4.5. SR 09-03-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Elk - Request for Action River O. To Item Number Mayor and City Council 4.5 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Consent September 3, 2013 T.John Cunningham,Fire Chief Item Description Reviewed by Position Description for On-Call Firefighter Cliff Anderson,Assistant Chief Lauren Wipper, Human Resources Representative Reviewed by Cal Portner, City Administrator Action Requested Approve by motion the updated position description for on-call firefighter. Background/Discussion Consistent with the Fire Department's 2013-2017 Strategic Plan, a review of the position description for the on-call firefighter has been completed. While the overall duties and responsibilities has remained consistent, a few changes have been incorporated that are in-line with best practices,the department's strategic plan and recommendations from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC). • Changed immediate supervisor to lieutenant which is consistent with the Fire Department chain- of-command. • Updated the position summary to accurately reflect the position of the on-call firefighter. • Added fire prevention,public education, community outreach and other related assignments. • Changed residency requirement from a geographical boundary to a timed response. The residency requirement was changed based on best practices across the state and on the recommendation of the LMC. In a white paper published by the in 2011, the LMC writes,in part: "Bylaws sometimes establish a radius within which firefighters are expected to live. Cities are prohibited from requiring residency as a condition of employment. This includes and applies to volunteer firefighters. Cities can impose a reasonable response time,but it should be based on minutes rather than miles. "Remember that Minnesota law requires firefighters responding to an emergency to follow all traffic laws,including posted speeds. Policies related to response time should be based on normal driving behavior." As the department transitions to formal policies and procedures, this change will also be reflected in those documents,including the process in which the department's command staff will utilize to determine whether or not a candidate satisfactory meets the eight minute response time requirement. This includes online mapping software and,if required, actual driving tests. Consistent with past practice, current firefighters will be exempt from meeting the new requirement unless they change their primary residence, in which case they must live within the eight minute requirement. P a w E R E U 6 Y NaA f RE]