Poplar Bluff Fire Department hopes to create new leaders from within under a proposal to add lieutenants at its two substations.
The department is facing six retirements in the next five years out of its 10 existing officers, said Chief Mike Moffitt. Among those will be three battalion chiefs and two captains.
“We want to do this with the staff we have and I think it’s going to better prepare these guys to step into a role as an officer,” Moffitt explained.
It will also be done within the fire department’s existing budget, Moffitt said Monday, when presenting the plan to the Poplar Bluff City Council. The council is expected to vote on the matter May 16.
If approved, Moffitt hopes to have it in place by July 1.
“Looking into the future and seeing what’s coming is a retirement of a lot of our leadership, not just in the fire department but in other departments,” said city manager Matt Winters. “For the fire department to be proactive, I think it’s a great step for them and their staff.”
__New roles__
The proposal would create a total of six lieutenants positions within the department.
The department now has three battalion chiefs and six captains, in addition to the fire chief. The remaining 12 positions are held by firefighters.
This plan begins to train current senior firefighters to step into leadership roles, and will reduce the shifting of personnel from station to station to provide coverage, according to Moffitt.
“This will allow us to focus more on training these lieutenants to be ready to step into the role of captain when that day comes,” he told the council Monday. “I’ve gone over it with all my officers and all my firefighters and everyone supports it. There’s a lot of benefits to it.”
__Current structure__
At any one time, the city has a total of nine fire department staff on duty across stations 1, 2 and 3. Personnel works one of three shifts, A, B or C.
There is a battalion chief located at Station 1 on each shift along with two firefighters. The battalion chief is the person who is in charge of the scene during a major fire.
A captain is located at station 2 and station 3 on each shift, also along with two firefighters each.
Captains fill in for the battalion chiefs when needed. That requires a senior firefighter to step in and move to whichever station is then left in need of leadership.
When a senior firefighter steps into the captain’s role temporarily, they make a captain’s pay for those shifts.
The department spends approximately $25,000 a year on acting captain salaries, Moffitt said.
__Proposed structure__
The proposal would create a lieutenant’s position at stations 2 and 3 for each shift.
These lieutenants would be able to fill in for the captain as needed, reducing the need for senior firefighters to come in from other stations.
At least five years of experience will be needed to apply for the lieutenant’s position, Moffitt said. A written test and an in-person interview will also be required.
The new lieutenants would make an additional $3,500 per year, Moffitt said, but this would come from the fire department’s existing budget. The funds that were previously used to pay acting captains would now cover the lieutenants’ salaries.
The new lieutenants would also have additional training and leadership responsibilities, Moffitt said.