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Ramsey, Nowthen, St. Francis, Oak Grove, and Bethel, Minnesota <br />Feasibility Study for Shared or Cooperative Fire and Emergency Services <br />across the entire region. SFFD should work with the other study agencies to develop a program whereby <br />the department pays for the initial medical examination prior to hire. All of these components can be <br />part of a comprehensive occupational medicine program that should be adopted region -wide. <br />Testing, Measurement, and Promotion Processes <br />Once achieving active employment, individuals should be evaluated periodically to ensure their <br />continued ability to perform their duties safely and efficiently. Technical and manipulative skills should <br />be evaluated on a regular basis. This provides documentation about a person's ability to perform <br />his/her responsibilities and provides valuable input into the training and education development <br />process. <br />Promotions of individuals within the department should follow a structured and consistent process that <br />ensures that the most qualified candidates are offered promotional opportunities. <br />Figure 38: Summary of Testing, Measurement, and Promotion Elements <br />Bethel FD Oak Grove FD Ramsey FD St. Francis FD <br />Periodic Capability <br />Testing to Measure <br />Minimum Standards <br />Compliance <br />Yes- formal <br />periodic testing <br />No formal periodic <br />testing - <br />observation only <br />Yes- formal <br />periodic testing <br />Yes- forma <br />periodic testing <br />Periodic Performance <br />Evaluations <br />No <br />No <br />No <br />No <br />Formal Promotional <br />Testing <br />State Certified Fire State Certified Fire <br />No No Officer Classes Officer Classes <br />required required <br />BFD, RFD, and SFFD all report that they have established periodic capability testing to ensure that <br />personnel can continue to meet minimum standards. OGFD should work with the other departments to <br />adopt a consistent program to continue this process of testing and measurement. None of the <br />departments provides periodic performance evaluations to staff and all promotions are completed by <br />appointment or vote. The study departments should work together to develop and common set of <br />promotional guidelines and abandon any type of voting or arbitrary appointment to positions of <br />supervision or authority. <br />Member Retention Efforts and Programs <br />For volunteer and combination fire departments across the United States, recruitment and retention of <br />volunteer members has been one area that has suffered far more than actual service delivery. Several <br />page 44 <br />..Emergency Services Ccnsulnng <br />