Report: Centerville Fire Dept. morale at 'all-time low'

Sep. 23—CENTERVILLE — For more than three weeks, the Centerville fire chief has been on paid administrative leave. The leave comes after a third-party report commissioned by the city outlined morale and leadership concerns within the department.

City officials aren't saying why they placed Centerville Fire Chief Mike Bogle on paid administrative leave on Aug. 30. Bogle is being paid at a rate of $26.01 per hour.

Centerville City Administrator Jason Fraser did not respond to questions about how long Bogle is expected to be on paid leave or whether he is expected to return to his position. Reached by text Friday, Bogle did not offer a comment for this story.

While it's not clear if related, Bogle was placed on leave after a review was conducted on the Centerville Fire Rescue Department this summer. The report from that review is dated Aug. 29, the day before Bogle was placed on administrative leave. The outside review began in June and was conducted by consultants Matt Mardesen and Ray Reynolds.

The two — who have experience in public safety and administration — were also hired this week to conduct a review on the Centerville Police Department that Fraser said will be similar in scope.

To conduct their review, the consultants held several one-on-one interviews, distributed an anonymous survey and held a meeting with the fire department's members. A report was then drafted to summarize their review and offer recommendations to city leadership to address the concerns.

The Ottumwa Courier received a copy of the report Thursday in response to an open records request. The 47-page document was heavily redacted by city officials prior to its release to "remove personal information," Fraser said.

Sections in the report bearing the headings "personnel" and "recommendations" were redacted in their entirety. The documents provided to The Courier included a slideshow used at an Aug. 9 membership meeting and redacted responses from an anonymous survey completed by the department's members.

The unredacted parts of the report paint a picture of low morale across the Centerville Fire Rescue department, which handles fire calls for the city of Centerville and nearby areas, as well as 911 ambulance services for all of Appanoose County. The department has both paid and volunteer members.

Surveys and interviews indicated issues with leadership in the department, no clear succession to replace the department's chief and assistant chief internally, three-fifths of city council members having membership in the department, and rumors and gossip creating cliques among the department's members.

THE SURVEY

According to the anonymous survey taken by 25 members, about 52% said they didn't know their chain of command within the department.

Survey responses showed members were in the middle-of-the road when it came to being satisfied with their service in the department. Responses submitted resulted in a median score of 5.5 on a 1 through 10 scale, with 10 identifying a high level of satisfaction.

"I used to be excited about this department and would stop in every day," one survey respondent wrote for a question about what they liked about being a member. The rest of their response was redacted.

"Leadership," a respondent wrote to a question about what areas needed the most improvement. The rest of their response was redacted.

"The morale at our department is at an all-time low," wrote another. Another response identified "the maturity as a whole department" as an area of concern.

One respondent wrote that several cliques had formed within the department "that tend to focus on petty small things that just make drama." That respondent also wrote that "we have a good boss/chief that has a job to do and we should respect that (and) not try to undermine his decisions and vision."

Fire department members were also asked what they'd change about the department if they were chief for a week.

One response read, "Not throw fits, pout and throw things across the room. Treat people with respect."

Another respondent said the way employees are treated needed to change. Another said they would work "with newer members to try to stop some of the gossip/in-fighting."

THE REPORT

It's not clear what the city has paid, or committed to pay, for the report. Fraser said the city has not yet been billed by the two individuals who did the work. A review of the police department that will be similar in scope is expected to cost between $5,000 and $7,500, Fraser said.

Randy Evans, executive director of the non-profit government transparency group Iowa Freedom of Information Council, reviewed the documents and called the situation "extraordinarily troubling" with direct impacts to the citizens of Centerville and their public safety.

Evans questioned the city's actions to redact such a large part of the report before it was made public.

"In the Centerville Fire Department study/report, it certainly appears that the redacted information is of direct concern to the citizens of Centerville and has a direct bearing on the services the department provides to the public," Evans said. "That is why it should trouble every citizen of Centerville that the city administrator has chosen to black out all of the recommendations made by these two consultants about a city department that regularly is called upon to provide life-and-death services to the people of Centerville and visitors passing through the community."

WHAT'S NEXT?

With the report's recommendations section completely redacted, and Fraser not commenting on Bogle's future, it's not immediately clear what may come next.

In the background section of the report, it did state that Fraser had told the two individuals who conducted the review there "had been some discussion about implementing a public safety director position." However, there was hesitancy due to "the perception of underlying issues within the fire department."

A public safety director is a position that would serve concurrently as fire chief and police chief. Some cities have adopted the model, including Windsor Heights and formerly Storm Lake.

The report also listed concerns with the fire chief's schedule. Standard practice has been for the chief to work a 24-hours on, 48-hours off schedule like other full-time fire personnel.

This causes the chief to donate "substantial off-duty time to the city," according to the report. The report details that Centerville is a large enough city to warrant "an accessible fire chief Monday through Friday."

"Frankly, we are not aware of another career department where the fire chief follows a 24/48 schedule," the report stated.

If Bogle doesn't return, the report stated the department's next chief may have to be an outside hire. Bogle, as well as Centerville Fire Assistant Chief Vern Millburn, are both eligible to retire within the next 18 months.

"The department is behind in developing the next fire chief," according to the report's findings. "When asked to identify potential successors for these positions, those interviewed were not able to do so."

However, with the department's morale already low, an outside hire wouldn't be likely to help, the report's writers pointed out.

"The absence of a leader suggests an outside hire may be a real possibility," the report read. "Unfortunately, while that may be in the city's best interest, it does not improve morale of those that might be interested in the position."

Additionally, the report pointed out concerns with conflicts of interest on the Centerville City Council. Three of the five council members are currently members of the fire department. If the three simply were to abstain from any votes concerning the department, the council would then lack a quorum and be unable to act on those issues.

Council members Ron Creagan, Donald Sherwood and Darrin Hamilton are currently volunteer members of the fire department.

The report's writers suggested a "leave of absence" policy for those who are on the council but serve a city department, such as the fire department, that could get around that issue.

"The appearance of departmental favoritism or holding power and control over a department from the bench is a legitimate concern," the report said. "Department heads may find themselves in a difficult position as they lead those who oversee their departmental budgets."

Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.