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McDonnell can break mold of fire chief
(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 13--Mike McDonnell would score some firsts if, as expected, Mayor Mike Fahey tabs him as Omaha's new fire chief.
His appointment would mark the first time that a former union president took over the role of chief executive of the nearly 700-person, $70 million department.
McDonnell, at age 42, also would be the youngest chief in the city's history. And he would pin on the gold chief's badge with less firefighting experience than is typical of a fire chief.
McDonnell's quick rise up the department's ranks has drawn some criticism. His detractors say he should be ruled out because he lacks experience as a captain in charge of a pump truck or as a battalion chief who oversaw fire stations.
His defenders, including recently retired Chief Robert Dahlquist, say McDonnell's experience as president of the Omaha Firefighters Union for 10 years and in various headquarters positions gives him perspective on the department's strengths and weaknesses.
He also has experience with the emergency side of the department. Much of his time as captain was spent answering medical calls, which make up the bulk of the department's workload.
McDonnell has had a charmed career since he led his union in boosting Fahey into the Mayor's Office in 2001. The Fahey victory came against Mayor Hal Daub -- whom McDonnell and the firefighters union had helped re-elect four years earlier.
Under Fahey, McDonnell worked briefly in the Mayor's Office and then quickly moved up the chain of command without putting in much time at a city firehouse.
The union has not endorsed McDonnell or any of the other three finalists for chief. Darren Bates, president of Omaha Professional Firefighters Local 385, said the union concentrates on "safety, wages and benefits," not who is chief.
McDonnell's term as union president ended April 1, 2007. By the end of the year, McDonnell was serving as acting chief.
Although McDonnell is the odds-on favorite to be selected within the next couple of weeks to be the permanent chief, his corner office at the downtown Omaha Fire Headquarters is sparse and exactly as he found it when he moved in last December.
Bringing in his personal items to hang on the wall and fill the shelves might jinx his chances, McDonnell said in a recent interview.
His tenure as acting chief has been both eventful and filled with some controversy. The Fire Department has dealt with the Von Maur shootings in December, a south Omaha chemical spill in late May, the Millard tornado in early June, the wind storm in late June, as well as more routine fire and medical calls.
There has been some grumbling among rank-and-file firefighters, including publication of an anonymous anti-McDonnell newsletter, Illuminati (Latin for "the enlightened ones"). Among the complaints are McDonnell's seemingly meteoric rise over the past 18 months from captain to battalion chief to assistant chief to interim chief.
One firefighter wrote a City Council member saying the "Omaha Fire Department is now being managed by a Who's Who of former Local 385 (union) officers, relatives and McDonnell cronies."
McDonnell said he is not the recipient of political favors from Fahey. "I finished No. 1 on the battalion chief test, No. 1 on the assistant chief test, No. 1 on the chief test."
As for the other promotions, McDonnell said all of the assistant chief and battalion chief promotions have been made based on how the candidates scored on tests. Captain promotions have been made largely based on who has or is willing to undergo paramedic training, he said.
McDonnell's rise and the flood of other new people at the top of the Fire Department is at least in part the result of one of McDonnell's actions as union chief.
The union contract that McDonnell negotiated improved pension benefits and allowed firefighters to retire with full benefits at age 45.
That led to a rush to the exits by experienced firefighters, with a large number of retirements over the past several years.
The department is now younger than it has ever been. More than half the firefighters today have eight years or less of experience. With last week's promotions, 21 of the 27 battalion chiefs will have been named in the past 18 months.
It's a much different department from the one he joined in October 1989, just as his father was retiring after 40 years and his uncle after 36 years.
McDonnell and others see no conflict between being union president on the way to being fire chief. Other chiefs have served as officers or executive board members of the union, including Dahlquist; Dahlquist's father, former Chief Horton "Swede" Dahlquist; and former Chief Tom Graeve.
"I believe being involved in the union provides one an opportunity to enhance a person's administrative and interpersonal skills, which are essential in the skill set required to be a fire administrator," Robert Dahlquist said.
That's not a view shared by City Council President Dan Welch, who has been a frequent critic of the size and cost of the Fire Department. He points out that McDonnell would be switching from fighting for wage and pay packages for firefighters to containing costs for the good of city taxpayers.
"My biggest concern is he is the architect of the contract that has created financial problems for the city budget and pensions," Welch said. "With him as the top man in management, I'm concerned about the city's financial future."
Welch also said some firefighters have concerns about McDonnell's lack of hands-on experience. "If the rank and file don't have faith in your abilities," Welch said, "it compromises the department."
No one -- not even Welch -- questioned McDonnell's success as union president.
"Mike has shown the ability to lead," Welch said.
"Mike was a formidable foe for me," said City Human Relations Director Tom Marfisi, referring to McDonnell's work on the fire contracts.
Now Marfisi and McDonnell sit on the same side of the table in negotiations with the union.
Marfisi dismissed firefighter complaints that McDonnell lacks the firefighting experience necessary to be chief.
The city also is in the process of selecting a new police chief, and Marfisi said the tests for both the police and fire chiefs deal more with management skills, understanding budgets and policies than how to make an arrest or suppress a fire.
McDonnell said he scored well on the written and oral exams when asked to formulate problem-solving strategies. The other three finalists scored better on the basis of experience, McDonnell said.
Assistant Chief Perry Guido and Acting Assistant Chief Joseph Fuxa each served as a battalion chief for more than seven years. Acting Assistant Chief Anthony Lang was a battalion chief for more than two years. McDonnell served as battalion chief for six months, though not in a front-line command position directing firefighters or paramedics.
McDonnell spent much of his time in the department on special assignments, such as working out of the Mayor's Office on overtime issues and in training, public education and inspection bureaus. Dahlquist said McDonnell's experience provides better preparation for the chief's job.
"As fire chief, you need to provide your people with the equipment, the correct training and the knowledge to do their jobs," Dahlquist said.
McDonnell said one goal that both the union president and the chief share is "taking a dangerous job and making it safer."
"It's all about safety for the firefighters and the citizens."
Training is more critical than ever, McDonnell said, because fire prevention techniques have drastically reduced the number of fires. That means firefighters have less experience fighting live fires, he said.
Emergency medical calls now make up 75 percent of the calls for assistance, McDonnell said, and fires only about 5 percent. The rest deal with rescues and hazardous materials.
After spending his first eight years on a firetruck, McDonnell saw the future and made the switch to rescue as a medic in 1999.
But the attraction for fire recruits, McDonnell said, remains the image of rushing into a burning building with ax in hand.
"It's the old joke about firefighting," Dahlquist said. "One-hundred-fifty years of tradition unimpeded by progress."
--Contact the writer: 444-1125, david.kotok@owh.com
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Copyright (c) 2008, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
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