A public petition and much outrage was expressed following the Fire Comissioners’ decision in January to formalize the salary of a Battalion Chief/Assistant Chief at $90,000 a year.

Outcome? The Commissioners issued a call for public input, the public attended commission meetings (historically attended by one member of the public) in numbers from 30 to 60 for the next few meetings, petitions signed by 600 members of the public were brought forward, the Assistant/Battalion Chief resigned his position effective overnight, the Commissioners published a letter that the public was heard and changes would be made, a hiring policy was advanced, a questionnaire is circulating among the volunteer association, the cross-training policy has been revised, and as of last Tuesday, the department’s strategic plan review and a proposal to increase the commissioners have been introduced.

Quite an impressive response and further proof that public input can effect change from the Commissioners you might say. However the root cause – how the commissioners are spending taxpayer money – is still a concern for many.

Anybody paying attention?

With the resignation of the Battalion Chief, the Department’s administrative and training structure has changed radically and is still not settled. The draft hiring policy, cobbled together from school district and county hiring policies, has been pronounced “95 percent satisfactory” to the commissioners, but what does it say? One of its goals, stated in the draft presented at the April 22 meeting says, “Identify opening, recognizing any new requirements, goals and priorities of the District and including possible meger [sic] or consolidation options.” What does that mean?

It has been repeatedly stated that the intention to hire within the department, without posting the position, is a goal of at least one Commissioner in setting a new policy. This is the hiring policy that will be the guideline in hiring an assistant chief, obviously in line to be the next chief when Harris retires. (Harris has announced that he plans to ask the commissioners to renew his contract for another year, to stay onboard until 2011.)

The strategic plan overall review presented by Harris on April 29 states that the need for a levy will come sooner than 2014, the expiration date for the 15-year levy lift which funds emergency medical services.

Anybody paying attention?

As required by law, the Fire Commission holds its regular meetings in public and announces special meetings. The Fire Department’s public website is now nearly complete and volunteer and paid staff make information available to the public on request. Any county non-profit can schedule meetings in the Eastsound Fire Hall without charge, and the public, with their questions and concerns, is welcomed at the Fire Hall. Meetings of the Commission are available within a reasonable amount of time. The Department and the Commission have gone beyond what can be reasonably required of a public agency to communicate with the public. But they can’t listen to concerns that aren’t spoken.

Five members of the 2005 Strategic Plan committees showed up for the April 29 meeting of that committee.

One of them suggested rejuvenating the proposal to bill for ambulance services, (which would be paid by Medicaid and third-party insurers), despite reluctance from the Board to take up such a stand given the negative reaction expressed by the public, the EMS long range planning committee, and Fire Department employees.

The Board has decided to revisit the plan.

Anybody paying attention?

At recent Commission meetings, public attendance has dwindled from over 60 to two. The next meeting of the Fire Commission is scheduled to be in Eastsound on Tuesday, May 13.

Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, “In a democracy, the most important office is the office of citizen.”

A Fire Commission that does not listen to its own constituency, is dismissive of considered criticism, is not monitored and called to account will eventually proceed down its own way to extravagant spending and loose hiring policies.

But unless people care enough to pay attention and state their concerns (as they did at the March 11 meeting and in signing the petitions) the Commissioners may well think they’re doing what the public elected them to do.