Fire Department Staffing: Sixth Seasonal Firefighter to Bolster Crew

CAPE MAY – The second and probably final meeting of Cape May’s special committee looking into fire department staffing was held June 11. The committee finalized its recommendations well ahead of schedule.
Committee members, City Manager Bruce MacLeod, Council members Beatrice Gauvry-Pessagno and Shaine Meier, and Fire Chief Alex Coulter used the public meeting, which was also carried on streaming video, to give residents a preview of what is being sent to the governing body.
The first committee meeting two weeks ago presented data on current staffing levels, mutual response arrangements with other fire companies, historic demand in terms of calls on fire department services, and review of the standards for response in selected scenarios.
At this second meeting committee reviewed department equipment levels as well as the facilities available to the department, mainly the firehouse situated on the City Hall complex.
Next were recommendations. MacLeod announced that beginning June 15, the seasonal staffing level, currently five firefighters per 24-hour shift, would increase by one full position. Consensus agreement at an earlier council meeting, MacLeod said, meant that this recommendation did not have to wait for council approval.
Cape May staffs its fire department with 14 career, full-time positions. This includes the chief, deputy chief, three lieutenants, and nine firefighters. Normally, the complement is divided into 24-hour shifts, one on and two off, throughout the year.
There are always four individuals on duty per shift with one extra who fills in for absent individuals. During the summer, when the city’s population grows significantly, a fifth person is temporarily added to each shift. Now there will be a sixth seasonal position.
The department is also supported by 12 part-time firefighters who receive the same level of training as an entry-level, full-time person. It is from the ranks of the part-time firefighters that the seasonal full-time complement is drawn. All firefighters are also certified emergency medical technicians.
MacLeod also detailed a further recommendation that the city move to add three full-time positions for 2016, effectively shifting the regular non-seasonal staffing level from four to five per shift.
The committee also recommended retaining the new seasonal addition of two rather than just one additional position for the summer in 2016.
MacLeod said that the new hiring process for the additional full-time personnel would begin in November when the city has greater flexibility for use of funds already appropriated for 2015, but that he hoped it could conclude before the current Civil Service list expires in mid-December.
If the city accomplished this, all positions could be ready and in place for Jan. 1, 2016.
The review of equipment and facilities also surfaced the probable need, in the near term, for replacement of the older of the city’s two pumper trucks, this one a 1995 model.
It also suggested that the city needed to consider addressing its aging fire house, which dates to 1974. Complications were discussed with respect to the firehouse since it is not clear that the city has a readily available alternative location. The focus, however, was not on the details of equipment and facilities, but on staffing, and with that aspect of the committee’s work, the public indicated satisfaction with progress made.
It all began when MacLeod presented his proposed budget for 2015 in January. MacLeod’s budget reduced the salary component of the fire department budget by $70,000 and sparked a strong protest from Councilman Jerry Inderwies, Jr., who had only recently stepped down from the position of fire chief.
The debate over that budget proposal grew into a reexamination of the fire department and its needs.
While the public pressure for greater support of the fire department grew, the issue was at times overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the demotion of police chief Robert Sheehan.
Last month, city council appointed a committee to consider the resources and needs of the fire department and charged the committee with reporting back by the July work meeting of council.
Those who spoke out on the issue asked that the committee’s meeting be public and there have been two public forums.
At this second public meeting, residents expressed approval of the proposed actions and appreciation of the committee’s quick work. The public comment at the meeting displayed none of the anger and defiance that has characterized public exchange in the last two months on either the police or fire department issues.
A model was found for working directly with the public on a highly-charged issue and it worked. Much remains to be done to implement the committee’s recommendations, assuming it will meet with full council approval. Maneuvering through the budget process with the constraints imposed by the annual cap will require decisions on where the funds will come from for staffing increases.