New Fire Chief: A Steady Hand? -- Seatac Hopes It Has Overcome Leadership Woes
SEATAC - When city officials began their search for a new fire chief, they had a certain candidate in mind: a strong administrator who could take the helm of an ailing department.
For years, the city's Fire Department has been plagued by problems. Among them: the departure of many young firefighters, disciplinary problems, incidents of sexual misconduct - in public and within the department - and a nude photo session that led to the dismissal of a fire captain and suspension of a secretary.
The maladies are blamed in general on a lack of consistent leadership.
Finding the cure is the task facing James Downs, 58, a veteran fire official with a steady hand and a no-nonsense approach - the unanimous choice of the city's selection committee.
By all accounts, the former assistant fire chief from Fresno, Calif., seems the perfect man for gpthe job. Respected by colleagues for his professionalism, Downs has earned a reputation for being tough but fair. He assumes his $67,200-a-year post today.
Downs says he is eager to tackle his new responsibilities and has pledged to create a "competent, efficient, neat, thorough and very, very responsive department."
It appears he has his work cut out for him.
Some say lack of cohesive leadership over the past three years has led to low morale, high turnover and internal strife. Most agree that a strong chief is exactly what the department needs to heal itself and get started in the right direction.
"People there are so hungry for leadership, so hungry for goals, it's quite possible that a new chief is the key," said one former fire official.
But others warn that a new chief will not cure all the department's ills. "Most of us realize that any fire chief won't be solution to everything," said Lt. John Gallup, president of the firefighters' union. "We're not expecting a savior."
Since its creation in 1991, the fledgling Fire Department has faced a series of challenges.
At that time, the newly incorporated SeaTac took over most of Fire District 24, leaving a sliver of the district - wedged between Kent, Tukwila and SeaTac - little more than a name. Today District 24 has a board of commissioners and taxing authority, but it covers only 2 percent of its original area, a block of about 26 homes outside SeaTac.
The city nearly doubled its crew from 22 firefighters and officials to 39. In July 1991, 16 new firefighters were sworn in.
Within a year, then-Chief Jim Adsley retired with a medical disability. The city held off appointing a replacement as it considered consolidating with other South King County fire departments.
Then came a series of interim chiefs with differing management styles, philosophies and priorities.
The firefighters, a group mostly in their 20s and 30s, craved leadership. Many subsequently gave up their seniority and left for other fire departments in Auburn, Seattle and Tacoma, said union President Gallup. Nearly one-quarter of the staff later resigned, he said.
Some officials said the exodus drained the department of some of its most talented recruits and cost the department years in training needed to replace them.
"It takes a couple of years to get new firefighters up to speed," said a former department official. "If you lose people, you're looking at a gap of a couple of years before new hires can really fill those shoes."
Those who stayed faced more difficulties. Without a chief to represent the department during budget discussions at City Hall, there was no long-term plan for maintaining and purchasing equipment, some department officials said.
So far, the only plan in the works is the purchase of an engine truck in 1997. "We had real poor maintenance over last several years," said Gallup. "We had no plan to purchase new equipment. And we typically didn't do anything until something broke down. We had a ladder truck out of service for 3 1/2 years."
In addition, conflicts cropped up as captains ran shifts on their own, frequently interpreting department policy differently and directing operations with varying goals.
Despite the internal difficulties, the crew continued to do its best, said Capt. John Madson.
"Everybody's done a good job," he said. "Although it was stressful at times, I saw it as a positive thing. It was a learning experience. We learned from mistakes."
In early 1994, charges of misconduct surfaced against a firefighter who allegedly made sexually suggestive remarks and improperly touched a waitress at a local restaurant. The firefighter was clearly identifiable as a department employee by his clothing.
Some claimed the firefighter was never disciplined, and that this demonstrated a breakdown of leadership. But Duane Malo, interim chief at that time, disagreed.
"The incident was handled, and discipline was handed out," he said. "My idea of discipline is a form of education that ensures whatever occurred will not occur again. It doesn't necessarily have to be punitive to be discipline."
The following year, another scandal hit the department. It involved nude photos of a captain taken by a department secretary at the city's fire station.
Capt. Richard Elliott was dismissed, and secretary Kari Roll was demoted and suspended for 90 days without pay. Elliott is appealing his termination, and Roll has filed a lawsuit to get her job back.
City officials, including Mayor Joe Brennan, conceded that lack of continuous leadership hurt the department.
Downs is looking forward to the challenge.
"I will do my very best to create a good team, to involve firefighters and the union in day-to-day activities, solicit input and try to show them we are a total department and that each one of us is critical in our involvement," he said.
Noting that lack of permanence in the chief's position was an emphasized by city officials, Downs has committed to staying in his position for at least five years.
Those who have worked with Downs described him as a steady leader with exacting standards.
Al Rush, president of the Fresno Firefighters' Union, said Downs was respected "for his firmness, his ability to be straightforward and cut through issues, and set a bottom line so employees knew where they stood with him."
Downs started his career in Fresno in 1965 as a police officer,
then soon jumped at the chance to work as a probationary firefighter. He served in various jobs during his tenure, including dispatcher, fire-prevention inspector, captain, deputy fire marshal and assistant chief. He designed the city paramedic program.
As assistant chief, Downs headed day-to-day operations of a department with 208 sworn firefighters in a city of more than 400,000.
Under his supervision, Fresno firefighters responded to more than 30,000 emergency calls a year and had a department budget of more than $25 million annually.
"He was a very strict person, militaristic in some ways," said Rush, who has known Downs since his days as a rookie firefighter. "He was a `by the book' kind of guy who wanted folks to be fairly disciplined and be skilled and knowledgeable of their duties."