Brian Sturdivant officially sworn in as fire chief at Lansing City Hall

LANSING — Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant was officially sworn in Wednesday morning during a ceremony at Lansing City Hall.

In front of a crowd of cheering family members, local officials, Lansing Fire Department staff and others, the former chief of the Battle Creek Fire Department said he's ready to get to work and move the department forward.

"Let’s do what we know we can to really have a positive impact on this community," Sturdivant said in an address.

Sturdivant's appointment by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor came after a 20-month vacancy for the position.

The new chief has been working in the role for about a month.

"We’re excited to have him here in Lansing," Schor said. "I know he is going to take our fire service to the next level, and he’s already done quite a bit. He’s jumped in with both feet, and I’m excited to work with him as we make sure we have the best fire department anywhere."

Sturdivant thanked his family, his friends, his church family, the mayor, and others, for their support.

"I’m excited. I’m honored. There’s also a bit of anxiety because I don’t know what I really don’t know as of yet," he said. "I’m just very, very interested in finding out what all that looks like. And then putting it together for the betterment of our community and our fire department."

The ceremony comes less than a week after an independent review of the department leaked on social media. The report, conducted by the Center for Safety Assessments and Inclusion, a Florida-based company that conducts reviews and consulting for municipal public safety departments, found that the department is hampered by inadequate funding, while suffering from a disconnected culture in which racism and sexism can go unchecked.

More: LFD needs to improve its internal culture, changes to Lansing's HR department could help

More: Lansing picks Battle Creek fire chief to fill 20-month vacancy

More: Lawsuit: Firefighter says city allowed racism to persist at Lansing Fire Department

According to the report, funding is a big problem for LFD, which creates additional challenges, such as being properly equipped to handle the number of medical calls the department responds to — more than 19,000 during the 2019 fiscal year.

For the last three years, the department has been operating with five ambulances instead of the recommended eight.

Sturdivant said Wednesday that it's important the fire department becomes "as lean and as efficient" as possible before requesting additional resources.

"Let's take a look our budget. Let’s take a look at our deployment model. Let’s take a look at our staffing model. And let’s make sure that we are utilizing the allocated resources to their highest degree," Sturdivant said. "Once we feel comfortable with that, it will make it a lot easier to justify what the true needs are."

Those resources also complicate staffing for the department, an issue that's compounded by LFD's internal culture, which the report said is not cohesive.

Multiple former employees of the department have filed lawsuits against LFD, with allegations ranging from racial discrimination to sexual harassment, dating back years.

Unifying the department and mending its culture are major priorities, Sturdivant said. But he cautioned anyone who believes that it all could be fixed overnight with a new leader at the helm.

"The culture of an organization is developed over decades. There is not a realistic vision that any one individual being appointed within the last 30 days is going to make a huge impact on that," Sturdivant said. "If you’ve got an unhealthy culture, it can take decades."

"What I want to do is establish the baseline, develop the framework, so that whoever follows me as the fire chief can continue the work that slowly begins to have a positive impact on some things that we know are not so positive."

The fire department's issues are a microcosm of those affecting Lansing, as well as other communities across the country, the chief said.

"I would be fooling myself if I think I’m going to wake up next month and it’s going to be corrected. It’s going to take some time," he said. "So, I’m asking our members to be patient. I’m asking them to engage. I’m asking them to be candid with their discussions with me, so I can really keep my finger on the pulse, and we can work together to make some positive change."

Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant sworn in at Lansing City Hall