Public Safety

Providence Fire Department Staffing Study Revisited
By J. Curtis Varone

The Providence Fire Department conducted a staffing study in 1990-1991 to determine the effect of increased staffing on injury-related costs. Staffing on the six busiest companies was increased from three members to four. An actuary concluded that a substantial savings was achieved, resulting in permanent staffing increases.
The results of the staffing study were subject to criticism on the basis of participant bias and the Hawthorne Effect, because participating firefighters knew of the study, and of the possibility for permanent staffing increases.
The problem prompting this research was that increased staffing remained highly controversial due to budgetary problems facing Providence. Politicians and the media regularly referred to the department as "bloated."
The purpose of this research was to determine if injury reductions observed during the original staffing study continued during subsequent years. The historical method was used. The research questions were:
What were the results of the staffing study conducted from September 1, 1990 to February 28, 1991?
How do the injury reductions observed during the study period compare with the injuries during the subsequent years?
How does time lost during the study compare with time lost during subsequent years?
Are there factors other than staffing that could have affected the results?
A literature review was conducted on staffing, participant bias, and the Hawthorne Effect. Injury data from the Department Injury-Exposure Database were analyzed.
The results showed that poststudy injuries averaged 35.7 percent fewer than control-period injuries; time-loss injuries averaged 41.9 percent fewer; and time lost was 84 percent lower. The results supported the conclusion that four-person staffing significantly reduces the number and severity of injuries compared with three-person staffing, and that the reductions observed were not the result of participant bias or the Hawthorne Effect.
Recommendations included the Providence Fire Department examining injury data for the study companies annually; an actuary re-examining the economic benefit resulting from the injury reductions; and the department staffing all companies with four persons. Additional research was recommended to identify factors causing injuries in three-person versus four-person companies; validate the results in other fire departments; and help resolve labor disputes pertaining to staffing in other departments.

The Truth About "Public Safety", Part 12: Mercer Island, Washington- It's OK to Admit that you were wrong!

Mercer Island Public Safety Department to De-consolidate
Battalion Chief Chris Tubbs

After 31 years as a Department of Public Safety, and with the retirement of Director Ron Elsoe, the City of Mercer Island will return to a traditional structure with separate Police and Fire Departments effective June 1, 2006. The Mercer Island Community will see no decline in service as this change is essentially administrative.

The original Department consolidation was created with four basic objectives:

1. Streamline Police & Fire Departments.
2. Reduce unnecessary costs.
3. Increase career development for fire personnel; and
4. Improve efficiencies.

Mercer Island’s consolidation was a type known as Administrative Consolidation whereby administrative functions from Police and Fire were combined with the goal of reducing redundancy.

Over the 31 year history of the Department of Public Safety, the Department experienced many successes and a few challenges. The consolidated Department created successes such as increased cooperation between Police Officers and Firefighters which resulted in increased quality of service the citizens experienced.

Some of the challenges of the Director have included:

1. The Directors position has been filled by individuals with a strong law enforcement background and virtually no fire service background.

2. The challenge for the Director to effectively serve both Police & Fire Divisions.

3. State laws preclude a Director of Public Safety from being included in the LEOFF retirement plan in Cities with populations over 10,000 – effectively making it highly difficult to recruit and retain quality leaders to fill the position.

Under the direction of the City Manager, and with his assistance, city staff conducted a long and comprehensive analysis of the original objectives; the operational realities and challenges and the viable options. As a result of this process a recommendation was made from Director Elsoe to the City Manager to return to the original structure. It was determined that both the community and city staff are better served by this proposed model.

Many of the positive outcomes from the consolidation model will be retained in the traditional structure and citizens will continue to experience high quality public service. One such example is the close working relationship between the Police Officers and Firefighters.