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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />TO: City Council <br /> <br />FROM: Bryan Bear, City Administrator <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Full Time Fire Chief Position <br /> <br />DATE: July 6, 2023 for the City Council meeting of July 10, 2023 <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br /> <br />For the past couple of years, Council has established as a goal to evaluate staffing needs within <br />the Hugo Fire Department. Specifically, this discussion has centered on whether the City is <br />ready to employ a Full-Time Fire Chief. <br /> <br />The Fire Department functions today without a full time staff, but uses a system including 11 <br />part-time officers serving in various roles for the purpose of dividing administrative tasks for the <br />Department. Included within those roles is a part-time Fire Chief and two part-time Assistant <br />Chiefs. <br /> <br />Council held workshops in 2022 and discussed the organizational make-up of the Department, <br />reviewed call types, volumes, and trends, and discussed Council priorities concerning Fire <br />Department roles and responsibilities. Council also discussed a variety of Fire Department <br />models and possible organizational schemes for the Hugo Fire Department. At the end of 2022, <br />Council adopted the 2023 budget, which included a Full-time position for a Fire Chief. <br />Although this position was included within the 2023 budget, the Council is not obligated to fill <br />the position. <br /> <br />In early 2023, Council established a subcommittee consisting of Mayor Weidt, Council Member <br />Miron, Chief Compton, Deputy Chief Jensen, Assistant Chief Emans, Fire Marshal Duncanson, <br />and Firefighter Bieniek. Captains Hoernemann and Palmquist attended one meeting to present <br />information they had gathered concerning this topic from Fire Department Staff. <br /> <br />ANALYSIS: <br /> <br />The subcommittee evaluated several Council priorities for the Hugo Fire Department, including <br /> <br /> Support the City’s existing paid-on-call model for fire response. <br /> Retain and enhance a system to provide succession and strong leadership in <br />officer positions (Farm System) <br /> No new community services or programs, or expanded Fire Department <br />operations desired at this time <br /> Support management needed to administer the existing HFD <br />CITY OF HUGO <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM