association Management Information Service July 1976 Vol. 8 No. 7 Management Information Service Reports are published monthly by the international City Management Association, 1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Copyright ~ 1976 by the International City Management Association. No part of this report may be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. These reports are intended primarily to provide timely information on subjects of practical interest to local government administrators, budget and research analysts, administrative assistants, librarians, and others responsible for and concerned with the operational aspects of local governments, Reports are issued as part of a subscription service that includes answers to inquiries and other publications. Subscription rates, based on population of subscribing jurisdictions, will be furnished on request. Recent MIS Reports 9[75 10175 11/75 12/75 2/76 3/76 4/76 4/76 Index to MIS Reports, 1969-1975 Signs and Cities Planning City Hall (a) In-house Printing & Binding? (b) Metric Conversion for Local Government 1/76 Public Official Liability: A Trending Toward "Administra- tive Malpractice" Racial Steering: Equal Opportunity and the Dual Housing Market Police Unions .~ SPECIAL: Performance Audits in Local Governments - Benefits, Problems, & Challenges (a) Zero-base Budgeting in Garland, Texas (b) A Piece of the Pie: Minority Contractors in Evanston 5[76 Vandalism 6/76 Improving Productivity for Better Service Delivery: A View from the Council PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS: COMBINING THE POLICE AND FIRE FUNCTIONS PSOs in Winston-Salem are prepared to assume police or firefighting duties. With the budgetary constraints experienced today within most localities, municipal administrators are constantly searching for ways to operate their city's police and fire services efficiently while at the same time securing a better return on the citizen's tax dollars. This is no easy task given the prospect of shorter workweeks for firefighters, the ever increasing crime rates, and the vocal citizen demands for better protective services. Of particular concern to many municipal officials is their city's fire service. For the past twenty-five years the firefight- ers' work week has been steadily declining. Before World War II firemen, on an average, worked more than seventy hours per week. The latest available figures indicate an average work' week of fifty-four hours for firefighters in 1975.~ Firefighters usually operate on twenty-four hour shifts, only eight hours of which are devoted to active duty. The remaining hours comprise the commonly referred to firefight- ex's "down.time", composed of stand-by duty at the firehouse in case an alarm is signalled. In an effort to economize while increasing productivity within the public safety function, municipal administrators usually take a long look at their police and fire budgets, of which over eighty percent is consumed by personnel costs. It is This report was prepared by Marie Hayman, research associate, Contract Research Center, International City Management Association. Ms. Hayrnan serves as editor of Target, newsletter of successful LEA~I pro/ects, published by IC3/L4 for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Photo courtesy of Sunnyvale, California Public Safety Depart- ment. Suggested citation: Marie Hayman, Public Safety Depart- ments: Combining the Police and Fire Functions,Management Information Service Report, Vol. 8 No. 7 (Washington, D.C.: International City Management Association, July 19 76). at this point that an administrator may contemplate the consolidation of the police and fire services to form a unified public safety department or may consider various other types of cooperative working relationships between police and fire fighters to more effectively utilize personnel. Perhaps it would be useful at this point to discuss the operational de£mitions of consolidation. In "The New Era of Public Safety," Harry More describes five types of consoli- dated departments: 1. Fully consolidated - a single unified force in which the police and fire services have been combined into a department of public safety. Officers perform both public safety functions and are usually identified as public safety officers (PSOs). A minimum number of PSOs is assigned to duty in the fire station while the remaining officers patrol, performing fire prevention activities and police patrol duties. 2. Partial consolidation - identity of the police and fire services has been retained and a special patrol created to perform combined police-fire duties. This special patrol is usually composed of men recruited from the police and fire departments. Such officers are also called PSOs and when not engaged in firefighting activities, are under the control of the police department. 3. Selected area consolidation - the police and fire services function separately except for specially trained police- firemen assigned to combined duties in a specific geographical area. 4. Functional consolidation - separate police and fire services are retained but one or more duties normally performed by one department have been assigned to members of the other department. For example, fire- fighters may help with the administrative tasks in the police station or police officers may prepare hydrants for hoses at the fire scene prior to the arrival of the apparatus. 5. Nominal consolidation - both services retain individual and distinct identity both operationally and administra- tively but both are under one public safety director.2 2 / Management information S~rvi~e The exact date of the first consolidation effort is difficult to pinpoint. More traces consolidation back to 27 B.C. in Rome where "vigfles' had the dual responsibility of keeping order and fighting fires? Since that time, other nations have had sporadic experiences with combined public safety activi- ties. Many sections of England, Germany and Japav featured this type of arrangement in the early eighteen hundreds and the concept flourished in these three countries until World War IIfi Because of the fire bombings in England during the war, a centralized fire protection service was developed which was localized after the war. In Japan and Germany, fire protection was reorganized along the traditional American lines during United States occupation. In North America, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec was perhaps the first consolidated department (1857) with Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, being the first American city to follow that route (1911)? Grosse Pointe Shores continues to operate as a consolidated department but Trois-Rivieres is attempting to form separate departments at this time. Today, approximately sixty municipalities throughout the United States have some form of consolidated public safety effort. Areas under 10,000 in population generally have volunteer fire departments; or ff consolidated, are entirely residential, single family dwelling localities where the homo- geneity of the eonununity and the nature of its dwellings present no serious police or fire threat (for example, Grosse Pointe Shores - population: 3,000). However, it is the larger communities, discussed later in this report, operating with various forms of consolidation which evoke the most contro- versy with regard to the issue of consolidation. ARGUMENTS AGAINST CONSOLIDATION Consolidation has powerful opposition. Among the most vocal opponents are the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) who first passed a resolution against any form of consolidation eighty years ago, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), and the American Insurance Associa- tion (AIA). Generally, their arguments against the consolida- tion concept have centered around the following issues: · Public safety officers, while fighting a fire, leave the community vulnerable to crime. · Consolidation breaks up the company unit - the basic attack unit of a fire department. · Firemen do not have "down-time." When not fighting ftres, firemen are busy with industrial, commercial, and industrial fire prevention activities, caring for stations, equipment and apparatus and studying the fire hazards posed by new chemicals and plastics. · One man cannot do two jobs. The usual short, intensive training given to a new fire-police officer is insufficient. · Sufficient personnel must be ready to man firefighting apparatus at once - patrolling personnel may be located far from the fire, performing police duties. · A public safety officer, changing from dress uniform into protective clothing, loses crucial firefighting time. · If a fire requires most of the public safety department force, the police function is hampered; if a police action requires most of the public safety department force, the fire function suffers. A city's fire rating will suffer under a consolidated department. Proper leadership for a combined department is difficult to obtain. Other potential problem areas often over-looked when considering combining police and fire departments in- clude the chain of command, suitable rules and regula- tions, responsibility for discipline, pension plan, method for promotions, morale of personnel, priority of the fire service over other activities, inevitable court attendance in connection with police duties and the development of standard operating procedures for the fire servicefi There is no one organization actively behind the consolida- tion concept; however, those involved with successfully consolidated departments have mentioned several beneficial aspects of consolidation especially in regards to: Administration - consolidation eliminates duplication in the areas of radio communication networks, records system, office staff, training costs and personnel quar- ters, and budget preparation. A lieutenant has command responsibility for each Public Safety District in Durham. Public Safety Departments ! 3 · Authority - consolidation establishes a single line of command and accomplishes more effective cooperation between departments in the common public safety effort. · Efficiency - men on patrol almost always reach the fire scene before fire apparatus from the station and often- times are able to contain a fire. Constant patrolfing also familiarizes public safety officers with all sections of the city and those physical characteristics which could prove helpful in fire or other emergencies. · Increased morale - consolidation offers more interest- ing, challenging employment with increases in promo- tional opportunities and pay. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS Before any municipality can seriously contemplate consolida- tion in any form, the city attorney must check the legal provisions of state statutes, city charters, and ordinances. Only two states, Pennsylvaniav and Massachusettss specifically restrict unification of police and fire departments in dries over a certain population. Pension plans or state statutes which are open to interpretation may be a roadblock to any consolida- tion attempt however, as officials in Shorewood, Wisconsin and South Bend, Indiana, discovered. Shorewood, Wisconsin, has a public safety director but due to the restrictive police and fire pension programs under state administration, a loss of pension fights would result for one segment of a consolidated public safety department. Since it was impossible for Shorewood to consolidate police and fire functions because of this situation, the city chose instead to expand the normal duties of firefighters to include roving patrols on the look-out for fires, smoke, false alarms and fire code violations within the city. Tiffs patrol is~not under police department control but does alert the police by radio to any situation which may require their attention. South Bend, Indiana, was confronted with a different kind of restriction. After the city government attempted to compel firefighters to be trained in and to perform certain police functions, the firefighters and their wives obtained a court injunction temporarily halting the implementation of this work order until a review was conducted by the Appellate Court.9 On September 30, 1971, the Appellate Court ruled that "local autonomy as distinguished from a centralized state control of municipalities did not extend to altering the defined duties of police and fire departments and their personnel as stipulated in state statute law." The Court went on to declare "this Court is of the opinion that the city cannot require a fireman to qualify as a special policeman as a condition of employment or continuing employment with the city.''l o This decision is of significance in its finding that the home rule authority of the city does not extend to altering the organization and duties of fire and police departments as established under state law. Furthermore, this ruling could have a potential impact in other states where municipalities are creatures of the state and where the manner in which fire and police departments are to be organized and operated are set forth in state laws passed by the legislatures. CITIES WITH CONSOLIDATED DEPARTMENTS There are no two dries in this study which operate their consolidated departments in exactly the same manner. As should be the case, the method and degree of police-fire consolidation or cooperation depends on the unique circum- stances in each community. What follows, in case study format, is a description of several cities of varying size and population that have consolidated their public safety function in some degree or have unique working relationships between the two services charged with public protection. The cities studied are Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Sunnyvale, Cali- fornia; Durham, North Carolina; Clifton, New Jersey; Oak Park, Michigan; Flagstaff, Arizona; E1 Dorado, Kansas; and Glencoe, Illinois. Winston-Salem, North Carolina Population: 133,000 Land Area: 57.4 miles Winston-Salem has reduced the available manpower at most of its fire stations and has public safety officers patrolling selected areas of the city performing police and fire activities. Both the fire department and police department supervise public safety operations and both chiefs continue to report directly to the city manager. What has occurred in Winston- Salem essentially is a re-allocation of manpower in selected areas for optimal usefulness. In 1950, Winston-Salem had a population of 88,000. Three annexations in the ensuing years resulted in a population of 133,000. The combined factors of annexations, property tax inequities, excessive distances of some areas from fire stations, and the need to reduce the working hours of firemen gave impetus to the consolidation idea. An analysis of the budget revealed that eighty-six percent of the combined police/fire budgets was allocated for salaries. It was then determined that any reduction in the cost of providing police/fire services must come from better utilization of personnel. An experimental Fire-Police Patrol program was imple- mented at the recommendation of the city manager in 1957. The program affected one fire district and called for fourteen men with four on duty at a time, two located at the fire station ready to drive the pumper truck to ~ fire and two patrolling the area performing basic law enforcement duties but ready to proceed to a fire when an alarm was sounded. Patrol members were paid according to the police department pay scale, which was ten percent more than the traditional firemen received. The eight participants in this experimental program took part in two courses~ The first four week course provided thorough training in law and law enforcement techniques. The second four weeks consisted of a training school which 4 ! Management. Information Service stressed firefighting and fire prevention techniques. After participating in these structured courses, four of the public safety officers were assigned to the police department for a month's on-the-job training. The other four public safety officers spent the month at the fire department and at the end of the month, switched assignments with those at the police department. Due to the success of this unit and another such unit established in 1965 the city began planning for a total Public Safety Officer Program. It was estimated these two consoli- dated units alone netted the city an annual savings of $70,000.~ ~ The plan for full implementation of the public safety officer concept brought complaints from the Winston-Salem Fire fighters Association. A position paper from the IAFC national headquarters which was sent to the city manager in late 1971, noted the following concerns, concerns which the local firefighters also expressed: consolidation would (a) break up the company unit and hamper efficiency, (b) result in poor morale, (c) expand police coverage at the expense of on-duty fire companies, and (d) create administrative problems as the two departments struggled for supremacy,x2 An assistant city manager met and talked with the firemen, explaining the pro- gram and incorporating their suggestions into the final plan. When the final plan did emerge in 1972, the new public safety division was under the joint direction of the fire and police departments. By a narrow margin, the Winston-Salem Firemen's Association had voted to support the PSO concept. It was clearly stated by the city administration that no existing firefighter would ever be forced to perform law enforcement activities, nor would any existing police officer be expected to engage in firefighting operations. The program was all volun- teer. In addition, a public safety officer was given the promotional options of either staying with the public safety department and advancing to supervisor or participating in the advancement opportunities within either the fire or police departments. Presently, the public safety division consists of forty-eight men; twelve public safety supervisors and thirty-six public safety officers. The men are divided into four teams of twelve each. They work eight-hour shifts for an average week of forty-two hours. An on-duty team consists of twelve men; four men to each of the three consolidated districts. The duties of the public safety officer include handling police and fire emergencies, constant patrolling when not engaged in these emergencies, and taking part in fire-preven- tion and training programs devoted to police and f~re techniques. Although the PSOs operate only in the residential neighborhoods, they patrol sixty to eighty percent of the city's total land area and handle 24.8 percent of the current police department work loadfi s PSO supervisors are responsible for all operations regarding f~refighting, police and non-emergency work in the consoli- dated districts. Supervisors also devote part of their on-duty time to fire and police patrol, traffic enforcement and investigating minor complaints, but they always must be free to proceed directly to a fire scene if necessary. Due to this rule, the public safety department always has at least two men ready to proceed to a fire, but in most instances four PSOs are ready to do so. In this way, a reduced standard fire department of three fire members, backed up by PSOs will ensure enough manpower for any residential fire. In the case of a larger fire, more companies and PSOs from another district will respond to the scene. It cost the city $84,500 to implement the PSO program. To achieve the same results under the traditional fire and police organization would cost an additional annual budget increase of $275,000 according to Winston-Salem officials.~ 4~ Benefits of the program thus far include an improved fire Durham's public safety stations house apparatus and PSO patrol vehicles. response rate since PSOs usually arrive at the fire scene before fire apparatus, and improved police protection with the addition of twelve cars to each eight-hour shift. With PSOs patrolling most of the city's residential areas, experienced police officers can concentrate on high crime areas. In addition, it has been found that in Winston-Salem a strong manned force allows police to leave their cars to perform security checks and informally get to know the citizens of the community thereby promoting better police-community rela- tions. At the end of 1975, the city of Winston-Salem was divided into three public safety sectors and three police patrol sectors. When more PSOs are trained, police sectors will be converted into public safety sectors. All new personnel are now employed as PSOs. There are twelve public safety sergeants and 110 trained PSOs at this time. The sergeants command each public safety sector supervising officers equal in number to the number of beats in the sector. Each sector has four such sets of sergeants and officers to respond to any emergency 24-hours a day. For maximum vehicle utilization, the city is also converting to a public safety vehicle to be used interchangeably between the f~re and police departments. This will eliminate the necessity of replacing fire department vehicles several years old but with low mileage and police department vehicles relatively new but with high mileage. At this time, police and fire personnel share a public safety communications center and the police attorney has become the public safety legal advisor, giving advice to personnel involved in all phases of public safety activities. Figures for 1975 indicate Winston-Salem has a police and fire protection rate of 4.0 public safety officers per 1,000 population. Fire losses in 1974 were $1,739,052; down from $2,294,109 in 1969. Winston-Salem has a fire rating of three. Public Safety Departments / 5 Sunnyvale, California Population: 106,000 Land Area: 22 Sq. Miles Sunnyvale is the largest city in the country with a completely consolidated public safety department. The public safety division was established in mid-1950 when Sunnyvale's population was 9,000. Previously there had been a volunteer fire department and a sixteen man police department, but as the city's population grew, the need of a full-time fire service became evident. When considering the options, the city administration felt a "generalized approach would avoid duplication of effort, be more flexible and responsive to community safety needs and achieve economies in manpower without reduction of service levels.''~ s Organizationally, the public safety department is divided into a patrol division, fire division and staff services division. The patrol division incorporates the detective function, traffic and patrol, parking and related police activities. The fire division has the responsibility for all firefighting activities, fire prevention, fire training and special services activities. The third division, staff services, handles records, communications, personnel, training, and other support activities. Public safety officers rotate among the three divisions every one to three years. Those assigned to fire duty work a 24-hour shift followed by two days off while PSOs assigned to police duty work eight-hour shifts for a forty-hour work week. Public safety department facilities include a public safety headquarters and six fire stations located throughout the city. Sunnyvale has thirteen pieces of £zre apparatus, thirty-nine sedans, and three support vehicles. Ail PSOs are utilized in emergencies. Patrol officers and detectives carry protective clothing and firefighting equipment in their vehicles in case they are needed at a fire scene. The majority of their time, though, is consumed in routine operations consisting of complaint investigations, accident investigations, traffic and parking control, and fire prevention, inspection and training activities. Officers work in teams under the direction of a public safety captain. Recruits for the public safety department are selected from successful graduates of the Public Safety Cadet Program. The city provides tuition and book costs for Cadet I employees who work five to eighteen hours a week learning basic fire and police activities. Cadet II positions are available to men and women from twenty through thirty-three years in age who express an interest in joining the department and who meet the educational requirements. Cadet III positions are full-time and allow the employees the opportunity to take the exam for public safety officer. Upon passing the exam, the new PSO must take part in 320 hours of basic fire training and 440 hours of police training. Sunnyvale's public safety division (PSD) is administered through the Management by Objective method. As stated in Sunnyvale's PSD brochure each unit of effort and commitment of resources is guided by clearly stated goals that are known to every individual in the department. Periodic reports compare planned perfor- mance and actual performance. Every effort is made to develop each individual to capacity so that the individual A new computer-aided dispatching system will be installed in Sunnyvale's Public Safety Department by August, 1976. can contribute to the achievement of departmental goals. As personnel are assigned to a broad range of jobs during their careers the level of responsibility and decision making is decentralized to the fullest extent possible.~ 6 The majority of public safety officers are assigned to the patrol services and the fire suppression program. Within the patrol services, there exists a standard strength of twelve officers on duty, deployed in marked vehicles throughout the city. Their primary purpose is to respond to police and fire emergency situations but in the past years an increasing amount of time is spent conducting community relations programs and providing diverse services to the public. Those assigned to fire suppression are in a constant state of readiness for firefighting and rescue activities. They also spend a great deal of time on fire prevention and training programs. Other public safety officers are assigned to the areas of support services, communications, training and prevention. A unique aspect of the Sunnyvale public safety department is its Mobile Service Center Program which attempts to bring services to the public and provide them with a greater understanding of the public safety function. During its first year, the federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) funded the center's operation; subsequently the city absorbed its operating costs. The mobile service center is manned by public safety officers and the personnel of participating agencies which in the past have included drug abuse programs, voter registration drives, bicycle and traffic safety campaigns, and fire prevention and residential security projects. One PSO is constantly assigned to the center and the regular beat officer of the area the center is visiting also contributes time to hear citizen complaints and offer aid and services. In 1974, Sunnyvale had the lowest crime rate for cities in California with populations between 100,000-250,000. The average operating costs of the police and fire functions in twelve Bay area cities on a per capita basis for 1972 was $58.39.~ 7 At $42.12 Sunnyvale had next to the lowest total cost per capita. Fire losses averaged $4.56 per capita in Sunnyvale, twenty percent below the average $5.72 of twelve area cities. Sunnyvale's fire rating improved during the 1960s from five to four. In 1976, the city achieved a class three rating. Recent statistics indicate patrol cars reach a fire scene within 2.6 minutes and trucks reach the scene within 3.3 minutes. Information Service a' Spec.Services Division g Guard,si Secretary t Opera~ons F~_ ~ Fire Dlvmon MIll----! Division 4 Platoons Jill ~. Captain ---[,4 Lteuts. 14 Sergs. ----~ Dispatchers,., ~ Engineers .... Office of Dire~or ~-t Director Internal Inves tlgetlons Chief Investigations Division Deputy Director , Civil Defense Coordinator Inves ~iga tlons Division Captain Investigations [ Section ,,, [ [4 Detectives ~ IAdministration Dlvis ion Lieutenant Juvenile Section '~ S~ff Aide Special Assignment,, Secretary CODE Normal Supervisory Resp. ~__._. .__Fire Emergency Command ............... Position Pilled as Required by Chief Investigations Division Table of organization Oak Park Department of Public Safety. Durham, North Carolina Population: 103,000 Area: 41 Sq. Miles Durham (see MIS, March, 1974, Vol. 6 No. 3-A) has been operating with a selected area consolidation of police/f~re services since 1971. The precipitating factors for establishing the program included the necessity to reduce the firefighter .work week from seventy-two to fifty-six hours and to increase law enforcement patrol strength. Selected area consolidation was discussed in Durham as early as 1965 but intense opposition from the International Association of Firefighters caused the program to be shelved for six years. Two factors make Durham's operation especially note- worthy. First, the transition was made from a full-time police and fire service rather than from a volunteer fire department and secondly, a director of public safety was appointed in Durham who had neither police nor fire experience, but rather was an administrator with considerable experience in training. He supervises and coordinates the activities of police, fire and public safety personnel and oversees the operation of the emergency communications center - the originating point for dispatching public safety personnel in Durham. The police department's patrol division and the firefighting division of the fire department are primarily affected by Durham's consolidation effort. Specialized traditional police (investigation activities) and fire functions (fire prevention and rescue activities) remain under the purview of those depart- ments. Administratively, public safety officers are under police department auspices except when responding to a fire. In that case the fire chief and his assistants supervise the PSO's activities. There are now 156 public safety officers in Durham and they are responsible for fire and police coverage in seventy-five percent of the city's land area. Public safety officers in Durham are paid ten percent more than police officers and twenty-five percent more than firefighters. PSOs are volunteers; at the time of the program's inception no one was fired, instead the voluntary nature of the program was stressed and police and firefighters who wanted to remain as such were allowed to do so. No new police or fire fighters have been hired since 1970. Former police and firemen as well as new recruits undergo a Public Safety Departments / 7 Offic~ of Director Director '~ ~1 Services Div. ~ Fire Division ~ Administration )~, Internal Invest. ~ ~ Civil Defense / ~ ~ Juvenile / ~ ~ Operations Div. ! \ ~ SpenServlces Div. Investigations Div.' 'ire Division Patrols Intelligence Records Licenses Communications Data Processing Property Car Pound Auctions Crossing Guards Admin. Div. Fire, Tactics Inspection Fire Fighting Fire Inspections Crime Prevention Incident Service Incident Reporting Advic ~, Information, and Assistance to the Public Traffic Control Patrol Equipment Maintenance Operations Area Maintenance Dog Pound Criminal Invest. Warrant Admin. Cour: Liaison Juvenile Delinq. Youth Guidance Incident Invest. and Reporting School Liaison Fire Scene Command Fire Inspect. and Prevent. Fire Equip. Maintenance Volunteer Coordination Advice, Info. and Assistance to the Public ~ersonnel Budgeting Purchasing Plans and Research Program Review and Analysis Cadets Scheduling Training Citizen Complaints and Public Relations Functional organizational chart, Oak Park Department of Public Safety. sixteen week training course in police/fire techniques before assignment as public safety officers. This initial training is supplemented by continuous in-service training courses. Dur- ham officials place priority on training programs as evidenced by the fact that an average of over three men in every unit are qualified fire truck drivers and pump operators. Recently, the public safety team concept has been intro- duced in Durham. Under this concept, a public safety lieutenant has first line responsibility for one or two public safety stations including personnel administration, £ire and police training, all station and equipment maintenance, and crime prevention and community relations programs. Public safety companies operate on a four platoon system composed of four, five or six man units, depending on the needs of the particular area. During each eight hour shift, one supervisor and two or three PSOs patrol their districts in one-officer cars while one or two PSOs remain at the station maintaining the fire equipment and prepared to drive the truck to a fire scene. In the event of a fire, the truck and patrol cars immediately respond to the scene. Patrol cars contain three fire extinguishers for suppressing small f'ires, emergency breathing equipment, first aid equipment, firefighting protec- tive clothing and other tools related to firefighting activity. Since it is felt that at least three men are required at a fire scene, one, two or three of the patrol cars (depending on the area) could be occupied with police activities and three men would still be available for firefighting activities. When a public safety officer reaches the fire scene he reports the situation to incoming PSOs, dons his firefighting clothes and, if no rescue operation is required, goes to the nearest fire hydrant and prepares it for the F~re truck's arrival. If the fire is small, he will suppress it himself. Detailed records kept by Durham officials on over 4,000 fire unit responses by public safety companies reveal that less than one-half of one percent of their time is devoted to fighting fires which require the presence of more than two officers. In the case of a building fire, two pumper t~ucks and a ladder truck respond to the scene. Ladder trucks continue to be manned by traditional fire fighters while most of the pumpers, depending on their location, are manned by public safety officers. The city of Durham has a consolidated emergency commu- nications center. Citizens in need of police, fire, ambulance or any other emergency service simply dial "911" to obtain help within minutes. In addition, the center operates 240 emer- gency call box phones which are located at most of the city's 8 ! Management Information Service major intersections for the public's convenience. According to an emergency communications brochure published by the city, the center averages one transaction every fourteen seconds in a twenty-four hour period, and receives over 4,400 telephone calls monthly on the emergency line, including an average of 600 fire calls.1 ~ In proportion to its population, Durham spends less money ($6t.05 per capita) than all but one of the six largest North Carolina cities. The ratio of employees in police/fire opera- tions per 1,000 population in Durham is the lowest (3.6) among the state's six largest cities while its ratio of patrol cars per capita is the highest. It is estimated that it would cost the city at least $300,000 a year more to provide similar services under a traditional police/fire program. Since consolidation, the fire rating has gone from a class four to a solid class three. With partial consolidation, fire losses have decreased, the crime rate remains comparable with the rate in other North Carolina cities and police/community relations have improved. Law enforcement patrol strength has increased from twelve patrol cars per shift in 1970 to thirty now. in addition, public safety department records indicate that in the majority of instances public safety officers arrive at the fire scene faster than the truck and are able to extinguish fires while still small. The average response time in 1975 for all fire/public safety units including non-emergency responses was 2.7 minutes. The average response time for the first arriving public safety car on emergency fire calls was 1.7 minutes. The average response time for the second arriving public safety car was just under two minutes. (Emergency vehicles in Durham are required to stop at stop signs and red lights before proceeding through intersections and they may not exceed posted speed limits even' on emergency runs.) At the present time, Durham operates nine fire/public safety stations and fourteen fire/public safety companies. Seven of the stations and companies are manned by public safety officers. The remaining two stations are manned by firemen and continue to operate as traditional fire stations with firefighters working a fifty-six hour week on twenty- four hour shifts. The central police headquarters has police and public safety officers handling the law enforcement problems of the core city. Clifton, New Jersey Population: 90,000 Area: 11.7 Sq. Miles Clifton, New Jersey, operates a fire patrol program under the auspices of the fire department to "retain the firefighting concerns within proper priority perspective.''2° The plan was the idea of the city manager and was aimed at reducing the firefighter work week from fifty-six hours to forty-two hours while utilizing the skilled manpower pool available in the fire department to aid the police department. Clifton officials are not in favor of full consolidation. In the mid 1960s, Clifton f~refighters were faced with the prospect of either accepting a lower salary to offset their lowered work week or agreeing to a salary increase for police department members in order to maintain the traditional police/fire parity. Through the cooperation of Clifton's Fire- men's Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA), police depart- ment officials, and municipal leaders, the fire-police patrol (FPP) was established in 1967. The fire-police patrol operates out of the six fire stations in Clifton. Two man teams, part of the four man fire company, patrol their own fire district thus keeping the firefighting team intact. Their primary duty is to serve as backup personnel to police officers when necessary. Their red and white station wagons are equipped with fire and police radios, and fire extinguishing equipment. FPP officers are armed with a .38 caliber service revolver, handcuffs and a night stick. The program places members on patrol primarily during the night hours when they are not involved in their primary function of firefighting. Their duties include surveillance of parks, public buildings, vacant homes and business/industrial sites with the purpose of preventing vandalism and malicious mischief. They also respond to emer§encies and administer first aid. When confronted with a police incident, they immediately radio police headquarters and take the initial steps toward resolving the situation. In addition to their role vis-a-vis the police department, Clifton's Fire Patrol Personnel can render quick response to a fire call. Clifton's experience indicates patrol cars usually reach the fire site first, radio the fire condition to incoming fire companies and begin the steps necessary to extinguish the frre. During the first half of 1975, the patrol cars arrived at the scene after the fire apparatus only forty-one times out of 174 alarm calls.2 ~ Those associated with the Clifton program stress that success or failure of such a program depends on the overall character and physical make-up of the city. The positive attitudes of both the fire and police personnel were especially important in developing this successful cooperative working arrangement. Clifton itself is not a high risk area. The city's fire codes and ordinances are up to date and well enforced. The population is in the middle - high middle income bracket and there are no depressed areas. Clifton also has a high degree of inter-departmental cooperation. Each city department looks out for possible violations of city ordinances in other jurisdictional concerns.2 a According to Clffton's fire chief ' It has taken a positive attitude with a great deal of effort and sacrifice to bring this very unique fire patrol program to its present stage. For it to succeed in any community the Fire Department must be among the best to begin with, its members must be willing to override tradition, develop new attitudes and see through its convictions. When we consider Public Safety Departments / 9 this modern eta of today, where the social and economic attitude stresses 'getting the most for doing the least' the program takes on added significance and commendation. During the three years of combined fire and police patrol duties, the department responded to 4,525 fire and related emergency alarms. In addition the patrol cars logged over 450,000 miles and answered 3,624 police assistance calls. Oak Park, Michigan Population: 36,000 Area: $ Sq. Miles Oak Park, Michigan, a primarily residential community, has had a completely integrated public safety department since 1954. All public safety officers undergo the same training in all phases of fzre and police work. Before consolidation the fire department was a seven man operation and the city's fire xating was eight. Volunteers and police officers were used to supplement the Rrefighting force. The change-over to a consolidated department was well managed. All personnel were informed of the decision, their pay was raised, an ordinance was passed and a long period of intensive training was initiated.23 Every existing police officer and firefighter stayed with the city to become public safety officers. The public safety division (PSD) is divided into four divisions: the operations section, the fire marshall section, and special services and investigations. All police and fire emergen- cies are phoned into the PSD using the "911" number. Presently the department has seventy-six public safety officers, five civilian employees and four service officers. The operations division has the responsibility for the law enforcement and firefighting function. It functions fin a four platoon, twenty-eight day cycle. Each of the four platoons works seven days of afternoon shift, has two days off, takes seven days of morning shift, seven days of midnight shift and then has five days off. With the additional day off for each cycle, the work week amounts to forty hours. The f~re marshall section headed by the deputy public safety director, has command of all fireflghting operations, fzre prevention programs, fire training and apparatus maintenance. With the cooperation of seventeen through twenty-one year old cadets, special services handles the department's communi- cations, records keeping, and licensing procedures. For in- volved cases, the investigations section handles the detective function. The change to a consolidated department required a five week academy program within the department, supplementing the six week police academy recruit program and one week fire fighting program. Patrol districts are varied during different periods of the day according to demands for police services. In addition to basic police patrol duties, each officer must complete one combined fire and burglary prevention inspection daily which has resulted in 2,500 building inspections per year.24 These recommendations are followed up on by the fire marshall's office if necessary. The public safety department also adminis- ters the municipal civil defense program and has developed a sixteen hour training program in radiological monitoring and defense for public safety officers. In November, 1959, the National Board of Fire Under- writers evaluated the department and changed the insurance classification from a seven to a five. In 1970 the Michigan Inspection Bureau evaluated the department and the rating remains at five. It has been estimated that one-third of ail actual fires are extinguished by patrol officers while another one.third are extinguished by firefighters assigned to fire apparatus. The department is not equipped to handle large fires except on a mutual aid basis which is the case in most cities comparable in size and composition to Oak Park. Flagstaff, Arizona Population: 26,000 Area: 63.1 Sq. Miles Flagstaff cross-trains volunteers from the police and fire department, enabling them to perform the duties which both services entail. At the same time, all dispatching services for public safety are consolidated under the police department and the twenty-four hour shift for firefighters has been eliminated. In Flagstaff there was a heated controversy over a proposed forty hour work week for firefighters. The members of the firefighters local opposed reducing the workweek from fifty- six hours based on twenty-four hour shifts partly due to the fact firefighters would not be able to work another job. The City Manager, however, did not feel the resulting sixteen hour standby time was an effective method to use the talents of highly trained professionals.26 Since eighty-nine percent of the operating budget for police and firefighters was directly attributable to personnel costs, the manager felt an economical solution lay in cross training present personnel to meet a variety of situations. A contributing factor in eliminating the twenty-four hour shift was the city's plan to construct a new fire station. Without the need for designing sleeping quarters, a savings of $27,000 could be realized. In 1975, the initial phase of crosstraining had been completed and twelve of the forty-two firefighters are now police-fire specialists. They work a forty hour week consisting of five eight hour shifts. The minimum manning level of the fire department is nine firefighters and two police/fire special- ists, a total fire suppression force of eleven rather than the previous total of ten. All police/fire specialists are under the supervision of the police department. Volunteers from each department volun- teering to be cross trained are required to pass all the requirements of the department they are not a member of and are eligible for promotion in either department. Police/fire specialists receive a five percent increase over the same step salary pay as police officers at the completion of a probation- ary period. Under Flagstaffs plan there are a minimum of two police/fire specialist vehicles per shift for every twenty-four hour period. They engage in normal police patrol duties when not responding to or engaging in £irefighting activities. When a fire call is received, they discontinue their police duties, proceed to the fire scene, assess the situation, and call in additional units if necessary. For other firefighters, the increase in active duty time meant an increase in fire prevention, code enforcement and public education activities. If offduty personnel are called back for alarms they are paid at a rate of time and a half their regular rate for a minimum of two hours instead of the old rate of one hour at straight time. In addition, holiday pay for firefighters is twice their regular rate of pay for time worked, xeplacing the old practice of dividing holiday pay equally among all members of the department whether they worked or not. Cross training and the addition of seven persons has increased the fire suppression force by thirty-eight percent ~vith an increase in the total police and fire force of only seven percent. The city now has a fire suppression force of fifty-four fully trained personnel. The same increase without cross training would have cost $196,000 in salaries in the first year without the benefit of additional police protection. Experts agree that a quick initial response is absolutely essential in fire and rescue operations. In combining the fire response with the police/fire specialist response, a response rate of under four minutes has been achieved. The police/fire specialist unit usually arrives first with the fire department arriving less than three minutes later. When the fzre depart- ment did reach the scene first, the police/fire specialist arrived within one and a quarter minutes. In addition to cooperating in the cross training activities, the police and fire departments have a consolidated dispatch- ing center in operation twenty-four hours a day. Previously, the fire department had a dispatch center only operating forty hours a week with the fire suppression force on duty responsible for the remaining 128 hours each week. When the suppression force was on a call, no dispatching services were readily available to the department. According to a recent report by the city manager to the mayor and city council, the police/fire specialist program was especially valuable in two recent circumstances: while regular fire department personnel were engaged in a supportive role to a volunteer fire department outside the city lirnits, police/fire specialists were able to respond to, and handle a t'ire call in Flagstaff,. and in the other case police/fire specialists arrived at the scene of a plane crash and performed rescue operations, extracting the pilot before the plane burst into flames. El Dorado, Kansas Population: 13,000 Area: 2.6 Sq. Miles A director of public safety has supervised the police and fire functions in E1 Dorado, Kansas, since 1964. Although the departments remained separate, combined administration, central services and cross support resulted in monetary savings and the deployment of more personnel to emergency situa- tions. The decision to combine functions under the leadership of one director resulted from a reduction in the general operating funds which provided the financing for both police and fire services and the feeling that more effective law enforcement and fire-defense programming could be achieved under the d/rection of one person. Although police and fire personnel were termed public safety officers, their actual assignments followed rather tradi- tionally established patterns. Crime prevention and suppres- sion were carried out by uniformed patrolmen who also had crime detection and investigation responsibilities and the seventeen member fire department bore responsibility for firefighting and prevention activities. For the past twelve years, however, certain crossovers in personnel duties have occurred. Police department personnel have aided fire fighters in combatting and preventing fires and firefighters have assisted police in the booking and supervising of prisoners in the jail. In addition, support services such as communications, public information, dispatching, and record maintenance have all been combined under a central division to avoid duplication. Dual training has also been provided for all recruits to the department during the past decade. PSOs initially received 160 hours of basic police training and eighty hours of £irefighting training. After assignment to a position in either division, they received additional training in that area. PSOs assigned to the police department ~vould also respond to fires within their beats with bunker gear and basic firefighting equipment, as support and back-up to the fire division response. If the fire was major, off-duty fire personnel would be called in and police division personnel would be at the scene primarily to handle traffic tie-ups. An independent evaluator noted the advantages of this type concept lay in Public Safety Departmenta] 11 the clear chain of command and high degree of unity of command as well as the economy realized by the combined functions.27 In 1975, the department of public safety was reorganized as a pilot project. Basically, the change was implemented to use E1 Dorado's "resources more effectively," and involved com- bining the police patrol and firefighting division and applying the team policing concept to the new operation. The team concept groups police and fac personnel into a team under the supervision of a leader. These teams are then assigned to a permanent geographic area and are totally responsible for providing all public safety services to their assigned area. This combined police/fire division is termed the operations division and is composed of four teams consisting of one lieutenant, two driver/engineers and four beat officers each. One lieutenant and two sergeants are also assigned for relief purposes. All fire and patrol officers are under the command of the same lieutenant and have the same leave days and shift assignments. This results in reducing the average fifty-four hour work week of the twelve fire division personnel to forty hours a week. The assignment schedule is set up on a seven week cycle during which each team has two weekends off plus an extra day (Monday or Friday) to make a three day weekend. Each team during the seven week cycle has a biweekly period in which they work eleven eight hour shifts or eighty-eight hours, followed by a pay period in which they work nine eight hour shifts or seventy-two hours. Since this averages out to forty hours per week for a twenty-eight day period, it conforms to federal guidelines. Using the participatory management concept, all officers within a team have the opportunity to perform the patrol, traffic, fire and other public safety functions. In. addition, close communication is fostered with the community through frequent public meetings to discuss mutual problems. City officials and the public express great satisfaction with the program thus far. Gleneoe, Illinois Population: 10,000 Area: 3.8 Sq. Miles Glencoe is a residential community which has been operat- ing as a partially consolidated public safety department (PSD) since 1954. The reason the fourteen member police and the six member fire departments were combined stemmed from a study of the fire service conducted by the city administration over a three year period. In analyzing the records, it was found the fire apparatus was out of the station on fire calls and other emergency services an average of twelve minutes a day. In addition, it was found that ninety percent of all calls were handled by minor equipment carried on the fire trucks; only ten percent required volume pumps, booster hose or ladders. The PSD program was initiated at the request of the police and fire chiefs. In creating the new PSD, the city manager appointed the chief of police as director of public safety and the fire chief was appointed assistant director of public safety. Each police officer and firefighter volunteering for dual training received a fifteen percent pay increase, a factor contributing to the almost unanimous program support from police and fire personnel. At the onset, firefighters received twenty hours of police classroom training in criminal taw, interrogation, patrol tech- niques and other police topics while police officers took part in twenty-four hours of classroom training in firefighting techniques. During this training period each police officer spent a forty hour work week as a full-time firefighter and vice versa. Normal police activity is under the supervision of the director of public safety while the assistant director is responsible for supervising prevention, inspection and firefight- ing tactics. PSOs on patrol carry firefighting apparatus in their station wagons. Although it has been found that this minor equipment can handle ninety percent of all emergencies, it is the policy of the PSD to dispatch fire apparatus on every fire alarm. Officers on stand-by back at the station perform record work, handle communications, finger-printing duties, photo- graphic work, count parking meter receipts and repair parking meters. They also handle license work, wash squad cars and maintain fire apparatus. In the case of a simultaneous police and fire emergency, the PSOs revert to their traditional roles. In 1974, the PSD began an emergency para.medic service. Thus far, six officers have been trained as paramedics and two as emergency medical technicians, a highly skilled position requiting eighty-two hours of classroom instruction, courses on recognition of pulmonary and cardiac arrest cases and other medical expertise. Paramedics are trained to administer intra- venous therapy, utilize the heart pacemaker and monitoring system as well as treat other medical conditions requiring immediate attention. The paramedic van is connected by radio to every area hospital so that officers can render immediate medical care while receiving instructions from a physician in a hospital emergency room. The station wagons utilized by PSD personnel can also be converted into emergency ambulances, saving time especially in the handling of automobile accident victims. In a recent year, statistics indicate patrolling pe;~onnel were responsible for controlling thirty.seven percent of all fire service calls, twenty-one percent of all fires ~alled into the PSD were out upon arrival of pemonnel to the scene and forty-two percent of the fire calls were ultimately controlled by fire pumpers.29 Thus, fifty-eight pe~rcent of ail fire service alarms could have been handled without the fire pumpers. Of the forty-two percent controlled by the fire pumpers only thirteen percent required the use of major equipment while eighty- seven percent required the use of minor equipment. .12 [ M~a~agement Information Service Every Public Safety vehicle is equipped with basic firefighting gear in Winston-Salem. According to Glencoe officials, the public safety depart- ment has resulted in (1) faster police-fire response, (2) improved morale and higher pay, and (3) more economical unit cost operation through better use of personnel. Prior to consolidation, there were fourteen police officers, working forty-eight hours per week and six firefighters working seventy-eight hours a week for an average monthly salary of $360. In 1974, there were thirty-four public safety officers, working forty hours a week on patrol, fifty-six hours a week on standby with a salary of $1,040 a month. The work week has been reduced sixteen percent for police, twenty-eight percent for firefighters and salaries have increased substan- tially. With combined services, the number of personnel for fire duty has increased 467 percent with the addition of only eight men. UNSUCCESSFUL CONSOLIDATION ATTEMPTS There are many cities which have either experimented with various forms of consolidation or have authorized feasibility studies on the subject only to abandon or decide not to attempt, the merger of police and fire duties. Cities which conducted feasibility studies on the issue of consolidation but decided against implementing the concept in their localities include Bayonne, New Jersey, and San Diego, California. In other cities some type of consolidation effort was in operation for only a limited period of time, ranging from a few days to a few months, before intense opposition from local firefighters ultimately caused the abandonment of the program. Such cities include San Marino, Monterey Park, and Sanger, Cali- fornia; Waukegan and Park Forest, Illinois, and Hollywood, Florida. The most notable and most often referred to partial consolidation failure occurred in Peoria, Illinois. Peoria, Illinois Population: 127,000 Area: 15.2 Sq. Miles A partial consolidation proposal was put forth in Peoria during 1955 but such a concept wasn't actually adopted until 1961. During its implementation, the basic fire department organization remained intact but a number of firefighters were dismissed and the manning levels of companies were reduced. This move was seen as a way to cut costs. Police, called cooperating patrolmen (CP) under this program, were dis- patched to assist firefighters at the scene of a fire. The program eliminated forty men from the fire department . thereby causing strong opposition and hostility from the remaining fire department members. Under the Peoria plan the former police chief became the public safety director. Organizationally, three firefighting companies out of eighteen had a manning level of three, the Public Safety Depnrtments,! 13 number of firefighters considered the minimum by most experts. The remaining companies were manned by two firefighters, with a police officer assigned as a "CP" who would leave his police duties and work as the third man at a fire scene. Patrolmen who volunteered to become CPs were given two weeks of basic fire training. It was theorized that since these CPs were constantly patrolling, they would reach the fire before the apparatus and would be able to extinguish the fire in many instances. An independent consulting firm, Public Safety Systems, Incorporated, (PSSI) from California evaluated the program in 1970 and concluded that in eight years of operation, the CP program saved the city $2.9 million in salaries but cost an ;additional $2 million for operating costs and was responsible for a fire loss of over $4.4 million. By studying the fare loss figures, PSSI determined that Fire losses from 1962 to 1968 exceeded what Peorians could have expected by $4,510,000. Summing up, PSSI declared the best hypothesis is that the increased fare losses are directly the result of the reduced fire fighting effectiveness brought about by the partial combination.3 o City administrators felt, however, that the program was doomed to fail because all concerned were not motivated toward making it work. Records of the program's operation indicated that in over eighty percent of the cases, the CPs were not ready to assist their assigned fire companies when needed because they were either busy on police assignments elsewhere in the area, or they lost valuable time when donning their protective fire clothing which was carried in bags in their police cars. There ~.lso was animosity between CPs and firefighters. Firefighters complained most CPs were unwilling to perform many basic firefighting activities while CPs in turn complained they had not been trained to perform the technical chores fire fighters often expected of them at a fire scene. City residents were clearly dissatisfied with the havoc caused by the program. In the 1969 municipal elections, the mayor and seven out of ten aldermen were defeated. The city manager left office within a few months following that election. The new city administration followed PSSI's recom- mendations for phasing out the partial consolidation effort and hired forty additional firefighters. Lincoln, Nebraska Population: 128,000 Area: 25 Scl. Miles In 1957, Lincoln adopted a form of consolidation which became known as the "Buddy Plan." Every firefighter was ordered to accompany a' policeman in his pat?ol car during patrol duty. Fire fighters carried guns, protective clothing and fire extinguishers. If a fire occurred in the district; the patrol car was dispatched by radio to the scene of the fire if not engaged in a definite police operation. This added duty was performed by the £~refighters with no additional compensa- tion. Fixefighters, who worked a seventy-two hour week were paid twenty dollars less per month than police officers who worked a forty-eight hour week. No cross-training was conducted during the Buddy Plan's operation. The city council implemented the Buddy Plan over the objections of the IAFF who claimed it would decrease the efficiency of the fire department. Ultimately, however, the local affiliate of the IAFF agreed to cooperate with the program even though in principle, they opposed it. Shortly after its inception, a committee from the Lincoln Central Labor Union AFL42IO investigated the Buddy Plan. They interviewed the police and fire chiefs, the mayor and other city officials. Based on these interviews and a private attitudinal survey conducted among the firefighters, the committee recommended abandoning the Buddy Plan. Within seven months of implementation, the Buddy Plan was discon- tinued. The Lincoln fire chief indicated the plan did not work because of the lack of enthusiasm on the fire fighters' part for added police duties without any corresponding increase in pay.3a Both the fire and police chiefs expressed opposition for any types of future cross-overs in activities between their departments. St. Petersburg, Florida Population: 216,000 Area: 54 Sq. Miles St. Petersburg, Florida, established a Public Safety Agent Program in early 1971. The public safety agent was stationed at various firehouses throughout the city and performed a dual police/fire role. Organizationally, the program was part of the police department's prevention division. All agents attended both the police and fire academies. Their duties included providing preventive police patrol to specific areas, assisting in extin- guishing fires, identifying areas of potential crime/fire hazards and instituting actions to alleviate those hazards. They also visited commercial establishments to promote fire and crime prevention measures. Their primary responsibility though, was to answer fire calls with their assigned ladder company. The program was phased out in 1974. The problems encountered with the program were attributed to the decen- tralization of control and command and difficulties with a number of state regulations. One such regulation which required that any municipal employee involved with firefight- ing devote one hundred percent of their time to firefighting made the public safety agent concept unworkablefi2 Buena Park, California Population: 63,000 Area: 9.5 Sq. Miles' Buena Park, located in the Los Angeles area, had a consolidated public safety department when it was incorpo- rated in 1953. At that time it had a population of 9,000, with little industry or business. Public safety units patrolled Buena Park carrying fire extinguishing materials in their cars. The twenty public safety officers were assisted on occasion by a volunteer fire department. By 1956, the situation had changed drastically in Buena Park. Its population had doubled and the city hadn't kept up with the latest technological developments in firefighting. Morale within the public safety department was low; the men felt they couldn't successfully handle both jobs. The volunteer firemen circulated a petition calling for a public vote on the consolidated department's continuance. The voters favored separate police and fire departments which were established soon thereafter. Spartanbmg, South Carolina Population: 45,000 Area: 15.7 Sq. Miles Spartanburg doubled its territory in 1957 as a result of a number of annexations. In two of the fire substations obtained as a result of the annexations, a police/f~re patrol program was established. This program consisted of assigning eight men to each substation, four policemen who had firefighting training and four who were trained in police work. During each shift two men remained at the station while the others patrolled. During 1959, the police-fire patrols responded to a total of 332 fire alarms. In forty-nine instances, the patrols extin- guished the fires prior to the arrival of the regular fke equipment,aa The city estimated an annual savings of $10,000 had been realized by the community through the program and noted the fast response of fi.re/police patrols and their close working relationships. The program was discontinued, however, after the Ameri- can Insurance Association refused to give the city a class three rating because of the existence of this program. Melvindale, Michigan Population: 13,000 Area: 2.7 Sq. Miles Located in the Detroit area, Melvindale had a public safety department from 1920 through 1947. Department members received training in both fire and police functions and were responsible for both areas of operations. During the 40's the population of Melvindale nearly doubled and department officials received complaints from public safety officers who wanted to perform purely police or £~re functions but not both. Subsequently, difficulties in operations were experienced and the department began re- cruiting and training its personnel as either police officers or firefighters. Today, the city retains a director of public safety but that is where any combination of public safety functions ends. Oregon City, Oregon Population: 10,000 Area: 2.9 Sq. Miles Partial consolidation was adopted in Oregon City in 1954 in the belief savings would accrue by combining budget and purchasing under one head. Each department's personnel were cross-trained but in the process the firemen's union demanded extra pay for training in the police service, police officers added they were not satisfied with their conditions of employment and the Fire Bureau indicated the fire rating would suffer without the strong supervision of a fire o. fficial over that department's operation. The plan was abandoned in 1958. OTHER A'I-i'EMPTS OF INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY A number of cities, recognizing both the poor utilization of firemen's time and the disadvantages of police/t'[re consolida- tion have sought other types of cooperative relationships. For example, Center Line, Michigan, has many of its police officers serving as volunteer £[refighters.s4 The firefighters, in turn, operate the police desk on night duty. Both services have the same wage and fringe benefits. In another type of arrangement, Scottsdale, Arizona, contracts with a private firm to provide fire protection services. The firm who retains a small corps of firefighters who man equipment in the usual fashion, has contracts with approximately fifty city employees within Scottsdaie's non- public safety departments. These employees, called F[re-wrang- lets receive four hours of drill and fire training every other week, are paid thirty-seven to forty-five dollars per month and receive overtime for all time spent fighting fires. Groups of fire.wranglers are on call for a week at a time and carry paging units so they can be notified of a fire. When an alarm does occur, the on-call men are paged and given directions to the- fire scene. According to city officials, the wranglers usually arrive at the scene before the equipment. This fire company serves 100,000 people in an area of 400 square rnlles. Fire protection is provided to Scottsdale for $3.50 per capita? s In Des Moines, Iowa, Fire Attack Units with a crew of two firefighters, patrol the streets for quick response to fire calls. They have proven successful in responding to alarms more qnicldy than station-based trucks and reportedly have saved considerable expense by eliminating the necessity of dispatch- ing heavy power trucks to handle smaller firesfi 6 CONCLUSIONS For those localities which have tried different types of public safety cooperation only to ultimately abandon them, several common factors seem to emerge. The problems encountered seemed to be for the most part political in nature rather than technical. In most instances, intense outside opposition from various fire organizations contributed to internal difficulties with the program and led to a lack of citizen confidence in the decision-making abilities of municipal officials. In other instances, consolidation was attempted in an effort to rescue a poorly equipped fire service. It must be remem- bered that no increase in fire£~hting personnel can substitute for up-to-date equipment and continuous training for person- nel in the latest fire hazards. Other factors common to municipalities abandoning the consolidation concept include not providing for additional wages and prestige for the newly created public safety position, or for those taking an additional responsibilities, whether they be police or fire related. Another observed shortcoming is the inadequate training some municipalities provided to public safety officers recruited from the police or fire departments. Poor training leads PSOs to feel inferior performing the public safety function with which they are not familiar. In examining cities which have successfully consolidated public safety departments or have police and firefighters stepping outside their traditionally defined scope of work, a few common factors seem to emerge. First of all, the voluntary nature of any proposed cross.over in duties between the services is emphasized. There are no strong-arm tactics used, nor any threats of dismissal or coercion towards either police or firefighters. Secondly, any attempts to merge the two services cannot be accomplished over night. It is necessary to take the time to confer with police and fire officials, educate other city officials (especially the council) and the public to any unique . cooperative public safety arrangements a municipality may be contemplating. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, all cities included in this report which have successfully implemented a public safety department did so only after painstaking study, careful evaluation of potential opposition, detailed planning for operational effectiveness and intensive training of all officers within the public safety department. llnternational City Management Association, 1975 Municipal Year- book (Washington, D.C., 1975), p. 46. 2Harry W. More, Jr., The New Era of Public Safety (Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1970), pp. vii-viiL ~Ibid, p. 28. 4International Association of FLte Fighters, History of Consolida- tion, (Washington, D.C., 1965), p. 9. SMote, p. 30. 6American Insurance Association, Fir~ and Polf~e Departments - Combining of, Special Interest Bulletin No. 300 (New York: American Insurance Association, 1975), p. 2. VA Position Statement on Consolidaffon of Fire and Police Departments, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Washington, D.C., p. 35. 81swar Subramanya, The Biggest Economic Waste in Government Today, p. 48. 9International Association of Fire Fighters, Why We Are Opposed to Consolidation, (Washington, D.C.: International Association of Fire Fighters, 1975), p. 68. locity of South Bend, Indiana, et al v. George Krovitch, Jr., et al, Cause No. 1070-A-168 (Ind.), (1971). llAllen, loines, The History of Fire-Police Cooperation in the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1957-1972, (A ~eport to City Manager Orville W. Powell, 1972), p. 7. ~21bid, p. 8. l~Ibid., p. 22. 141bid., p. 20. 15Public Safety Concepts and Practices, City of Sunnyvale, Cali- fornia, 1973, p. 1. 16Fact Sheet, Sunnyvale Public Safety Department, 1975, p. 1. I VPublic Safety Concepts andPractices, p. 14. 'lSEsai Berenbaum, Fact Sheet, Public Safety Program, Durham, North Carolina, p. 5. 19Emergency, Communications Center, P.O. Box 1086, Durham, North Caxolina 27702. 2OKevin M. Marion, "An Analysis of the Fixe Police Patrol Program in the city of Clifton" (unpubLished Master's dissertation, William Paterson College, 1975), p. 8. 21Ibid, p. 9. aalbid., p. 8. a3Glen Leonard, "Oak Paxk's Department of Public Safety - It Works," Michigan Municipal Review, xxviii (August, 1955), 148. anGlen Leonard, "A Review of Consolidated Police - F~e Services," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, (August, 1965), p. 12. 'PSOs in Sunnyvale rotate among 'the patrol division, fire division and staff services division. a$Fact Sheet, Oak Park Department of Public Safety, p. 1. 26Position Statement of City Manager Charles K. McClain to Flagstaff Mayor and City Council, p. 6. 27~tn Evaluation of the Police Operation Within the Public Safety Department, (Denver, Colorado: Carl S. Becket, Company, 1973), p. 13. 28,,Reorganizing the Department of Public Safety" A Memo to City Manager Richard Chesney from V. $. Marshall, Director, Department of Public Safety, 1975. 29Robert B. Morris, "A Report Describing the Combined Police - Fi~e Service of Glencoe, Illinois," January, 1976. p. 6. a0Nick Pasqual, "Police-Fire Program Cost Extra. $4.6 Million," Why We Are Opposed to Consolidation of Fire and Police Departments (Washington, D.C.: International AssocialJon of Fire Fighters, 1975), p. 65. ~lVernon C. Cook, "Buddy Phm Form of Consolidation at Lincoln, Nebraska, Is Abandoned," Why We Are Opposed to Consolidation of Fire and Police Departments (Washington, D.C.: International Associa- tion of Fire Fighters, 1975) p. 17. a2Letter from L.E. Arnold, ASsistant to the City Manager, St. Petersburg, Florida, January 19, 1976. aaMore, p. 105. $4"Police-Fire Integration in Michigan," Michigan Municipal Re- view, May, 1965. aSGordon K. Zenk, "Police-Fixe Consolidation" Nation's Cities, June, 1972. p. 29. a ~ The Jurisdictional Guide to Productivity Improvement Projects: A Handbook for City Officials, Prepared by the International City Management Association for the National Commission on Productivity and Work Quality, November, 1975. p. P-S 13. Management Information Service July 1976, Vol. 8 No. 7 Public Safety Departments: , Combining the Police and Fire Functions Filling the information needs of administrators in cities and counties Management Information Service 1 Inquio, semice Send us your question and get an answer prompt- ly by mail or telephone. If an inquiry requires extended research, you will receive periodic prog- ress reports. Answers include facts and figures, statistical data, and up-to-date reports on success- ful methods used by other cities and counties. 2 Monthly reports These reports cover a wide range of subjects of practical interest to local officials. Over 200 ear- lier reports also are available and may be ordered. Reports are designed for handy filing in 3-ring binders which we supply. 3 Mini and special reports Distribution of reports of special interest to busy administrators. Short, information-packed reports and those covering "now" topics are included. 4 Public management This timely urban affairs magazine is sent as part of your subscription. Articles in each issue cover a single subject of current interest from several points of view. 5 Municipal Year Book A "must''= reference. Its 400 pages annually sum- marize activities of more than 3,000 cities. Many useful statisticS, too. International City Management Association Fairfield's Police/Fire Consolidation Ten Years Later On June 20, 1979, the city of Fairfield consolidated its Fire and Police Depart- ments into a unified Public Safety Department. The merg- ing of the two departments was the result of an attempt to raise service levels while reducing the overall costs of the previ- ous two departments. The ini- tial effect of the merger was the reclassification of the Police Chief to that of Chief of Public Safety along with an authoriza- tion for him to proceed with the consolidation. Ten years later, Fairfield can look back and eval- uate its consolidation with an eye to the future. Like many California cities, Fairfield was feeling the aftershock of the tax reform movement that crested with the passage of Proposition 13 in t979. As a way to re- duce costs, Fairfield began to evaluate its management structure and the concept of combining whole departments was discussed. '~qaen a department head va- cancy occurred with the retirement of the Fire Chief, consolidation of the Police and Fire Departments was deemed appropri- ate. At that time, the Police and Fire Departments were comprised of 131 paid employees, augmented with volunteers. The Police Department included 66 sworn Police Officers and 30 non-sworn personnel. Total staffing for the Fire Department was 35 paid personnel, but- tressed by a corps of 30 volunteers. The pre-consolidation budget (FY 77-78) for Charles Huchel is the Chief of Public Safety and Steve Peppers-Johnson is a for- mer Management Analyst II for the Fairfield Department of Public Safety. He currently works for the Cit~ of Vacaville. Police was 81,894,945 and for Fire was 8713,688. Services were provided to a community of 54,391 within an area of twenty-six square miles. Five separate study groups were formed to explore whether changes in both the Department's structure and in individual personnel functions could re- sult from the consolidation. Recommen- dations made by the study groups led to the creation of three distinct divisions within the Department: Field Services, Support Services and Administrative Services. The Field Services Division in- eluded all public safety services per- formed outside the physical facilities housing Public Safety such as fire sup- pression, crime suppression and enforce- ment of codes and laws not usually requir- ing follow-up investigations. The Support Services Division included the functions associated with supporting the Depart- ment~ such as radio/telephone communi- cations, recordkeeping, criminal investi- gations, vehicle equipment maintenance, identification and youth service-oriented activities. The Administrative Services Division dealt with the remaining func- tions, such as recruitment, internal af- fairs, training, research, budgeting, pur- chasing and prevention programs. The structure of these Divisions was in line with a basic consolidation concept: cen- tralize support services from both de- partments but keep separate but .equal Police Officers and Fire Fighters. The "cross-training' of Police Officers as Fire WES'TERN Crt'g, JANUARY 1990 By Charles Huchel and Steve Peppers-Johnson Fighters and Fire Fighters as Police Officers was discussed but was shelved because of the disruption such training would have caused. Staff changes included the creation and addition of a position known as the Public Safety Officer (PSO). This position was seen as a critical adjunct to the "core" pro- fessionals serving in both police and fire and provided cost savings to the city. Three PSO's could be hired for the same approximate cost as two Fn-e Fighters or Police Officers. PSO positions were used as a rung in a ladder leading to career po- lice or fire fighting duties. Staffing levels also were considered. At the time of the consolidation, Fairfield had three fire stations but only two were fully operational and staffed. After the consolidation, a decision was made to staff the third fire station with Fn'e Engineers, F~re Fighters (and/or PSO's) but with no on-site supervision. Supervision of the fire employees at Station 3 would come from the respective Supervisors in charge of Station 1. As a consequence, the fire trucks leaving Station 3 would be staffed with two Fire Employees and could be considered "two-person engines." Job tides also were modified to bring consistency between police and fire. For example, the title of Battalion Commander was developed for persons who super- vised fire personnel on a 24-hour basis. This title more closely matched that of Watch Commander, which was used for of- Continued 19 Fatrfield's Police/Fire Consolidation (Continued) 20 ricers who supervised polke personnel on an eight-hour basis. The initial wave of consolidation changes was completed by the end of 1980. Ove.r the next nine years, additional changes were made to fine- tune Public Safety's progress. In 1985. the Public Sat'et>' Department entered into an agreement with a private company to provide public-safety person- nel on an on-going, as-needed basis. At the same time, the title of Public Safety Officer was changed to Public Safety Employee (PSE). The company provides PSE's to Public Safety, and Public Safety, in return, pays the firm for the employees' time. PSE's are used throughout Public Safety RUBBER GRADE CROSSING SYSTEMS safe, smooth OMNI rubber crossing. Attention, City Officials If you have railroad grade crossings in your area that need improvement, you may qualify for federal funds from the Section 130 Rail-Highway Grade Crossing Safety Improvement Program. Contact CALTRANS for more details. And for the smoothest and safest grade crossings available, specify an OMNI Rubber Grade Crossing System. Some of the many benefits OMNI offers include: * Cost effectiveness and fast and easy installation. * Virtually no maintenance required. * Help in fulfilling environmental responsibilities by using recycled rubber. Four Plant Locations K ~n Amenca ,~ 100O/o Recycled Rubber Riedel OMNI Products, inc. For More Information, Contact: Bill Hull, Regional Sales Manager (213) 3274081 FAX 213-327-8256 LEAGUE OF CALIFOPJqL~, CreES and perform a wide variety of duties. On the fire side, the PSE position was the pre- cursor for the entry-level Ftre F~ghter po- sition which is now called Fire Specialist I. Fn-e Specialists are encouraged to do "mu- nicipal service" work, in other words, do work for other city departmentx Currently, two Fire Specialists perform work for the city's housing division of the Community Service Department and the Public Works Department and two Fire Fighters are trained building inspectors. The Department is now organized around three subject matter areas: Law Enforcement, Fire Suppression and Ad- ministration. Each of these areas is head- ed by an Assistant Chief who reports cli- rectly to the Chief of Public Safety. Under each of these three main areas are divi- sions and units who carry out the day-to- day operating activities of the department Public Safety continues to grow in re- sponse to population increases in the city. Current staffing of the department is 188 persons, an increase of 44 percent over 1979 staffing levels, while the population in Fairfield is approximately 76,000, an in- crease of 37 percent over 1979 levels. Some of the increase in staffing is due to an increase in population in the city, and some is due to the addition and expan- sion of services. The consolidation of police and fire provided a "vehicle for change" and brought with it several con- comitant benefits. These benefits can be broken down into four categories: im- proved delivery of services, cost savings, better coordination between police and fire services and enhanced job diversity. The delivery of fire services is mea- sured by a reviewing body known as the Insurance Services Organization (ISO). This organization reviews, each ten years, every municipality in California on its abil- ity to deliver fire service to the area within the municipality. Ranking occurs on a scale from one to ten, with one being the best and ten the worst. Fairfield was noti- fied in September, 1988 that its ISO rank- ing had improved from a "4" to a "'3". In addition, Public Safety now offers more services than were offered singly 10 years ago by police and fire services. A Community and Prevention Services Division was created after the consolida- tion and now offers a variety of services to Fairfield residents: Drug Abuse Re~is- tance and Education (D.A.R.E.) program for Fairfield school children along with other youth-oriented programs; a review of new residential or commercial plans for deterrence against crime; a Senior Citizen Liaison staff member who interacts with the senior community; a Community Service Volunteer Program that offers vol- unteer assistance in a number of areas, and Neighborhood Crime and Fire Watch Programs, to name a few. In addition, youth services have been expanded and are coordinated through the Investi- gations Division and provide ~-ained coun- selors and officer contact at local schools. The public's perceptions of the quality of fire and police services are laudatory. A resident opinion survey done in Feb- ruary, 1989, of 1,544 Fairfield residents indicated that approximately 81 percent of those surveyed felt satisfied or very satisfied with Fairfield fire services and approximately 77 percent felt satisfied or very satisfied with Fairfield police ser- vices. Fire and Police services ranked £ourth and Fifth overall, respectively, in order of city-service satisfaction. The most obvious benefit from the con- solidation is money saved by Public Safety and other city departments. In Fiscal Year 1986/87, Fairfield delivered police and ~re services at a cost of $118.45 per capi- ta. This placed Fairfield in the bottom third out of 64 Bay Area cities surveyed on sa.feW-delivery cost per capita and 14th out of 15 Bay ,&rea cities surveyed be- tween 50,000 and 100,000 persons. Much of the cost savings are probably due to more effective use of existing manage- ment capacity, the reduction in duplica- tion of support services, and more effi- cient use of entry-level police and fire-line personnel. Additional savings accrue from the work Fire Specialists do for the city's Housing and Building Divisions. The coordination of services and deci- sion making between police and fire has improved since the consolidation. Once a week, senior level staff from both po- lice and fire meet with the Public Safety Chief in a "roundtable" format to discuss items of interest and concern. These meetings lead to a sharing of information that is invaluable in coordinating services between fire and police. In addition, both police and fire personnel are exposed to the basic management philosophy of the department known as Management by Resource (MBR). This philosophy of states that managers should serve as re- sources for their employees by removing obstacles that stand in the way of the em- ployees' fulfilling their intended roles. By sharing the same philosophy of manage- ment, police and fire are better able to work togethen Consolidation of police and fire ser- vices in California cities is not unique to Fairfield. According to the League of California Cities, by 1986, 22 other cities in California were using the Public Safety concept in providing safety services to citizens. Several dries provided "cross training' to both fire and police per- sonnet. Sill other cities took the same ap- proach as Fairfield and maintained the "sepa- rate but equal" approach. Each of these al> proaches has unique advantages and disad- vantages. An overriding challenge for most cities who have, or are considering adopt- ing, the public-safety approach to safety service will be to educate its citizens that safety services can continue to be provided on a timely basis w~th a good possibility of an improvement in service. After ten years, FaL,-field's experience can act as a positive example for other cities who are considering adopdng a public sa_fe- W format. And, based on its experience over the last ten years, Fairfield's Public Safety Department can look forward con- fidently to the next ten years, and beyond. WESTERN C1TY, JANUARY 1990 MUNICIPAL RESOURCE CONSULTANTS How To Get A Handle on Your City's #1 Source of Income · For most California cities, sales tax is the number one source of revenue, typically comprising 20% to 50% of general fund revenue. · Sales tax is also the most unpredictable income source, due to its complexity and vul- nerability to sudden substantial changes. · We specialize in providing sales tax enhancement and informa- tion serwices to California cities. For specific information on how your city can get a handle on its #1 source of income (and the businesses producing it), simply call us at: NORTHERN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA Lowell Smith John Austin (415) 838-1115 (818) 991-5220 San Raraon Westlake Village · Scheduling · Cost Control · Value Engineering · Design Phase Management · Construction Management · Claims Resolution Among our projects: Anaheim City Center San Jose Transit Mall Guadalupe Corridor Light Rail System Serving Western Citie~ from: San ha~is~o (415) 777-0188 Los Angeles (818) 907-6666 San Jose (408) 971-6770 Sacramsm- (916) 44t-1449 Phoenix (602) 230-7125 O'Brien-Kreitzberg Professional Conslruction Managers 21 ,NTINUALLY IlISING COSTS Of municipa the nation are causin officials, municipal td citizens to look more ly ,for within municipal lm where tax be stretche even further. A ment is toward tion of or all fire police services into oper- . ation - a dc~ The idea is no nor is it par- ticularly recent, has proven to be the answer for than 80 cities tn the United Si Canada in their quest for more pro- fessional '~ while securing a for tax dol- lars spent. New fire ions and manpow- er to nn 24 hot!rs day are ex' in their-bt Ad- ministrat know that a stantial (and often a m~ ,r per- centa of the cost of new fire ons is invested in nec ~sary living uarters for full shifts than for equipment. Taxp are ~coming more aware that incr ase in appropriations for for. tarring these stations is a tin annual expenditure rather :an a ne-time cost covered by a b, lC. Missom'i Public Expcndit ~rvey. in its study on Police-Fire ~r;)~i,t) ~'n~ilh'd Cotulfint'd 'c Itl Ftre Sort, ices. for Mc mi Small Cities' reports "In thc rt en years, nationwide, the SEPTEMBEII/O~OBER, 1069 )orations in cities CONSOLIDATED POI_ICE AND FIRE SERVICES by Anthony Hiesberger of police budgets accounted for by salaries and wages has increased from 84.7 per cent to 90.7 per cent and of fire department budgets from 85 per cent to 89.3 per cent." [] Interest in the idea of consolidat- ing some or all of a city's police and fire services has not been generated as rapidly in some states because the state legislatures have not enacted legislation sought by firemen to short- en work weeks. An immediate effect of such legislation is its adverse ef- fect on the financial position of the affected communities, with no con- trol over the situation on their part. Thc next logical step for many such affected communities is to attempt to economize throngh consolidation. The cities that have adopted con- .solidation point to a more effective utilization of manpower as a primary asset to the taxpayer. Specifically, in- creased efficiency equals tax dollar The formation of a department o~ public safety has enabled these com- munities to utilize instantaneous eom- operatin.g costs economies Abstracted with permission [rom the ],d!f 1968 iasue of Missouri Municilu~l munication and modem transporta- tion ti) place the right men in the right place to handle any emergency. Cities with consolidated services have realized that with rapid radio communications, it is wasteful for all fi.re department personnel to remain in fire stations waiting for alarms. More effective utilization of em'rent manpower, by placing fkemcn other than drivers in patrolling vehicles, gives a city greater protection at a lower cost. The force on duty can be' smaller without ~copardizing the safe- ty of the citizens because more pro- ductive use is made o~ ali men. The degree to xvhida a city can consolidate police-fire services will neeessa~ly va~ with the needs and charaet~ristics of that city, but cities whid~ have succcssfidly combined the two have found that savings can be realized by even partial consolidation. It is unde~tood fl~at even the most integrated operations x~ll have areas of specialization wiflain the ranks. Cities having consolidated opera, tions have reported the following ad- vantages. While all cities reporting advantages of consolidation are in- terested in cost sa~ngs, some are more interested in quality of se~'ices pro- ~ded. 1. The elimination of possible dupli- cation, In areas of radio communications nelworks, records systems, office staff, training and personnel qtmr- rets, administrative and custodial personnel and budget preparation. 2, The establishment of a single line of authority. A department of public safety is headed by one n~n with a smooth :flow of authority downward. This accomplishes more effective coop-. eration between depa0ments in their common l)ublie safety effort. ~. Faster response. The fact that all on-duty I~rsomml in a consolidated operation are not on stand-by worries many oppo- nents of integration, but studies in cfi:les have shown tlmt ~nen on pa- trol have virtmdly always reached the fire sceoe before equipment from the stalion. 4. More trained manpo~ver is avail- able. Alihongh tim it)ial {'oreo may snlallcr, more trail]ed manpower is available for specific emergencies. This is a result of more efficient uti]izatinn of tllt~ Oil*(lqly time personnel. ff. 5lanpoxver is more versatile. Because of their dnal training, pub- lie safety officers are able to han- dle practically any eme.'gency. 6. Substantial economies are realized. This was a most important factor in each city's study. While an ini- tial cost increase normally follows adoption of consolidation for a e~tv because of initial training a}~l equipment needed, cities under such a pvograH~ report cot~lilmed sav- i~gs, both in reduced pta'-unit pub- Ifc safety costs, and in reduced' fire losses h~ the eomtnunity. 7. Better ~revenfion programs ~e pos- sible. Ao immediate resull: coming f?om consolidation is the placing of n~ore men on panel in a city's streets. Increases in vandalism and other crimes indicate :~ny cities almost desperately need more manpower on patrol. The increase in patrol coverage also t'eslt]ls ~n more cf- fective polk'c and fire protection the community. Inspection for both police and fire preveotion pm'poses can be emphasized to a greater de- g,'ce than is possible with the tra- ditional separate departments. 8. Familiarization with city's charac- teristics is more readily accom- plished. Because they are on patrol rather than being confined to a fire sta- tion, public safety officers are able to ~sit aH sections of d~eir patrol area and learn the ph3~;Lgl char- acteristics that could Drove helpful in the event of a fire or'other emer- gency. Loca~on of hvdra~l~d types and locations of sir~]~'~{;r,.s, 'Ch- trances and traffic routz,~'~nd over- all terrain become Such details cannot be k;arned by all the firemen x~thout leaving the station. 9, Availability of capable personnel is increased. The position of public safety officer is more interesting, challenging and has higher status. Departments are able to altract and hold more cap- aide employees. A great lIi;tll}' lice and fi~'e employees are ol a high calibre and perform their du- ties ~vell. To them, thc variety of &y-to-day public safety sihmtions would be stimulating, sustaining their interest in their' work. The individmd's cai)al)filL/es ara utilized more fully, opporlmfille~ and resullin~ in great- er feelin~ o~ achlovemCq~l, A~ theh' l~erso~m,,l ~t~ore as a r~'sult of the greater effici,~ncies attained throu~h contim,m~ productive scrv- 10. Morale is improved. Admildsh'atols in cilios wilh con- solidated services report they have, ohserw:d morale to be big'her in their deparhncnts than before adop- tion of the progrmn. This is at- tributed to a number of factors, including ~e increase in pay that aecompardes duties, a general feel- ing among persom~el ii'at they are providing better protection td citi- zenry and the additional attention the men receive because of their unique position. 11. The availability of a strong core of trained personnel is enhanced. The dually-trained personnel of the public sa~etV force provides effec- tive, trained corps of men. Consolidation is not a cure-all. ~e extent to which a city is able to .con- solidate is dependent entirely on fac- tots p~,rtaining to that city's opera- tions. Cities currently operating sue- cessfully under consolidation stress that this decision has not diminished the public safety department's cap- abilities of performing necessary tions, but rather has enabled them to attain an efficiency that would have been virtually impossible with separate departments. These same cities report that the added savings to the taxpayer have enhanced their position in their eom-* munities. Fire and police service has been improved and morale within the depart~nent is high. NOT THE LEAST OF TI-II~; I~.EASONS £or the cities is the deterioration that has taken place in the quality o[ the en- vironment in which we live. The lob of restoring its quali~ will present mm~y ~na]or engineering challenges in the decades ahead. All through bistroT, there have been subtle relationships between the enviromnent and human well-being. The effects of these relationships are to be found in the well kno~m counts of the pla~es of medieval Europe, and in the failures of many mititao', exploration, and coloniz~g expeditions that did not succeed be- cause fl~e environments encountered were both hostile and poorly under- stood. Much of this so~ of th~ng is now part of the past. Malari5 has long been recognized as being susceptible to consol through environmental as well as medical means, and this dis- ease is now being eliminated from the world. Other diseases, such as typhus and plague, can similarly be eltcd as sconrges that have been eon- trolled ve~w largely by environmental means. The enviromuental changes that have eliminated malaria, ~phoid fever, and dysenteD, can be seen to- day in the vast drainage systems, wa- t~,r works a~d sewera.~e treatment ~)la~ts to be found almost eve~vhere iu the civilized world, Tha eras of tk~astatt.g plaguet, the ~oidemtes, and the m~ny endemic infectious dis- eases that had their origin in environ- crisis noxv facing our OUR CITIES IN TRANSITION by Merrill Eisenbud mental factors have been largely con- trolled. However, an affluent society with a desire for an environment that promises more than protection from widespread death now is examining the more subtle influences of mod- ern technology~, not only on health bnt on environm.entaI quality from the point of view of comfort and aes- thetics. This movement has been derway for about 10 ye~s and is also motivated by economic factors that are little understood. For examv]e, it has been estimated that air pollution costs the average family in the City of New York almost $I,000 ver year due to deterioration of building sur- faces, soilage of goods and wasted el- bow grease on the part of conscien- tious honsekeepers. '.In New York City there has been establishe'd an Environmenta! Protee- fi(m Adn)inL~tration to deal with such problems, Tht.~ oi'~ald~.atknl haa l'C~. svonsibi]it¥ for the devartments of the City that exercise control over air Abstract of a ,~peeeh presented before the 1968 Con,~dtlng Engineers Council Convention,. SEPTEMBER/OGI'OBEI1, 1969 7 Cit Consolidates Pohce-F re Departf'nents , When the area of the City of Spartanburg was more than doubled by a series of ammxafion elections culminating in 1957, it became necessary to construct two new fire sub-stations to ser~,e the new territory. It was necessary al- so, of~ course, to extend the police ear patrols into that territory, which was largely residential. Conditions seemed favorable for an experiment in consolidating the functions of the fire and police departments within these new areas, and the experiment was put into effect in January 1959. It has worked well and has given more efficient service within the areas. Moreover, it saves the City of Spartanburg about $10,000 a year. The system will in all probability be extended to the other residen- rial section~ of the city soon, mak- ing additional savings possible. Traditionally, firemen have worked 12-hour shifts in Spartan- burg and policemen have worked 8-hour shifts. Policemen are usual- ly working while on duty, but fire- men mostly, spend their time wait- lng for fire 'alarms to come in. -The purpose of our consolidation experiment was to utilize, to some extent at least, the idle time of the firemen. ' ~Eac. h of the new sub-stations is assigned a specific service area. Each of them is equipped with fire clothing and fire extinguishers and a'~]re-poliee station wagon. Each station is raanned by four police- men, who have been given special training in fire fighting, and four . firemen, who have been given spe- cial training in police work. All fire-police patrolmen work on 8- hour rotating shifts, and receive '$15 a month more pay-than the other policemen an:l firemen. The personnel at each station is ~livided into four te=ms of two men ~ach. One team is always at the station to bring out the heavy equipment. One of the other teams, By LOTT T. Roosts City Manager Spartanburg, S. C. consisting of a policeman and a fireman is constantly patrolling the area in the patrol car. While patrolling, both men perform po- lice functions and are under tim jurisdiction of the police chief. The instant a fire call comes in from any part of the area, they im- mediately turn firemen and come under the jurisdiction of the fire chief, and so remain until dismis- sed by the fire chief, when they revert to their police status. Each of the patrol units is equipped with fire extinguishers, firemen's gear, light fire fighting equipment, and a two-way two- channel radio. When a fire alarm comes in from the service area, it is immediately transmitted by radio from the central fire station to the patrol car and to the sub- station. The patrol car immediate- ly speeds to the scene of the fire, and the patrolmen go into action with their fire extinguishers and other light equipment. The fire truck from the sub-station and truck from the main station also answer all calls. The fire-police patrols at the two sub-stations responded to 332 fire alarms in 1959. In 48 eases, or 14.4~ .of the total, they extin- guished the fire before the heavy fire equipment arrived. The advantages of the consoli- dated fire-police patrol system can be stated as follows: (1) The patrol unit, which is always on patrol within the area, can reach the scene of the fire usually before the regular equip- ment from the sub-station can get there. In so doing, the patrolmen can save precious time in the early stages of the fire when every sec- ond counts, h~ fact 48 fires were discovered and reported by the fire-police patrol in its first year of operation. Not only do they ex- tinguish many fires before the regular equipment reaches the scene and thus prevent the heavy losses that occur xvhen fires gain headway, but if the fire is a large one, they can get extra equipment from the central station sooner by. radioing for help immediately. (2) Two men, instead of one, man the patrol cars without in- creasing the personnel of the po- ]ice department. They are in po- sition to handle police cars requir- ing two men, when a single police- man in a patrol car would have to radio for help and await its ~arrival. (3) The residents of the area 'have trained firemen as well as trained policemen on patrol 24 hours each day. (4) The system brings the po- lice department and the fire de- partment into a closer xvorking relationship and tends to dispel the traditional rivalry between them. (5) By utilizing the idle time of the firemen, the system is sav- ing the City of Spartanburg about $10,000 a year in salaries of addi- tional personnel the city would .: otherwise have to employ to man the two new fire sub-stations. The consolidated plan must necessarily be confined ,to the out- lying areas patrolled by police cars. We seriously question the operation of combined fire-police units in our downtown high value district. 2~OT~,: ~his is the first in a series of articles to be printed in the Journal from the programs pre- sented at the ninth Municipal Man- agement Institute held recently at the University of Georgia. THE ROBINSON-HUMPHREY COMPANY, inc. Specializln9 in ali ~ype$ of ]V~uniclpal Financing [or over 60 years We respectfully invite your inquiries JA l-0:lla ATI,ANTA, GEORGIA ' 2000 Rhodes-Haverty Building .......................... _ ................... -_~ ~ _- _ ~ ......... - _- _-_-_-_-_____. _____. _______~ ~ - _ -_-_ _-~_-~-~_-~-_ - _ _ - _-_-_-_-_ _-_-_-_- -_-_-_-_- !0 GEORGIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOURNAL An August 10, 1993 article in The Montgomery Advertiser, entitled "Businesslike California City Sets Exam- ple for Federal Government," cited Sunny- vale, California's innovative approach to municipal services which resulted in lower costs and better service. The article pointed out that this city of 120,000 people "has 35 to 40 percent fewer staff members per department than comparable cities, has one of the lowest business tax rates in the state and has no bonded indebtedness." The article went on to cite its "unique Department of Public Safety" which sig- nificantly reduces staffing costs and im- proves response times to emergency calls. All governments, including city govern- ment, is on the brink of the greatest chal- lenge in recent times. Governments are faced with the serious task of providing improved services to an expanding, ever more demanding, population. This popu- lation is seeking improved governmer.tal services yet is resistant to any increze~l The challenge is passed on to city offi- cials to develop greater efficiency in the delivery of all city services, to keep costs C. Brian Bodine holds both a Bache- lors Degree and a Masters Degree in Police Administration. A 23-year. vet- eran of the public safety service, h~ has served as a professional law enforce- ment officer and as a volunteer and pro- fessional firefighter. Forseven years, he was Director of Public Safety for Tal- lassee and held the same position in Orange Beach for three years. Mr. Bodine is a special instructor for the Alabama State Fire College, the Montgomery Police Academy and the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy. He has also taught in the cdminal justice program at Faulkner State Junior College. He is a consultant for both the law enforcement and fire protection services. at reasonable levels, yet provide the serv- ices people demand. This is especially critical in the delivery of police and fire services, where a significant portion of the municipal dollar is spent on salaries and benefits for employees. To meet this challenge of greater pro- ductivity at lower costs, many city offi- cials, such as those in Sunnyvale, have begun to look at alternative ways of provid- ing traditional municipal services. The "public safety concept," consolidation of police and fire services, while not new, is a viable alternative to traditional police and fire services that can result in lower deliv- ery costs. History of Public Safety Concept A study of the history of police and fire organizations shows that these modern separate services actually have common origins. In 27 B.C., the Roman Emperor Augustus established the "Vigiles." This was a group of men armed with short swords and batons who served as peace keepers as well as fire fighters. More re- cently in this country, the"Rattle Watches" in colonial New Amsterdam (New York City) served both police and fire functions, patrolling the streets of the city on the lookout for criminal activity or fires. It was during the mid- to late-1800s that municipalities began to evolve into organi- zations with specialized departments pro- viding all city services and the first "traditional" police and f'Lm departments appeared. This was also a period of tow- cost labor so there was no concern over the number of employees a municipality had. There was less pressure on city budgets as well because many things routinely hah- died by cities today either did not exist or were handled by the private sector. The modern public safety department originated in Grosse Point Shores, Michi- gan in 1910 and has spread nationwide since then. Recent reports place the hum- ber of formally organized public safety de- partments in this country at over 600, al- though there are many others that operate as public safety departments but are not formally organized as such. Throughout Alabama, as in the rest of the country, there are many of these "de facto public safety departments," hold- overs from our small rural commtmity past when everyone pitched in for the~ommu- nity good. In these small towns, it is not uncommon to t-md police officers driving fire trucks to fires or fire personnel serving as dispatchers, warrant clerks or jailers. In fact in some of these communities where there are no paid fine personnel, the police may actually serve as the nucleus of the local volunteer fire department. The fact that many cities already operate that way makes them ideal candidates for for- mally organized public safety depart- ments. Five Levels of Consolidation What is this "public safety conceotT' Basically, it is a system whereby all or Dart of the functions and duties tradifio~mlly. handled by separate police and fire depart- ments are merged into one single depart- ment under the supervision of a director of public safety. The deparunent is charged with the common purpose of protecting life and property from crime, fa:e, or any other catastrophe whether originated by man or by nature. There are five recognized levels of con- solidation which open a whole spectrum of possibilities to the city administration that considers them. The levels of consolida- tion are full, partial, selected, functional, and nominal. In a fully consolidated public safety department, all emergency personnel are employed as "public safety officers." These PSOs are trained to perform police and fh'e duties as the need arises, but when not handling specific calls, function pri- 14 OffTcial Publication: ALABAMA LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITFES mmily in the police role. Fully consolidated public safety pro- grams typically are mo.st successful in small rapidly-expanding cities where tradi- tional separations between services are not deeply entrenched and management is pro- gressive in their approach to the delivery of city services. Under partial consolidation, the ad- ministrative and staff functions are fully consolidated under a director of public safety, although the fire and police services remain separate. Each service maintains a core of single-function employees. A cadre of cross-trained public safety officers provide the supplemental manpower for both of these departments. These PSOs when functioning in the police mode serve under the command of the police chief and when functioning in the fire mode serve under the f'u'e chief. Selected consolidation occurs when services are merged only in selected areas within a commun,t?', such as in a newly-an- nexed area, in orrler to provide police and fire services at a reduced cost. It is also used as a prelude to one of the previously- described consolidations where an incre- mental approach to consolidation is considered. In functional consolidations, the indi- vidual departments remain separate, but some duties norro~lly performed by one department are per£ormed by another. For example, fire personnel may perform ad- ministrative or pon-enforcement police functions such as directing traffic or serv- ing as booking personnel. Likewise, police personnel may serve as apparatus engi- neers or hydrant catchers on fire scenes. Care must be taken with this type of con- solidation so that neither group feels as though they are subservient to the other7 Nominal consolidations occur where a Director of Public Safety is appointed as an administrator over otherwise entirely sepa- rate police and fire departments. This type of consolidation generally occurs in larger cities where the adminiswation deems an additional level of management is needed to effectively supervise the operation of these departments. This type of consolida- tion offers no reduction in service delivery cost, and in this time of reductions in mid- dle management, its usefulness is question- able. Consolidation or Not? There are many factors that must be given serious consideration before any steps toward consolidation are token. Ad- ministrators should first study their com- munity needs in fire and police protection to determine how consolidation will im- pact. Will it improve efficiency and pro- ductivity? Will consolidation save money? Al- though this has been a much-debated issue among opponents and proponents of the public safety concept, initial savings may not be the only concern. Future budget constraints that will affect the delivery of service, as well as the city's ability to in- crease personnel, should be considered. As with any new concept or proposal, there are concerns that will be expressed by those who will be affected. Administrators must first determine that they are them- selves committed to the course of action that they have chosen, then make every attempt to alleviate the concerns expressed to them. Administrators should also expect or- ganized opposition to any program which changes the status quo. Human nature en- sures that it will be there. Resistance will come from within as well as from outside and will be generated by feelings of appre- hension on the part of affected employees as well as concerns by citizens that service will deteriorate. The public safety concept is not a per- fect solution. No one can dispute the fact that where they can be afforded, separate properly trained, manned and equipped de- parunents are more effective than a com- bined one. Detractors often cite the "Jack of all Trades, Master of None" theory in their efforts to fend off pending consolida- tions. But there is no doubt that the public safety concept does work when carefully planned and implemented. [3 ALABAMA MUNICIPAL JOURNAL · November 1993 15 Trend Toward Police Fire Integration. Brings Praise, Criticism ONE of the most controversial issues in municipal administration today is the combining of police and fire services, cur- rentiy defined as "police-fire integration." Although not a new te. chnique--Oakwood, Ohio has been utilizing it since 1928--dur- Lng recent years integration has received considerable notoriety through numerous articles appearing in beth professional and . general publications, as well as through its application in several cities in this country and Canada. In spite of opposition, there is a rec- ognizable trend toward the adoption of organizational technique by cities. This trend has developed as more and more cities have adopted integration as a solu- tion to these inter-related problems: the continuously rising cost of police and fire services, particularly fire; increased de- mands by policemen and firemen for a shorter work week; and the inadequacy of ¥olunteer fire forces. Cities which have had experience with integration express the belief that it has been the answer to their public safety problems. The Theory of Jnfegra~'|on Before continuing with this report, the elements of this new concept in public safety should be presented and discussed. Integration, as used here, means, essen-. tially, placing the responsibility for and fire service in one department, which has personnel trained both in police sci- ence and fire fighting. The majority of such personnel is asually engaged in pa- trol, while a skeleton force stands by :[or operation of the lacge fire apparatus. William H. Pete,-son, research associate, Citizens Research Council oi Michigan, has stated that the theory of integration is based on four assumptions: "(1) Fires, accidents and crimes all oc- cur at occasional, unpredictable intervals, fires occurring less often than accidents and crimes. "(2) Fires require a greater number of men per incident than crimes and acci- dents, and manpower requirements :[or fire suppression can be easily ~scertained. "(3) The opportunity for effective pre- vention of crimes, accidents and fires in- creases in proportion to the number of of- ricers patrolling the city streets, and speed in responding to incidents increases in the same proportion. "(4) Skills and techniques used in com- bating police and fire incidents are not unique so that one man cannot be trained in both." The last assumption is the most funda- mental and unless it is valid, then police- fire integration is impossible. Further, this is the most disputed fundamental of inte- gration. Both the firemen's union and members of the National Board of Fire Underwriters maintain that firefighting and crime prevention are radically differ- ent in every respect,' therefore one man cannot possibly be a specialist in both fields. The N~B~F.U. has stated that "to train and qualify a man to perform both kinds of department activities would hardly make the man effective and efficient in either... It seems evident that the two' types of work, namely, that of a fire de- partment and that of a police department are quite incompatible..." Charles S. James, author of "Police and Fire Integration in the Small City" and "A Frontier of Municipal Safety," Glen- ford S. Leonard, director of public safety for City of Oak Park, Mich., and others, however, are of the opinion that fire fight- lng and crime prevention in this modern age are essentially the same in character; therefore a properly trained person can effectively perform both tasks. H. K. Hunter, city manager, Sunnyvale, Calif., has this to say about the subject: "It has been said that the advantages of specialization are lost by the integration of the Department. We tldnk that we have been able to get specialization in the small department in vital areas where we were unable to get it in separate departments. At the same time we have by and large eliminated the wastefulness of overspecial- ization which creates men in uniform in idle reserve. By pooling our manpower, our leadership and our other resources in a sin- glo integrated department we have achieved a well-directed force capable of handling the police and fire services." It is true that, traditionally, ~olice and fire functions have been thought of as be- ing based on two opposing theories. Po- lice officers primarily operate in the field as a deterrent to crime and seek to preve, nt crimes before they are committed, where- as firemen remain in the ~irehouse ready for a fire alarm. For and Argumenfs In supporting their views on integration, proponents and opponents have. on numer- ous occasions presented through various mediums, publications and speeches, argu- ments for and against integration of po- lice and fire services. First, the arguments against integration will be considered. They are best sum- marized in Special Interest Bulletin 300, National Board of Fire Underwriters, '~Fire and Police Departments~Combining of." They are as follows: (1) Fire fighting facilities of a fire de- partment are jeopardized by integrating services; (2) There are differences and diversities in the two services, each requiring special- ized training of a different nature; (3) There will be increased cost in life and property through delays in response to fires by adequate manpower and ap- : paratus; (4) There are differences in uniform and personal equipment required in Lire fight- Lng; (5). Problems are created b~ multiple alarms of either type; (6) State laws may cause integration to have an adverse effect; (7) No community has yet developed integrated system which is feasible and practical. Other arguments are contained in this bulletin, however these are probably the most prominent ones. The International Association of Fire Fighters has presented similar arguments, with special emphasis on the differences in the two professions. It also refutes the claim that integration produces economy and efficiency, by point- ing out that budgets for integrated partmenis are higher than were budgets for separate departments. Arguments for integration are best il- Kansas Government Journal 1 jame-~"his book, "Police and Fire Inte- gration in the Small City." His arguments may be segregated into two categories-- economy and efficiency. However, the former should result from the latter. "In- tegration is economical," Mr. James states, "because savings result from two facts: (1) integrat/on anticipates the inevitable future shortening of hours for public safety employees without a corresponding in- crease in personnel; and (2) integration can be expected to result in better service and hence less loss to the community from crime, fires, accidents, and disturbances." Other arguments that have been given in favor of integration are listed in "Mu- nicipal Fire Administration" sixth edition; 1956, International City Managers' Asso- ciation: "1. A public safety officer, who by a fuller utilization of his time .and skill im- proves the prestige of the public safety service, can expect a more varied and interesting job, better employment con- ditions, and elimination of some of the public criticism both warranted and un- warranted, which attends the present dis- tribution of duties and responsibilities. "2. Public safety officers trained in both fields provide an integrated work force ~vhich permits maximum utilization of manpower, flexibility of assignment, and a single hierarchy of supervisory personnel. "3. Planning and coordination between police and fire activities and especially on such things as central communication, rec- ords, public relations, training, and the like work best when all personnel know both ~ields. "4. A superior job of fire prevention in- spection is made practicable by a combined and expanded patrol service in which en- forcement of fire prevention measures is a routine duty for all officers of the com- bined department and where all officers are alerted to fire hazards and working on fire prevention. "5. More full-time paid and trained manpower is at work and available for response to any type of emergency at any given moment, and, in addition, out-of- station patrols can be equipped to handle small fires 'and help to extinguish larger ones. "6. The availability of more fu]/-tirne paid and trained officers provides a stronger core for the utilization of the off-shift men, callmen, special deputies and volunteers which a small city must utilize in meeting major emergencies." Organization of a Public Safely Deparfmenf The theory of integration, its elements, and the arguments for and against it have been reviewed, and before proceeding, or- ganizational aspects of an integrated de- partnnent need to be examined. There is no such thing as a typical de- partment of public safety, the name ordi- narily given to a fully integrated depart- ment, but all departments have one thing in common--officers of the departments 'are organ/zed and trained to perform both fire and police duties. Similarities in or- ganizational structure, recruitment and training, and operational procedures are noticeable. A public safety department is command- ed by either a director or a chief who is ap~,ointed by and responsible to the city's chief administrative officer. Supervisory aides, public safety officers and other de- partmental personnel are, in turn, ap- pointed by and responsible to the director. The number of supervisory aides, public safety officers and other personnel in a particular organization depends on such factors as size of the city--population and geographical---composition and condition of structures, and availability of financial re- sources for personnel and equipment. Cur- rently, the number of employees per in- tegrated department varies from 18 to 65. Most employees are public safety officers and the rest are communication officers and other specialists; the number needed depending on the local situation. In order to break down old title distinctions with the idea that all personnel are generalists, some departments classify everyone as a public officer. However, a number of ricers will have special assignments (i.e., detectives, fire apparatus operator, juve- nile officer and communication officer). The larger public safety departments are separated into divisions, and each division into shifts. The Oak Park, Mich. depart- ment of public safety has four divisions: operations, special service, fire marshal, and investigations. Sunnyvale, California's department is organized in a similar man- ner with five divisions: detective, fire, pa- trol, traffic, and records. A basic division or unit in every public safety department is the patrol unit whose assignment requires patrolling the city on a 24-hour basis. Its primary mission is prevention of crimes and fires, and sec- ondary mission is immediate response to fire alarms. Patrol cars are equipped not only with standard police equipment, but minor fire righting equipment. Even with the combination, crews need- ed to drive large fire apparatus to the fires cannot be completely eliminated, but per- sonnel per crew can be reduced. A skele- ton force, readily available for this task, comprises the second unit of every public safety department. Not only does this force drive the fire apparatus, but it also oper- ates the equipment at the scene of fires. The third unit of the public safety de- partment has the task of maintaining and operating communication equipment, which is so vitally necessary for coordination of the department's various functions. With- out' adequate radio communications, the public safety department would be ham- pered in coordinating departmental activi- ties. particularly in directing p~g~rolllng~, units and fire apparatus to emergencies. All units may have duties besides those mentioned above, particularly the com- munication units and units on stand-by with large fire apparatus. For example, the latter unit is sometimes delegated all tasks peculiar to fire stations, such as mainte- nance of quarters and equipment, care of grounds and engaging in regular drills. In addition, personnel on stand-by duty may assist in a record section, issue licenses, and do other productive work. A ~cormmunication unit might perform similar duties, besides handling all fire and emergency calls. Naturally, the amount of time which can be devoted to these sec- ondary duties depends on the time re- quirement for primary assignments. Adjustments in Present Organization. Ad- justments in organization and assignment of duties are always necessary as the new department gaf{us experience and knowl- edge in this new public safety concept. Since this is a relatively new development in public safety, and there has been rather limited experience with it, each individual department has to experiment to find the best organizational format and the best way to utilize available personnel. Glen- ford S. Leonard, director, department of public safety, Oak Park, Mich., best sums this up in one of his reports: "Another problem is the general lack of. guidance in radical organization tech- niques, except along traditional line§. The administrators of this department have often found it necessary to depart from the traditional processes of organization and originate their own." Even before adjustments in organization are made, certain steps should be observed in creating an integrated public safety de- 'partment. These steps are not the only ones that can be adhered to but they rep- resent a logical approach to integration. Of course, the steps to be discussed are subsequent to a decision by the city to combine its police and fire services and to a comprehensive report outlining the ap- plication of the technique to the local sit- uation. A number of cities have also car- ried on extensive public informational campaigns before adopting an integration ordinance. City employees should be in- formed also, and advantages of the plan to them personally should be pointed out. The first step is the selection of a com- petent director who is not only a good ad- ministrator, but who also has some knowl- edge of police and fire operation. Success of integration largely depends dn the di- rector's ability to organize and administer a new program. After selection of a director, the second step involves training police officers in fire fighting and fire prevention techniques, and training firemen in police science. This should be started and well on the way be- fore services are totally integrated. (Continued ~n page 310) May, 1958 ' 265 SPEAKING EDITORIALL William D. Buck · zDrro . Consolidatio Discredited FOlK years the International Association of Fire Fighters and its rank aiad file mem- bers have waged an unrelenting fight against municipal authorities and other propon- ents of fire and police consolidation who have looked upon the integration of the two public safety forces as being ideal to reduce community tax rates. They mirror outward calm in soothing the public with pseudo safety attitudes. The fire-police combination enthusiasts, who often picture themselves as bearing the grave responsibility in protecting lives and property with every available means, have failed to heed the repea~l warnings sounded by the Interna- tional Union and the anti-consolidation man- dates formulated and adopted by delegates at our international conventions. The International Un- ion does not stand alone on the consolidation issue. Other qualified and fire conscious organi- zations have also cited the dangers and fallacies of combined fire-police forces. The mandates demanding that the municipal cancer of consolidation be cut away were made in the interest of the public which the profes-, sional fire fighter, through his code of ethics, is bound to protect in face of personal injury or death. These mandates were not written in an atmosphere of selfishness--but rather with indigL nation in the knowledge that many people are without proper protection from fire and crime. Proponents of fire-police integration project upon the public the view that communities op- erating combined safety forces are doing so on reduced budgets. They create, therefore, a false state of economy insofar as providing adequate fire and police protection. They fail to consider that they have built, or intend to build, a papier m~ch~ defense to protect the public through the creation of non-autonomous fire-police de- i~artments. ..~ But the thinking of these individuals is fuzzy and is a definite detriment to thousands of per- sons who desire to have security from fire and crime 24 hours a day for their tax dollars. Public safety should not--and, indeed, must not-=-be molded into a fantasy or myth. Individuals making a sham of public safety continually raise the cry: "It can't happen here. We have full prot~c, tion." These words lull the public into an apathetic slumber, but these mouthings also sound a ringing alert signal in the minds of those set to pounce with lightning crim- inal speed on unsuspecting communities. Elsewhere in this issue of the I~-TUR,'qA~r~ON^~ Fwal F~HTv.~t is a story which graphically relates the frightening consequences a combined fire- police force can bring to a peaceful community of 20,000 people. It is a story that took place in St. Hyacin. the, Que., Can. Six bandits, armed with the knowledge that this community opera'ed a combined fire and police department, staged a bold and unprece- dented robbery by setting fire to buildings in op- posite ends of the city. While the combined fire and police force raced to the fires, the bandit team calmly walked into the District Credit Union of St. t-Iyacinthe and fled with $130,000. This combined crime of arson and robbery was made largely possible because these bandits knew that a combined safety force had a tremendous "value" to their modus operandi. The "value" to the community was Chaos and shock. This story is more than just an ordinary inci- 'dent involving money and property. Human life was at stake 'through 'arson 'and robbery at the exp.ense of saving dollars. This latter thought has to---and must be hamrfiered home across the North American continent." ro.~e'~r'ire Integration · (Continued from page 265) The final step commonly includes three adjustznents: (1) adjusting working hours of firemen to corespond to policemen's; (2) adjust pay for all public safety offi- cers; and (3) equip patrol cars with nec- essary minor fire fighting equipment, such as fire axe, fire extinguishers and firemen's gear. In cities which have combined police- fire service, these steps have not been fol- lowed necessarily in the order presented above. However, the elements of each step have been an integral part of the combina- tion process. Operational Procedure. The integration technique requires the organization of a department responsible both for police and fire funcUons, with the usual poUce patrol unit as the basic unit. Police operations of the department are simile' to those of the traditional police department. Mobile units consisting of scout cars are assigned to designated areas for routine patrol and crime prevention. Additional duties in- clude enforcement of traffic laws and other regulations and the investigation of all types of violations. However, the fire operations of an inte- grated department d/Her from those of the traditional fire departxnent, which is cen- tered around a large fire apparatus oper- ated by self-suHicient crews. In the inte- grated department, stand-by crews are not self-sufficient and consist of only skeleton forces, usually one to two men per appa- ratus. Other necessary fire fighting per- sonnel are composed of public safety of- ricers of the patrol units. Upon notification by the communication unit of a f/re alarm, both the stand-by crew and one or more cars of the patrol unit usually respond. Frequently, a patrol car will reach the scene of the fire alarrn before the arrival of the large fire ap- paratus. This is not unusual since the pa- trol cars are already in the field and-at least one of them should be in the vicinity of any alarm. The ability to respond to fire alarms in a shorter tame has enabled integrated departments to put out many minor fires which might otherwise have developed into major fires. The first few minutes of any conflagration are the most crucial in relation to controlling it. All integrated departments have reported that patrol units have been successful in ex- tinguishing many fires before the arrival of large fire apparatus. Undoubtedly, this is a major advantage of a public safety de- partment over the conventional fire de- partment. After the officer in charge has sized up the situation at a f/re, he may request ad- ditional help from ~other patrol ur/its. In case of an extreme emergency off-duty personnel are recalled to duty to either assist at the emergency or to stand-by to answer other emergency calls. Generally, a minimum number of patrol cars are kept on the road to handle police incidents and other emergencies. The senior shift officer usually determines the de- ployment of personnel during multiple- alarms. Some of the integrated departments, as do many conventional fire departments, have additional fire fighting aids in the form of volunteers, paid civilians or paid city employees. Many departments also have mutual aid compacts with other cities in which both parties agree to supply the other with a certain amount of aid when called upon. These compacts are not pe- culiar to integrated departments, because they were in use long before the appear- ance of integrated departments. Experience With Integration A survey, conducted by the League of Kansas Municipalities in 19~8, of nine cities which have partially or fully integrated their police and fire services produced a substantial amount of information relating to practical experience with integration. The following cities were contacted: Fox Point, Wis.; Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.; Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.; Milton-Free- 'water, Ore.; Oak Park, Mich.; Oakwood, Ohio; Sunnyvale, CaliL; Elgin, IlL; and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Neither Elgin nor Fort Lauderdale have fully integrated their police and f/re services, but they do have units performing both services. Information obtained from the survey questionnaires revealed some very inter- esting facts on. the practical operation of integrated departments. The practical ex- periences with integration, related by these cities, are not presented to bolster' pro- portents' arguments, but in order to show~ the inner-workings of public safety de- partments in their respective locales. General Information Reasons for Integration. Reasons given ~by the cities for combining their police and fire services can be summarized in two words~economy and efficiency. Reasons offered by the individual cities were: Oak Park--'~o provide better ~dre pro- tection with minimum expense." Grosse Pointe Woods--'~o provide equiv- alent service at less cost." Grosse Pointe Shores--'~oo costly ot~er- wise." Fox Point--"Reduction in hours; better coverage." Miiton-Freewater--"Cut manpower." Sunnyvale-- "Keep pace with city's growth and provide better working eon- ditions for men." Elgin--"Manpower shortage in police and fire service plus adoption of 56-hour week for firemen." Fort Lauderdale initiated its integration, or security program, primarily to offer the public better service, and the economic vantage was considered secondary. Acceptance of Integration. All cities re- ported that the public as a whole accepted integration very well; however, in some instances, certain groups protested. Usually, protests came from groups representing city employees affected by the reorganiza- tion · Firemen and policemen were not as warm in their acceptance as was the pub- lic, as the following quotes indicate: "Not very well, until raise of $700 an- nually was granted." "Some objections-principally firemen." '~I"nere was opposition to the plan partly from outside groups representing police and fire, and ... from then volunteer (fire) departments ..." Not all of the quotes were of this nature, in fact, three cities reported that police- men and firemen accepted the combina- tion of services very well. In cities where educatioffa'l campaigns were used to explain the proposed inte- gration programs, a more favorable ac- ceptance by both the public and city em- ployees was evident. Physical Characteristics of Cities Questions pertaining to physical charac- teristics were included in the survey be- cause a true evaluation of an organization cannot be made without information on th~ environment within which the organi- zation must operate. The iuformation sub- sequently reviewed shows that 'in some .instances public safety departments are ~functioning in ideal environments. For ex- arnple, a number of the cities have no high-risk fire areas within their corpora- tion; consequently, fire hazards are fewer and a smaller fire fighting complement is needed. The table below reveals some similari- ties in the physical aspects of the cities surveyed: Cily Population Oak Park ............. 35,000 5.5 Grosse Pointe Woods.. 18,000 3.2 Grosse Pointe Shores.. 2~00 1.0 Fox Point ............. 7,000 3.0 Oakwood ............. 11,000 3.0 Sunnyvale ............ 42,000 15.5 Elgin .................. 50,000 9~5 Milton-Freewater ..... 4~_.50 3.0 Fort Lauderdale ...... 63,000 19.9 Compolltlon Area Percent Percent Street~ (miles) (s~l. miles) Residential Cemmerclal Paved 1Unuaved 90 10 99 ~ ';A 'i 99 1 10 0 99 1 30 5 84 16 ..... 70 30 120 .10 85 15 145 20 60 40 15 5 Kansas Government Journal not o~y been ~neco~om~- classification tn *.he ~ntegrated department · cai, but h~d been rather expensive. Plow- ever, a derailed examination of these budgets shows that such increases are nor- mai for cities which are growing and ex- panding their services. If separate fire and police departments, instead of integrated departments, were operated, and if rec- ommended staffing patterns for police and fire departments were followed, then in- creases would be substantially greater. Therefore, integration is economical when considered from the standpoint of what these public safety services would cost if the same level of service were offered by separate departments. is that of public safety officer. The cor- responding classification in Oakwood is the police officer classification. Supervisory positions are usually classified as to rank (i.e.: sergeant, lieutenant and captain), with the prefix public ~Jety. Other classifications utilized are: com- munications officer and clerk. As stated before, even though all personnel may be classified as public safety officers, some may have specialized assignments with titles other than public safety officer. For example, in some departments public safety officers may perform communication du- ties and be called communication officers. Public Safety Budget City Prior After Fox Point .................................. $167,000 ' Grosse Pointe Woods ........................ $258,000 Grosse Pointe Shores ................. $133,000 Elgin ................................ $~5'1~',~) $652,000 Sunnyvale ........................... $ 84,000 $440,791 Oak Park ........................... $161,375 $402,000 of Total City Budget Prior After 23.0 23.0 · .. 27.0 · .. 33.0 19.0 23.6 22.0 16.0 22.0 33.0 Personnel Number of Public Safety Employees. A majority of the cities experienced a sub- stantial increase in personnel following integration, however, these were gradual increases, corresponding to growth in city population. If police and fire services were not combined, it is maintained, such in- creases would have been approximately one-third to one-half greater. Further- more, a number of cities had understaffed fire and police departments before the combination took place and some relied primarily or exclusively on volunteers for ~ire fighting. Sunnyvale, Calif., with a population of 42,000, has the largest totally integrated public safety department, as evidenced by the number of employees--58 public safety officers and seven communication officers. Milton-Freewater's department, serving a population of 4,500, has slx public safety officers and is the smallest in relation to personnel. THis department relies more heavily on volunteer firemen than do most integrated departments of its size. Other departmnents have the following number of employees: Oak Park, Mich~ 56; Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.--31; Fox · Point, Wis.--24; Oakwood, Ohio--32; Grasse Pointe Shores.--18. ~.lgin, Ill., 'has supplemented its 48-man fire department and 52-man police depart- ment with 24 public safety officers who perform both police and fire duties. In addition to a fire department and a police department with 86 and 147 em- ployees respectively, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has a security patrol composed of 24 men assigned both police and fire duties. Some of the departments also have other city employees who act as part-paid fire- men, anc~ o~ers have volunteer :[iremen. Classifications. With the exception of Oakwood, Ohio, the most predominant The public safety officers classification usually requires a generalist, but as in other ~pes of organizations certain gen- eralists are often specialists in one or more fields. Work Schedule. Ordinarily, public safety officers work a 40-hour week, but in ~o organizations, those assigned to fire ap- paratus work about a 63-hour week. Before integration, the police officers worked from 42 to 48 hours a week and firemen 72 hours a week. After integrating these services, firemen's hours were re- duced to conform with those.of the police- men. Frequently, ff the work schedule in- volved more than a 40-hour week after integration, flue work week was period- ically reduced until a 40-hour week was reached. Usually, public safety personnel work an eight-hour sh/~ and have two days a week off. The three regular shifts are relieved by a relief shif~ or relief personnel. Training· In cities which maintain sep- arate police and fire departments, there is often duplication in certain phases of train- lng for policemen and firemen. This is found in such ~raining as first aid, con- trolling crowds, operation of resuscitators and similar emergency equipment, and physical fitness. The integrated depart- ment carries on these ~'pes of training, too; however, the duplication is eliminated. Besides offering training common to ail public safety operations, all integrated public safety departments offer training in police and fire operations; some have more extensive and comprehensive training pro- grams than others. Training in many of the departments consists primarily of on- the-~ob training conducted by the depart- ment's own personnel. Sometimes outside instructors are retained to instruct on cer- tain phases of public safety operations. A few departments have very corhpre- hensive training programs, includlng~o~-'~'[ ~ the-job training, college correspondenceo, courses in fire and police administration, and on-campus college training for some or all personnel. Oak Park offers its public safety per- sonnel a wide variety of training, and its in-service training program currently con- sumes 255 hours. Forty courses are of- ' feted within this program and seven weeks are needed to complete it. OklahomiState University's fire service training is used extensively. Supervisory personnel pre- sent most of the instruction within this program. In addition to this training, all recruits are sent to Michigan State University to complete the basic police recruit ~raining course presented by this University's school of police administration and public safety. Supervisory and command officers are also sent to Michigan State University to participate in one week courses in basic traffic accident investigation and command techniques. Certain selected officers are enrolled at the University of Michigan fir.e college for courses on basic and advanced firemanship and fire department instruc- torship. Besides all these courses, traditional po- lice and fire training is carried on by the department. · ¥pes of Equipment Public safety departments are equipped with the usual equipment necessary for fire and police services. One innovation, however, is the use of station wagons equipped with minor fire fighting equip- ment for patrolling operations. Besides fire fighting gear for the public safety officers, fire extinguishers, fire axes, hydrant wrench, etc., are generally provided for each patrol car. Evaluation Cities~ Evaluations of Their Departments. The evaluations to be subsequently pre- sented are direct qt~otes taken from either the survey questionnaires or other ma- terial received from cities contacted. These are very short evaluations but they make their point. Glenford Leonard, director of public safety, Oak Park, Mich.: "Estimated annual savings, to give some first alarm response at fires, $56,000, sal- aries only. Efficiency of present organiza- tion far superior in ali respects." W. PI. Lange, city administrator, Grasse Pointe Woods, Mich.: "After 14 years of very successful opera- tion, we feel our confidence is justified in an integration of public safety service in our community. Annual per capita ex- penditure for separate police and fire ser- vices by adjacent cfr/es exceeds that of Grosse Pointe Woods by $6 to $5." Thomas K. Jefferis, city manager, Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.: Kansas ~Government-J,surnal "~e 'cd~uld not afford otherwise. Com- munity h~ no potenti~ for volunteers." A. C. Ber~an, city manager, O~w~, OMo: .... "... it is felt ~t ~e operation o~ our deponent reflec~ ~ ~ue ec~omy, ~- fords flexibility and gives unusu~ effi- ciency do~ ~rough ~e peri.el. It is also obvious ~at a mate~al ~ving in operation cost, etc., is effected; shoed the co~ty ~ compelled ~ m~n~n ~o separate depar~en~, ~ added expe~e estimated at upwards of $50,~ ~u~ly, wo~d be involved." H. K. Hunter, ci~ manager, S~yv~e, Cal~.: "~ter ~ven ye~s of o~ration we ~ ~ore con~nc~ ~an ever ~at ~e go~s ~ed for in ~e inte~ation of ~e depart- ~ent are ~ing ac~eved t~ay: 1. 20 to 25 percent savings in ~rso~el and equipment cos~. 2. Shorter wor~ng ho~s and ~er pay ~or ~tter ~n~ men. 3. A ~vings in having one headquarters b~lding instead of ~o. 4. Greater efficiency ~rough a single ad~s~fion. 5. ~nafion of wastef~ compe~fion and j~o~ of two dep~en~. 6. A ~ter pool of ~ned m~power ~or ~y emergency~police or fire." Legal Aspects of infegraflon In a number of instances, p~oposed in- tegration plans have become involved in legal difficulties arising fror[~ state stat- utes regulating municipal affairs. Usually, state statutes requiring municipalities to rnaintain separate pension funds for po- licemen and firemen have been the basis :~or most of these difficulties. In illinois, where a nu~nber of cities have combined their police and fire service, this is a cur- rent problem for which no solution has been found. Oakwood, Ohio, was confronted withthe same problem when it combined police and fire service in 1928 and its solution was to continue both pension funds even though services were combined. Presently, Oak- wood has a police department performing both police and fire duties and all per- sonnel are covered under a policemen's pension fund. Other statutes presenting legal compli- cations have been those requiring the maintenance of a police department and the appointment of personnel under civil service regulations. Oakwood had to eon- tend with these statutes, too, but such re- quirements were met by continuing the police department. Without a doubt, such restrictions have prevented a more rapid increase in the number of integrated departments. Michi- gan, a state without such legal restrictions, May, 1958 Arthur E. Lorson, llft, is shown being presented with a 2S-year pln by McDonald Mayor John L. McCain. Larson, now of Norcatur where he was transferred as manager of the Foster Lumber Company, serYed as city treasurer of McDonald for over 27 years. has the largest number of cities utilizing integrated departments, and the lack of restrictive legislation is probably one of the contributing factors to the growth of integration in this state. Legal Situation i~ Kansas. In order to determine whether or not cities of Kansas could legally integrate their police and fire service, a thorough examination of the Kansas statutes relating to police and fire functions was made. Special consideration was given to statutes pertaining to pen- sions, civil service commissions and fire- men relief measures, since these types of statutes generally complicate the integra- tion process. Presently, it appears that any city in Kansas could legally integrate its police and fire departments. None of the statutes examined seem to preclude such a com- bination. However, there is a strong pos- sibility that public safety employees, par- ticularty firemen, in cities of the first and certain cities of the second class would lose pension benefits if a combination took place. In cities maintaining pension sys- tems for both policemen and firemen, the latter would probably lose their pension benefits, since a pension system for fire- men cannot be supported unless a fire de- partment exists. Under an integrated plan, all personnel could be classified as po-. llcemen so that currently employed po- licemen and ail future employees could be covered by a policemen pension system. But this does not solve the problem of the currently employed firemen who have a vested interest in a firemen pension sys- tem. The only solution to this problem would seem to be new legislation permit- ting the transfer of pension credits from a firemen's pension fund to a policemen's pension fund. For cities not maintaining pension sys- tems for public safety personnel, the only statute which could offer a legal obstacle to a proposed integration plan, would he firemen relief laws. Of course, these laws also apply to cities with firemen and po- lice. men pensions and they would present a second problem to these cities. For a city to be eligible for firemen relief funds, it must have an organized fire department, with at least $1,000 worth of fire apparatus. The only one of these two qualifications which might cause legal trouble would be the definition of what is an organized fire department. It is very possible that an in- tegrated department could meet the re- quirements of the firemen relief statutes, thereby retaining its right to firemen re- lief funds. A few cities of the first class which make · a fire department levy conceivably could have difficulty in financing an integrated department, since they might lose the au- thority for a fire department levy. New legislation may be necessary to remedy this fiscal problem. A number of cities of the first class op- erate civil service commissions as author- ized by statutes. It d°es not appear that these statutes would present any legal ob- stacles to an integration plan. TO: MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS CITY MANAGER AND STAFF FROM: W. ELRITE, ACTING CITY MANAGER RE: ATTACHMENTS FOR JUNE 16TH WORK SESSION ATTACHMENTS FOR ITEM NO. 2 (HERC CLEANING SYSTEM FOR INNSBRUCK) AND ITEM NO. 3 (POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING) WILL BE DISTRIBUTED ON THURSDAY.