Please read the e-mail and open letter, to all Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Personnel, below from Blaine R. Young, President, Board of County Commissioners, Frederick County, Maryland
From: Young, Blaine
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 10:06 AM
To:
Subject: DFRS Budget Clarification
Good morning,
Thank you for your service to the citizens of Frederick
County.
I have attached a letter related to DFRS spending.
Please share it with anyone who does not have access to email.
Please circulate the letter and post it in all stations.
As always, you can reach me by calling my office at
301-600-2336 or my cell at 301-748-3218.
I have included the letter below my signature for your
convenience.
Thank you,
Blaine
November
7, 2013
To
all Volunteer Fire and Rescue Personnel:
I wanted to contact you not
only as the President of the Board of County Commissioners (Board) but also as
the Commissioner Liaison to the Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Association to dispel an inaccurate rumor that has been circulating.
It has come to my attention
that some individuals have been spreading a rumor that the new fire chief has a
“blank check” to spend and operate as she pleases and that she has been
expanding the budget for personnel in the Division of Fire and Rescue Services
(DFRS). This is NOT TRUE!
As a bit of background
information, since Chief Pouget’s tenure began with DFRS, the upper management
structure of the division has changed and the number of positions has been
reduced. Under the previous division director, there were three bureau
chiefs and a director of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services. This
consisted of four executive level management positions. Under the current
fire chief, there are now two deputy chiefs. We now have two executive
level management positions, a 50% reduction in management. The Director
of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services position was eliminated, and one bureau
chief position remains unfilled and will not be backfilled at that level; the
level of the backfill depends on the results of the Classification and
Compensation Study under way by Fields Consulting.
It should be noted that two
short-term contractual individuals have been retained to prepare long term
plans for the division. One individual will be correcting major flaws in
the procurement process and the other individual will be putting together a one
year, a five year, a ten year and a twenty year plan for DFRS. This type
of long term planning has never been done in the division.
Previously, total senior
management in the division comprised 14 individuals; 3 bureau chiefs, 1
director of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services, 9 battalion chiefs, and 1
captain. Under Chief Pouget we now have 12 individuals performing these
tasks. This now includes; 2 deputy chiefs, 9 battalion chiefs, and 1
captain. The salary/position savings to the division and to the taxpayers
totals $394,021.
This is a smaller, leaner
and yet more effective organization.
Additionally, this Board
finally has taken the responsibility to task a true director or fire chief to
take action, be a pro-active manager, and expect results and
accountability. In order to allow the fire chief the flexibility to
manage her agency we have instituted a new budgeting mechanism. This is a
form of zero based budgeting.
The fire chief will not
receive additional budget funds, and will have to go through the same budgetary
review and appeals process of every other government agency in Frederick
County. However, she will have the ability to start every budget category
in the division at zero dollars, not to look at past budgets, but to build in
funding on what she believes are the priorities to provide the most effective
and efficient public safety agency possible!
This budget starts at a
total funding level of the previous fiscal year. There will be no budget
increases built in to the division’s budget. If there is a need for
additional funding, the fire chief will have to go through the normal budgetary
process and appeals.
If the Board is going to
demand accountability and results, we must properly allow that agency to be run
in a way that meets that requirement.
I hope that I have addressed
this rumor and any concerns that anyone might have. The volunteers are
the backbone of our great fire and rescue services agency and we would not be
able to provide the outstanding and quality public safety services to our
citizens without your involvement. The Board and I are appreciative each
and every day for your dedication and commitment to Frederick County.
Sincerely,
Blaine R. Young
P.S. Please make this letter and email
available to those who have concerns about DFRS spending. Thank you!
