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Tuesday's Lansing Fire Commissioners meeting was quiet in stark contrast to the contentious November 15th meeting at which nearly 30 volunteer emergency responders protested an apparent decision to hire a paid fire chief.  That meeting persuaded commissioners to take a different approach. 

"At this time we are not going forward any farther with a paid chief," said Fire Commissioner Chairman Robert Wagner Tuesday.  "We're working with the Office of the Chiefs to try to resolve some of the problems."

The Fire District and Fire Department are two separate entities in Lansing.  The volunteer fire department responds to emergencies, while the commissioners represent the district, which funds the department, paying for equipment, fire stations, training, and so on.  The volunteers elect their own officers, including a chief, deputy chief, and three assistant chiefs, a captain and four lieutenants.

The brouhaha began in early November when department directors received a two-line email from Fire Commissioner (and District Secretary) Jeff Walters.

"Please take note that the Lansing FIre District has made plans to hire a paid Fire Chief in the year 2012," he wrote.  "As a result of such action the board is recommending that the position of 'fire chief' not be filled during the annual nominations/elections during their respective 2011 department meetings."

That led to a shouting match that carried into to the November 15th Fire Commissioners Meeting.  Nearly 30 volunteers showed up to that meeting to voice their opposition to the hiring of a paid chief, and in support of their elected Chief Scott Purcell.  Purcell acknowledged that there are issues to be resolved, but argued that a paid fire chief would not solve the problems the department has.  Those issues ranged from the work load of the chief to liability to delays in training, specifically training drivers to handle big fire trucks.

At the end of that meeting the five commissioners met in a private session with the chiefs and line officers to identify specific problems and begin to come up with solutions to them.

Part of the resolution was that the chiefs and the line officers will develop ideas for an improved training program for the first part of 2012.  Commissioners will address any further problems with training at that time.  Meanwhile they are working on ways to reduce the Chief's workload, particularly in the area of paperwork required by the State.

"We're trying to pinpoint all of the things we need to do to alleviate some of the chief's workload," says Commissioner Larry Creighton.

Commissioners say that after reviewing problems they want addressed the solution could still be a paid chief, a paid administrator, a paid clerk, or some other approach.  But Wagner was clear that they are not hiring a paid chief at this time.

Walters said that a civil service job description is being created for a paid chief so it will be there if the district ever needs it.  He said that the job description is for use anywhere in Tompkins County if a local fire district should want to use it.  He said that will take care of the first step should a district want to hire a paid chief.

"There is no motion or anything," he said.  "They're not doing it for Lansing per se.  They won't have a Civil Service test until 2014."

Walters also reported that Fire Commissioner Michael Day wrote a letter last week withdrawing his candidacy for a second term.  Earlier Day had written saying he would be running, but he is now officially out of the race.  Richard O. Drake and Darrell A. Rhodes will compete for Day's seat next Tuesday.  The election is being held at Central Station, 80 Ridge Road, between 6pm and 9pm.  Registered voters who live within the Lansing Fire District are eligible to vote.

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