ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: October 18, 1999
Author/Local: R. Holdgate
RTS NO. 00990

CC File No. 1377

Council: November 2, 1999

TO:	City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Fire and Rescue Services
SUBJECT:	Organizational Change

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council authorize the elimination of one vacant Manager position.

B. THAT Council authorize the General Manager of Fire Rescue Services subject to classification by the General Manager of Human Resources, to create three regular full time clerical support positions and one regular full time stores driver position to be funded from the existing Fire & Rescue Services operating budget.

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the above.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council has adopted a policy whereby departments and boards are required to identify expenditure reductions or related revenue increases in non-tax revenue, to offset the costs associated with requests for increased staff or enhanced programs. Council retains the authority to approve additions to the full time complement of staff.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to obtain Council authority to eliminate one Middle Management position and create three new regular full time clerical positions and one regular full time stores driver position to support the new management structure of the Fire Department.

DISCUSSION

As part of the Better City Government program, Fire & Rescue Services has reorganized the senior management structure to align the senior management organization and business functions to reflect deployment of staff and equipment recommended in the Tri-Data report approved by Council in 1997.

Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services, with approval from Council, engaged the services of Sommers Consulting Inc. to review the senior management structure of the Fire Department and bring forward recommendations. The report recommended the present executive structure be flattened to be more effective. To achieve this, the number of senior executive positions was reduced from fourteen to seven. The report also recommended the role of Battalion Chiefs be redefined to take on more management functions.

As a result of the reorganization, the rank of Assistant Chief has been eliminated. Three Assistant Chiefs have taken early retirement and the remainder have accepted positions as non-uniformed Division Managers at a lower pay grade. As part of the reorganization process, these manager positions have been assigned new responsibilities. Currently, one manager position is vacant.

The management reorganization process required the department to review the clerical support required for the new management structure. The results of the review indicate a need for three full time clerical support positions.

The three new Assistant General Manager/Deputy Chief positions have no dedicated clerical support. Currently, temporary staff have been assigned to provide this function. This report seeks council approval to add one full time clerical person to provide clerical and administrative support for these Assistant General Managers.

An excluded, clerical support position dealing with confidential issues such as grievances and arbitration matters is required for the new Human Resource/Planning Division. This position will provide clerical and administrative support for the Human Resource/Planning Division reporting to the new Assistant General Manager of Human Resources. Currently, this support is being provided by temporary staff.

The Vancouver Fire & Rescue Training facility requires a full time clerical person. For the past few years, clerical support has been provided by temporary staff. The role of the five training officers assigned to this division is to develop, deliver and organize all training required for the department. Clearly, there is an identified need to provide a full time clerical position to support these middle management positions.

Battalion Chiefs are assigned to manage firehalls and staff within specified districts in the city and are also responsible for transporting equipment and supplies to and from various fire halls. Doing so is very time consuming and requires these line managers to do work inappropriate for their pay grade. As defined in the Sommers’ report, this function would be more suited to a stores delivery position.

Establishing a new position with delivery responsibilities will allow for additional management responsibilities to be assigned to the Battalion Chiefs enabling them to provide management support for the new, leaner management structure. Creating this new position is essential if the Battalion Chiefs are to manage their districts and staff more effectively.

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The additional clerical support positions will make management staff more effective and will improve staff morale by removing clerical functions from managers and providing an adequate pool of ‘full time’ support staff. Creating full time clerical positions where temporary staff currently perform this work will improve continuity and staff ownership of the work that must be performed and will allow support staff to become more familiar with their responsibilities and the staff they support; generally improving clerical staff member’s sense of job security and the overall work environment.

PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS

Reducing the number of Senior management staff has increased the workloads of other managers and has required them to assume some clerical functions. Adding clerical support staff will ensure that clerical work currently being performed by these managers is performed by staff at the appropriate paygrade and will generally improve the overall effectiveness of the Fire & Rescue Services management team.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Additional funding will not be required to create the four support positions. Funding for these positions can be achieved by utilizing savings identified in the downgrading of the Assistant Chief positions and eliminating one vacant manager position.

CONCLUSION

The reorganization of the management structure as recommended by Sommers’ Consulting Inc. has proven to be more effective and efficient. Presently a lack of adequate clerical support has resulted in Assistant General Managers and Division Managers performing clerical duties. The Sommers’ report suggested managers must change how they perform their work if the department is to become more efficient and effective. The additional support staff requested and detailed in this report, will provide the new department executive team the clerical support required in assuming their newly defined management roles.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver