SUMMIT CONCERNS AND ISSUES

The prefire program was intended to provide fire command personnel who may be arriving at the scene of an incident with an 'insider's view' of the area of operation.  Providing information such as building layout, hazards within the structure and location of standpipes for fire operations, this program has its roots in the aftermath of the Pang Warehouse fire in which four Seattle fire fighters lost their lives.

SUMMIT's concern is that the prefire program lacks a clear plan, direction and goal.  The method for determining which buildings will be prefired has been left to the discretion of individuals who have lacked motivation to pursue an unstated goal.  Seattle's fire chief has misrepresented the number of required and completed prefire plans to the city council.

What buildings will be prefired?  What is the determination criteria for creating a prefire plan for a building?  What is the projected number of buildings which require a plan?  Will schools generally be prefired?  Public gathering places?  We have asked some of these questions and received a lackluster response, at best.

Reference Document:

Internal SFD Memorandum

Lack of Support for our Medic One Levy

As you may recall, King County (including Seattle) recently passed a levy in support of the Medic One Program.  Medic One in Seattle works hand-in-hand with the Seattle Fire Department and provides all first-line response to our emergency medical needs.  Even though this exceptional program was started in Seattle, our fire chief failed to do his part to support this campaign.  King County Executive Ron Simms, Mayor Paul Schell and Seattle Fire Fighters stepped up to the plate to get the message out - our Medic One program was in jeopardy.  Chief Sewell, however, was strangely silent.  When approached by members of his own staff for assistance on the levy campaign, this Chief showed disdain for those bringing the message.

Rather than support the Medic One levy campaign and all that Medic One stands for in this community, Chief Sewell elected to be seated at the American Medical Response table.  AMR is a division of Laidlaw, whose home is in Canada.

More About AMR and the Seattle Fire Department

Getting cozy with a private firm doesn't seem to be productive to the citizens of Seattle.  As you'll recall from the previous speaking point, we passed a levy in support of Medic One.  In other words, we've already paid for the service and we continue to support what the Medic One program stands for.  Rather than working to keep American dollars in America, however, Chief Sewell is working diligently to bring AMR further into the picture.  A current plan underway is to provide AMR with a contract to provide for all BLS transports in the city - a rather lucrative contract.  This proposal has not been opened to bid, but efforts are being made to ensure AMR's liklihood of obtaining this contract.  We do not believe this is in the best interest of the citizens of Seattle, nor is it a proper way to conduct business with our taxes.

Chief Sewell's Relationship with the Medic One Program

There have been a number of allegations made regarding this chief's lack of respect for our Medic One program.  Recently, a class of graduating paramedics was graced with the presence of Chief Sewell - a reasonable thing to do, showing up at the graduation ceremony for the men and women who have worked hard to serve this city.  However, many were more than disappointed when the Chief walked out half-way through the graduation.

Making matters worse, rumors about the lack of respect shown for the paramedics and their managers abound.

Failure to Accept Subordinate Input

Even though Chief Sewell promised an 'open-door policy' when initially interviewed, the fact of the matter is substantially different.  Individuals who have approached Chief Sewell to question his proposals have been openly disgraced, embarassed and yelled-down. SUMMIT's chief investigator has spoken with a number of individuals who have reinforced this allegation.

Failure to Confer With Staff on Decisions

On a number of occasion Chief Sewell has brought forth ideas which were detrimental to the operation of the department.  Several of these ideas appear to be without basis, merit or forethought.  On some occasions these ideas have been espoused without conferring with any of his staff.  His first such idea involved what we now call 'Baby Boxes.'  The plan, apparently, was for parents who didn't want to keep their young children to be able to drop them off at a fire station - even though there were/are other options for such an event available.  Why is this a bad idea?  Such a move would take an engine company or medic unit out of service until the problem is resolved.  We're already short a number of units within the city, so the impact of such a move would further impact the City.

The Seattle Fire Department was recently 'reorganized.'  Normally, when we think of a reorganization of a department or company, we expect to see a move toward a goal.  In the instant case, there is no stated goal.  Rather, it would appear that the reorganization has been detrimental:  In the event of a large-scale event on a weekend, there is no top-level supervisory staff available to manage the incident.

In another example, Chief Sewell began actively trying to obtain a piece of fire fighting equipment we refer to as a Quint.  Without a lengthly explanation, a Quint is  a combination of a ladder truck and a fire engine.  At first glance, this might seem like a good idea - until you conduct some basic research.  This is a very heavy vehicle.  So heavy, in fact, that the floors of many fire stations and the streets these vehicles would drive upon, wouldn't adequately support the vehicle.  In addition, they would have a difficult time navigating our narrow streets and lengthly, steep, hills.  This plan was scrubbed only because of the outcry of many voices from within and outside the SFD.

Inability to Work with Labor Organizations

Seattle Fire Fighters are members of a union intended to represent their best interests.  Since many of us are members of a labor organization, we understand the need for collective bargaining and a grievance process.  In the case of the Seattle Fire Department, the City has managed to pit fire fighters against each other - the fire chief is partially responsible for negotiating the contract with the fire fighters - from the opposite side of the table.  We believe this is contrary to the best interests of the fire fighters -- and the community.  It would seem logical that in a para-military organization such as the fire service that the fire fighters need to know their chief has their best interest at heart - something not currently possible.

Bizarre Promotional History

The Seattle Fire Department provides opportunity for advancement through testing.  A candidate may study for advancement, take a written and oral test, be scored and ranked for eligibility to be promoted.  While we have some concerns with this procedure, it is still the method that is in place.  We are concerned by the unusual promotional process we've observed, whereby the person who scored highest in the exam process is passed over for promotion - in some cases, far down the list.  This might make some sense, if the chief were looking for something in particular or didn't feel the #1 individual were the best choice...  But we've watched this process happen, only for the chief to come back a couple weeks later and select the #1 person for advancement.

Forcing Committee Decisions

We've observed a neat little trick played out in board rooms across the country.  In this case the chief has desired a particular decision to be made (reduction in the number of fire stations, as an example) but doesn't wish to be the individual to officially 'make the decision.'  Instead, he puts together a committee of fire fighters, ties their hands by giving two options - worse and worser.  You may recall some past fights concerning stations closures in Greenwood and Georgetown - this helps explain how this decision came about.  Again, through the shouting of SUMMIT, citizens and fire fighters, the plan was rethought - although the current plan isn't any better!

What These Issues Come Down To...

SUMMIT is concerned about the viability of our current fire chief.  These issues, and many others which aren't covered here, show an ongoing pattern of calousness toward the men and women of the Seattle Fire Department by their superior.  The issues have been brought to the attention of the mayor's office and city council members, but the best we've been able to do is stop bits and pieces from continuing.  SUMMIT recognizes that we, as a community, rely on the men and women of the SFD when the chips are down.  If you're having a heart attack, a family member is trapped in an auto accident or our home is burning down, we need these people to be there for us.  They need to be focused 100% on our problem, not concerned whether the chief is looking out for their best interests or putting them in harm's way.  We, as a community, need to do our part so these people can do what we need them to do.