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Tarpon Commission Wants Fire Department Staffing Plan

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: August 14, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - City Commission members want a status report on staffing levels at the Fire Department.

At their meeting Tuesday night commissioners asked interim City Manager Mark LeCouris to have a report responding to complaints that Fire Department personnel are under stress as a result of understaffing at the department by their next meeting, Aug. 19.

In recent days LeCouris, who still holds the title of chief of police, has said he was planning to add one firefighter to the department's ranks in the next fiscal year. Given the projected state of the city's finance in its 2009 fiscal year, LeCouris told commissioners, it might not be able to afford hiring any more than that.

He has also said the department is adequately staffed to handle fires in a safe manner with assistance from neighboring fire departments.

Tuesday night Commissioner Peter Dalacos said he was taken aback by Fire Department staffing reports Fire Chief Steve Moreno has written since 2005. The reports warned the Fire Department is dangerously undermanned.

Moreno's 2005 report to then-City Manager Ellen Posivach, for example, stated, "We are currently very deficient in fire training, pre-incident planning, fire hydrant and water system testing and leadership training."

Commissioner Susan Slattery said the Fire Department should hire from three to four fighters to allow one firefighter to be added to each shift.

Each additional firefighter would cost the city an additional $80,000 a year, according to Arie Walker, the finance director. The Fire Department's budget for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, was $4.937 million.

For more on Tarpon Springs Fire Department staffing see the Aug. 16 North Pinellas print edition of The Suncoast News.

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