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Fire Fighter Spence stated he felt the Department had lost control of who the candidates <br />would be. He stated that he appreciates the Fire Board's help and that he feels more <br />comfortable as it is now. <br /> <br />Fire Fighter Wilson also expressed his appreciation for being allowed the input. <br /> <br />Boardmember Pearson stated he has followed the Fire Fighters since "day one". He felt <br />the choice of Fire Chief should be totally handled by the Fire Fighters as they know <br />everyone, they are all trained the same, they know who the leaders are, and who works <br />well with all the others. He felt that the Fire Department should have the total say and make <br />a recommendation to the Fire Board who in turn would make a recommendation to City <br />Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Beyer stated that she agrees with Mr. Pearson. She stated she believes <br />according to the Fire Department's by-laws, the procedure they have been following is the <br />way they .are written. Any changes have to come from the body as a whole. Making <br />reference to a portion of the case pertaining to Veteran's Preference, etc. Councilmember <br />Beyer stated that she understands this information was obtained from the League of <br />Minnesota Cities. She stated that she has not received anything on this law and stated she <br />would have to see something on it prior to making a decision. She added that the Fire <br />Department knows best and they should be making the recommendations for the Chief's <br />position. <br /> <br />Administrative Services Manager McAloney stated that at the "Loss Control Workshop" <br />there were a number of attorneys present who advised as to how to fill positions and said <br />that the way cities are filling these department positions are not defendable in court. <br /> <br />Councilmember Beyer stated that you cannot expect to change the entire procedure as the <br />Fire Department's by-laws are very specific. All recommendations have to come from that <br />body. She suggested that she could not approve of this procedure. <br /> <br />Ms. McAloney stated there is nothing in the by-laws about this. We are recommending the <br />hiring process be the same as in all departments of the City. The Fire Department was <br />asked what would make this procedure "okay" and they indicated they wanted input early <br />on. This process would accomplish that. She reiterated that the attorneys are saying if <br />people are selected based on secret ballots, this process is not defendable in court. She <br />continued that these are the people who provide us with liability insurance and they are not <br />going to be able to defend us if the need arises if we do not proceed this way. <br /> <br />Councilmember Beyer stated she cannot make a recommendation on this process. <br /> <br />Mayor Gilbertson stated he does not have a problem with this proposed process. <br /> <br />Boardmember Simpson stated that this process is better. The Fire Department wants input <br />and that's what they have. He added that there's more to a chief's job than what the Fire <br />Department members see. <br /> <br />Fire Chief Griffin stated there are two sides to this. The Department looks at this as saying <br />they do not want the responsibility entirely. They feel this is the way it will be mutually <br />beneficial to both sides. He stated if the City Administrator does performance review of the <br />Fire Chief, he has to be able to look at aspects as a whole; how the Chief is handling <br />personnel, training, etc. The individual really should be familiar with people he or she is <br />going to be supervising. When on a fire scene, the Department wants to rely on one person <br />to know the people and to know what their capabilities are. These are the biggest issues. <br /> <br />Fire Board/August 17, 1994 <br /> Page 2 of 9 <br /> <br /> <br />