By CHRIS LINDAHL
@cmlindahl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
SOUTHAMPTON — Upset by hearing about delays in the Fire Department’s work to reestablish its ambulance services not from Fire Chief John Workman, but from media reports, the Select Board identified communication as an area in need of improvement during his annual performance review Thursday.
He was evaluated by each member in categories including job knowledge, teamwork and personnel, and fiscal and time management. Most of the discussion between board members and Workman focused on deficiencies that led to the department suspending its paramedic services, lapses in communication and what member John O. Martin repeatedly termed a “lack of mutual respect” between the chief and some of his firefighters.
Workman was praised for his ability to earn grants, manage the department’s budget, his “open-door policy,” and his initial success at launching the department’s paramedic-level ambulance services. After being hired in 2013, Workman successfully started a paramedic-level ambulance service, a first for the town which previously had only offered basic-level care.
That operation was suspended in May after a state inspection revealed deficiencies in the department’s drug-management practices. Ambulance services are now fully operational after Workman overhauled the department’s practices and hired new staff.
Workman set a self-imposed deadline for when the services would be resumed. The rollout was delayed three times, and on at least one of those instances some Select Board members were left in the dark.
“It’s irresponsible and unprofessional for the Board of Selectmen to have updates on unmet deadlines from the media rather than from the chief himself — specifically getting a phone call at 8 o’clock at night from the Gazette,” Chairwoman Elizabeth Moulton said. “It’s expected that the fire chief would approach the Select Board with status reports and updates.”
Workman insisted that news reports of the unmet deadlines were not worth stories because in one instance the delay was caused by scheduling conflicts, and that coverage of department activities often come out of the media’s “striving for a story.”
“I’ve got to say, if it’s important enough for the press and the TV, then it’s important enough to us,” Martin said.
Though member Charles J. Kaniecki is the designated liaison between the board and the Fire Department, Moulton said that does not negate the need for Workman to communicate with other members of the board.
Martin said he agreed with the chief’s assertion that “communication is a two-way street.”
“I’m going to make more of an effort to call you during the day if I need to — and do the same with me,” Martin told Workman.
The working relationship between Workman and his staff was another frequent topic of discussion. Workman said for the most part he and firefighters work well together.
“The guys are a cohesive group,” he said. “There was a little bit of a dispute among a few of the gentlemen and that’s just part of any family that has disputes.”
Workman’s financial management abilities were praised.
Member Jacqueline Sears commended him for securing $24,000 in grants toward public safety education, a Code Red emergency alert system and for new equipment.
Moulton noted that department spending has been under budget. Workman said after being hired he found that his predecessors had not been keeping close track of all expenses. Workman said he created a line-item budget and started tracking spending in databases to see where costs could be cut.
She criticized his reliance on others to complete the payroll and said that he twice missed getting it done on time.
Member Shannon Cutler, who was absent, remarked in a statement read by Moulton that the department needs an office assistant and that the chief is required to take on additional duties beyond his job description. Workman mentioned that he cleans and scrubs floors and performs general maintenance work.
Workman was praised by William E. Norris school officials for his work at completing fire inspections at the elementary school, Moulton said.
To ease communication issues, Moulton proposed having the chief report to the Select Board on a quarterly basis with updates.
She also said Workman should look into becoming a certified paramedic in order to improve his job performance in that area. Workman is an emergency medical technician.
“I don’t think you can effectively manage people if you can’t do what you’re expecting them to do,” Moulton said.
Workman disagreed.
He said he would not have time to complete the two-year certification process while also performing his duties as chief and that his inability to administer narcotics, does not limit his ability to lead paramedics in their work.
“It doesn’t mean the president of that company can fix the truck as well as the mechanic he hired,” Workman said, comparing the department to a typical business.
He added that in Massachusetts it is atypical for a fire chief to be a paramedic.
“It’s not a one-person show,” he said. “It involves everyone and everyone performs their duties to the best of their abilities and everyone has a strong side and weaknesses — it’s a matter of working with people’s strengths to build a team.”
Chris Lindahl can be reached at [email protected].
