building bridgesbuilding bridges employee spotlight: lawrence e. plaskett jr. - kimberly wilson-cho...

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S — T H O U G H T S F R O M Y E A R O N E . . .

CIT

Y O

F R

ICH

MO

ND

April 2011

Anniversary Edition

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S

Building Bridges - Thoughts From Year One….

2010 Annual Awards Ceremony

Fire Station Alert-ing

Who Are Our Cus-tomers?

What’s New In The Project Resource Team?

History of Women In The Richmond Fire Department

The Mentorship Program Explained

RAPIDS

Editorial Staff:

Kimberly Wilson-Cho

Elmond D. Taylor

Christina Smith

Nancy Hall

Shawn Jones

Bailey Martin

Laura Neville

Lauren Bonneville

Before ‘Building Bridges’, Richmond Fire Department embarked upon an organizational assessment. This was not a technical assessment of how well we fight and manage fire incidents or our delivery of emergency medical services. Rather, it would examine how we, as an organization, felt about one another, how we communicated with each other, our intercultural com-petencies, our rela-tionship with the com-munity we serve, and how the community views Richmond Fire as an organization. Like many of you, I was both excited and eager to participate and openly communi-cate my thoughts on the challenges facing our organization. I saw this process as an op-portunity to lay down the foundation to ad-dress long term systemic issues that had prevented Richmond Fire from moving from good to great.

This process involved nearly every member of the organization; it certainly sparked lots of conversation at every level of the organization. In 2008, some in the department questioned the need/merits of undertaking this initiative; to-day I would argue there are still some who maintain that sentiment, but hope-fully to a lesser degree. This study

would eventually be named ‘Building Bridges’, which brought the tag line “safety, excellence and teamwork”. Eventually, we would become ac-quainted with the Project Resource Team and the Richmond Hill Group later renamed the Leadership Group. This process would promote the devel-opment of our mission, vision and val-ues statements and a greater organiza-

tional awareness and-sensitivity to cultural dif-ferences in and away from the work environ-ment.

During various “courageous conversa-tions”, members are sharing how this initiative has made them aware and sensitive to unac-ceptable behavior by oth-ers in the fire service or community at large. This change in perception has been witnessed most by

actions and comments during fire ser-vice training classes outside of our de-partment. This perception is viewed as organizational progress for Richmond Fire by those who’ve experienced and witnessed the inappropriate behavior. Not all will agree and acknowledge the strides that are being made to address those concerns outlined in the report, and some will say that progress ap-pears to be slow.

(Continued on page 2)

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S — T H O U G H T S F R O M Y E A R O N E … ( C O N T ’ D )


I would agree that implementation may appear to be sluggish; however, moving this organization culturally to a values driven organization has more to do with our own attitudes and trust for one another than a timeline. I am encouraged that this fire department is up for the task.

So, we’re two and half years into the implementa-tion phase of the building bridges report. We were provided an action plan which included 33 recom-mendations/goals divided into six subgroups for implementation. Thus far, we have implemented 10 of those recommendations; they are recom-mendations 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 21, 28, 29 and committees are currently working on items 18 and 24. Implementation of these recommendations will not necessarily guarantee success; imple-mentation may prove to be the easiest compo-nent of the Tri-Data report. Achieving and main-taining the goals will require commitment, periodic review, and honest assessment and revision if

needed.

Here’s what I believe; since June of 2008 we have been engaged in meaningful discussion of systemic issues affecting our organization, acting upon them and implementing programs to ad-dress long held organizational and cultural barri-ers that prohibit this organization from moving from good to great. Just the fact that I, the Deputy Fire Chief of Operations sit here constructing this article on this topic for the Building Bridges news-

letter is remark-able in itself. Be safe, be smart and increase your fire service IQ.

-Elmond Taylor

- Melvin Carter

F I R E A P P A R A T U S O N T H E W A Y

We wish to update everyone on

the status of the Fire Fleet re-

placement project. We have

placed an order with AES, local

dealer for Pierce, to purchase 7

fire trucks. We have ordered 2

- 105’ Quints, 2 - 75’ Quints, 2 -

Heavy Rescues, and 1 - Class

A Pumper. We have been

promised a delivery time frame

of late fall or early winter 2011.

Following this initial order, we

will be purchasing anywhere

between 3 or 4 trucks per year

until all of our aged fleet has

been replaced. Thereafter, we

will work toward structuring a

replacement plan that realizes

the purchase of two or three

trucks each year. The main

goal being to stagger the arrival

of these vehicles so that all of

them do not reach the end of

their serviceable life at the

same time.

We are appreciative of the City administration that has placed fire fleet replacement as a prior-ity. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to work aggressively in pursuance of completing this important pro-ject.


Full Name: Lawrence E. Plaskett Jr. Hometown: Far Rockaway, Queens, New York

Current City: Highland Springs, VA

Education: Diploma from High School of Art & Design in New York, NY; BS from State University College at One-onta, New York

Marital Status: Married to Sybil Bryant-Plaskett

Pet (s): 2 Hermit Crabs

Do you have any children? I have four children; three girls and a boy, Kiante’ 16, Sha Kia 11 ½ , Malachi 7, Hasaani 6

Position at the Fire Department: Lieu-tenant Movies: Sugar Hill, Shaolin –vs- Wu-Tang, The Godfather, Men of Honor, Superfly, Do The Right Thing, HEAT, Return of the JEDI, Malcolm X Music: Curtis Mayfield, 70’s R & B, Jazz, Hip-Hop / Rap, Classic Rock, & Reggae Favorite Color: Rust / Blue

Favorite Quote: Real living is living for others. – Bruce Lee

Jobs before the Fire Department: Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Virginia United Methodist Family Ser-vices

How long have you worked for the city and briefly describe what you do in your position with the department: I have worked for the City of Richmond for a little more than nine years as a professional firefighter and was recently appointed to the position of Lieutenant. As a firefighter, my job and duties are to provide the citi-zens of the City of Richmond with the best service be it fire related or medical. As a firefighter, it is nearly impossible to give a brief description of what it is that we actually do because the pallet is so extensive and extreme at times. We are sometimes required to go well beyond the realm of extinguishing fires or providing emergency medical ser-vices. As a newly appointed Lieutenant, I strive to provide leadership and guidance to the members. I supervise and be their support mechanism whenever they’re faced with adversity, be it job related or otherwise.

What do you enjoy doing with your family? I enjoy having life discussions with my family, dialoguing with each and every one of my family members I come into contact with, and sharing different ideologies about “Why things are the way they are in today’s society, and How the

past has impacted us today.” I have these discussions be-ginning with my children as well as with my family’s elders. A constant learning process built from love and communi-cation.

On a scale of 1-10( worst), how messy is your desk? 5

Do you cry at movies? If so, which movies make you cry? Yes, I cry at the movies that haven’t been created yet, nor do I think they will ever come into existence (laughing)!

What would you do if you had a million dollars? Create ways to make it 10 million.

Are you a good dancer? I like to think so! If your life was a song, what would the title be? Little Child Running Wild by Curtis Mayfield What was your most embarrassing mo-ment? Running down the basketball court as a child and jumping to complete a lay-up shot only to have my shoe fall off (while I was in the air) and reveal a big hole in my sock !!!! (laughing)

What is your favorite part about working at The Richmond Fire Dept?

The different individuals you come into con-tact with on a daily basis be it in a profes-sional or non-professional capacity.

Where is your favorite place to go out to lunch? There used to be a Caribbean Take-out off of Brookland Park Blvd. on North Avenue called Chef’s Island.

How would your co-workers describe you? Hardworking, Energetic, Original, Em-

pathetic, Honorable, Humorous and Family Orientated

What is your proudest accomplishment while working at The Fire Department? The top ranking one at this mo-ment because my career has not been completed would be: Having a kid (that was deemed a risk by societal stan-dards) call me after I had ceased working with him as his counselor for about a year or more. He not only called me but he also asked for my assistance in helping him choose classes at a local community college because he had re-ceived his G.E.D and wanted to become a firefighter. I never thought I had impacted this kid in such a magnitude, the whole time I worked with him. Definitely one of my proudest moments.

What is your favorite snack at the office? Franks & Beans, it doesn’t get any better (laughing)!

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S E M P L O Y E E S P O T L I G H T : L A W R E N C E E . P L A S K E T T J R .

- Kimberly Wilson-Cho

H O W M U C H D O Y O U K N O W A B O U T T H E R F D ?


Across

1. Fire Chief Creecy was a teacher of this subject prior to coming to the RFD

5. RFD received a grant from this company to continue Fire Prevention efforts (2 wds.)

9. This many former captains were promoted to Battalion Chief in 2010

10. Firefighters love to eat here (2 wds.)

11. Leading cause of residential fires (2 wds.)

14. Chief K. Taylor served as the Hazardous Materials Tech-nician for this company (2 wds.)

16. Handouts on the department’s website are now available in this language

19. County that Chief Creasy worked in prior to the City of Richmond

20. Name of K-9 Investigator Archer's dog

21. Bob ___________, Project Analyst for Procurement (last name)

22. Staff Battalion Chief Jackson's highest Army rank

23. Building Bridges calls for an action plan to encourage the support and understanding of _________

24. March is _________ History Month

Down

2. Why people love working for the fire department (2 wds.)

3. Top Code Violation

4. March is also ______ American Heritage Month (HINT: think March 17th!)

6. Smoke detectors should be placed this many feet away from stoves or showers

7. Employee’s favorite color of those featured in January's Employee Spotlight

8. 349 of these were given out in 2009

9. __________ Showing, Dept. Newsletter published by the PIO

12. New acronym for the EEO (Equal Employment Opportu-nity) office

13. One of Chief E. Taylor’s certifications

15. RFD Headquarters' New Admin Program Support Assis-tant (first name)

17. The Fire Academy was completed by _________ and Associates architectural company

18. Assistant Fire Marshals are sworn in by this office (2 wds.)

- Lauren Bonneville

E M P L O Y E E S P O T L I G H T – M A R I L Y N B U R R O U G H S


Full Name: Marilyn Baughan Burroughs

Hometown: Richmond, Va.

Current City: Highland Springs, Va.

Family: (Children/Grandchildren) (2) children (3) grandchildren

Position at the Fire Department: Administra-tive Assistant

Favorite movies: Anything with Julia Roberts

Favorite music: Country

Favorite Color: Blue

Jobs before the Fire Department: I had a

license to write Property and Casualty Insur-ance/Insurance Agent.

How long have you worked for the City and briefly describe what you do in your position with the department?

I have been with the Fire Department for 25 years and I am responsible for entering time and attendance for Training and Suppression in

TEMS for payroll, process paperwork for new recruits when they enter and leave the Acad-emy, track training hours for the Fire Department in FDM, and maintain daily paperwork at Train-ing.

What do you enjoy doing with your family? Playing and shopping with my grandchildren, and most every Saturday night have dinner with my brother, his wife, and two good friends.

On a scale of 1-10 (worst), how messy is your desk? 2

What is your favorite part about working at the Fire Department? Getting to know the peo-ple that I work with, and especially all the new recruits.

How would your co-workers describe you? You will have to ask them, I am not quite sure what they would say.

What is your proudest accomplishment while working at the Fire Department?

Maintaining a good working relationship with everyone in the Fire Department especially the individuals that have been assigned to Training.

What is your favorite snack at the office?”

I maintain the snack box on my desk so I enjoy everything that I buy to keep it stocked, but es-pecially the chips.

- Nancy Hall

2 0 1 0 A N N U A L A W A R D S C E R E M O N Y


The Richmond Fire Department held its awards ceremony on

October 21,2010 at Richmond Centerstage.

It is a great honor and privilege for me to congratulate each of you. Your professionalism, positive attitude and willingness to help are commendable and well worthy of public recognition and praise.

- Robert Creecy.


Firefighter Wesley Amos

Firefighter Michael Anderson

Lieutenant William Andrews

Firefighter Leonard Archer

Firefighter Charles Barkley

Captain Robert Baumgardner

Captain William Beatley

Firefighter Antonio Bediako

Firefighter Mary Bell

Firefighter Gregory Bembry

Mr. John Birchfield

Firefighter Jeffry Bohn

Firefighter Eric Brown

Firefighter Ronald Brown

Lieutenant Stephen Brown

Lieutenant Antonio Bullock

Lieutenant Ludenilo Castro

Firefighter Thomas Chenault

Firefighter Linwood Cousins

Firefighter Michael Crabtree

Staff Battalion Chief David Creasy

Firefighter Steven Curry

Lieutenant Brian Dalrymple

Captain Earl Dyer

Firefighter Bryan Elrod

Firefighter Malcolm Epps

Captain Rodney Epps

Firefighter Keith Fleming

Lieutenant Donald Foreman

Lieutenant William Goode

Lieutenant Kurt Gran

Lieutenant Robert Hagaman

Firefighter James W. Harris, III

Lieutenant Kevin House

Firefighter Anthony Johnson

Lieutenant Anthony Jones

Lieutenant Shawn Jones

Firefighter William Jones

Firefighter John Kuper

Firefighter Courtland Lambert

Lieutenant Bryan Law

Firefighter Clinton Lewis

Firefighter Donald Little

Firefighter John Lukhard

Captain William Martin

Firefighter Phillip McCarter

Captain Terry McGirt

Firefighter Francis McKearin

Firefighter Adam Mesco

Firefighter Marshall Moran

Lieutenant Carroll Smith

Firefighter Scott Smith

Firefighter William Smith

Lieutenant John Spanbauer

Lieutenant Christopher Spencer

Firefighter William Spindle

Lieutenant Melody Spivey

Lieutenant Kevin Spruill

Firefighter Adam Stewart

Firefighter Patrick Stewart

Firefighter Elton Stinson

Firefighter Edward Stokes

Mr. Arthur Tate

Firefighter Stewart Thiel

Firefighter James Turner

Firefighter Rodger Walker

Firefighter Linwood Waltrip

Firefighter Ronald Washington

Firefighter Michael Watson

Lieutenant Garland Weymouth

Firefighter Shaun Whiteley

Firefighter Michael Wilkins

Firefighter John Williams

Lieutenant Sheldon Williams

Mrs. Mary Davis

Chesterfield Auto Parts

Mr. Jeff Clark

Mr. Lindsay Tycer

Mr. Todd Parnell

Mr. Danny Lee

Lieutenant Bobby Burnette, Chesterfield Fire and EMS

2 0 1 0 A N N U A L A W A R D S C E R E M O N Y

-Kimberly Wilson-Cho

F I R E S T A T I O N A L E R T I N G


-Elmond Taylor

The City of Richmond is currently soliciting propos-als from experienced and qualified vendors to de-sign, implement and maintain a fully-functional, turn-key, scalable Fire Station Alerting (FSA) Sys-tem that can be integrated to other necessary sys-tems. This will likely include the need for software and the necessary hardware to support the FSA System. Our goal is to have a state-of-the-art fire station alerting system that meets the needs of our department today and into the future.

The focus of this project is to provide a modern, standards-based FSA System and related tech-nologies to facilitate the dispatch of Fire & Emer-gency Services first responders to a call-for-service. This was formerly handled with the Inter-graph CAD System acting as the front end and initiating all alert requests automatically upon ac-ceptance of the fire assignment recommendation. Because of system reliability deterioration, fire sta-tion alerting is now handled directly with a MO-SCAD client application that is manually activated by the fire radio operator. The City is undertaking the acquisition of a replacement Fire Station Alert-ing System for multiple reasons:

1. The current FSA MOSCAD system, manu-factured by Motorola, is ten years old and has reached the end of its life cycle. Mo-torola is no longer able to support the current version of Richmond’s MOSCAD system.

2. The interface between the current FSA MO-SCAD System and the Intergraph CAD sys-tem is not reliable. Because existing inter-face is not reliable and prone to errors, the interface between the Intergraph CAD Sys-tem and MOSCAD has been discontinued. This means that fire radio operators must now manually select each fire station to be alerted and then trigger the alerting se-quence manually. This has resulted in an increase in response times by as much as 30 seconds in many cases. Mistakes made

in the manual alerting process have in-creased.

3. Because the current MOSCAD FSA relies on 800 MHz radio frequencies, the RF factor has not been 100% reliable and sometimes prone to “atmospheric conditions”.

4. The check and balances to alert appropriate personnel when an alerting failure occurs has not been timely in some cases and has resulted in one or more fire stations missing an alert.

5. Because fire station personnel are not made aware when a communications failure oc-curs, companies have been delayed in re-sponding to emergency calls.

We are aiming for a June – July 2011 completion time for this project. In a later article I hope to detail for you what features we are looking for in the new FSA. We will keep the organization up-dated on our progress.

W H O A R E O U R C U S T O M E R S ?


“We pride ourselves in providing quality customer

service”

When we talk about our values, it is clear that

quality service is a key to measurable success. We

are a community-minded department with a strong

sense of service, working to protect the life and

property in our community from fire, medical

emergencies and other natural or man-made

disasters. How do we identify our community? How

do we know how to provide quality customer service

if we don’t know what services are needed? The

answer lies in identifying the most valuable part of

the equation - the Customer – one key with multiple

facets and definitions. Customer Service without the

customer just doesn’t make sense. In other words,

our customers are as much a part of the service

equation as are the men and women who provide it.

How we define our customer may be difficult

because we don’t know our immediate customer

until they dial 9-1-1 or stop by the station for a child

safety seat check or blood pressure check. We may

meet our customers at fire prevention events, public

events such as the Monument Avenue 10K, or when

they call or arrive at headquarters requesting a

report, permit or other service.

One of the best ways to prepare to meet the needs

of the

community is to have a basic understanding of the

individuals who live in Our City on a full-time basis.

Describing our customer base, or potential

customers, requires us to utilize demographic data

from agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau.

The available information ranges from the basic

categories such as age, race, and gender to more

complex categories such as income, mobility,

lifestyle, and health, types of dwellings, education,

and employment. Combining these factors provides

more detailed information about our potential

customers and helps RFES prepare for their needs.

Thanks to the US Census Bureau, we know that the

City’s estimated population is 204,451 - a 3.3%

increase in the City’s residents since 2000. We also

are able to identify the “at risk” populations based on

data obtained from the US Fire Administration the

Virginia Department of Health. Knowing this

information helps us prepare to meet the needs of

the individuals who are at greatest risk of injury and/

or death from fire or other medical ailments, as well

as to develop education and prevention programs

that can be focused to any specific demographic

based on the identified risk based on nationwide

data. (Continued on page 12)

E M P L O Y E E S P O T L I G H T : K I M B E R L Y R O B E R T S


Full Name: Kimberly Michelle Roberts

Hometown: Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Current City: Richmond, VA

Education: Bachelor of Science, Communications, James Madison University

Marital Status: not married, but attached.

Pet (s): 2 cats; Nike and Dakota; 3 dogs; Lab-Abby; Beagle-Joey; Siberian Husky-Denali

Do you have any children? Just the furry kind.

Position at the Fire Department: Level IV Fire-fighter, assigned to Rescue 1. Movies: The Blind Side, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Fight Club, Shrek, and most Disney Pixar films to name a few... Music: Anything these days, but mostly country, rock and hip hop/dance Favorite Color: Blue/Green

Favorite Quote: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learn-ing from failure.” - Colin Powell

Jobs before the Fire Department: Bank Teller and Loan Officer for Wachovia.

How long have you worked for the city and briefly describe what you do in your position with the department: I have been with the fire de-partment for 8.5 years. I currently am assigned to the Swift Water Rescue and Dive Team. While per-forming firefighter and rescue company operations, my company also responds to incidences that oc-cur on the river.

What do you enjoy doing with your family? We love to travel and spend time outdoors.

On a scale of 1-10, how messy is your desk? I don’t have a desk, but if I did have one it would

probably be a 2.

Do you cry at movies? If so, which movies make you cry? I can only think of 2 movies that made me “tear-up”: Marley & Me and Charlie St. Cloud. What would you do if you had a million dollars? Travel the world! Are you a good dancer? No comment! What is your favorite part about working at The Richmond Fire Dept? I love the spontaneity of the job. Every day and every call offers a different challenge and/or reward.

Where is your favorite place to go out to lunch? Olive Garden.

How would your co-workers describe you? I’m pretty sure they would say I’m quiet!

What is your proudest accomplishment while working at The Fire Department? I feel proud every time I get to help someone that needs our assistance.

What is your favorite snack at the office? Chocolate chip cookies


W H A T ’ S N E W I N T H E P R O J E C T R E S O U R C E T E A M ( P R T ) ?


So, what’s going on with the PRT these days? Before I answer that question I would like to briefly revisit just what the PRT is, for those of us that may have forgotten or have never known what it is.

Back in the summer of 2008 our department con-tracted with a consulting firm that specialized in public safety organizations, in an effort to ad-dress a number of issues that existed in our or-ganization. This firm, Tridata, conducted a broad analysis of our organization through a variety of methods including an online survey and what was probably best remembered by most of us the “Building Bridges Orientation Sessions” which became also known as the “Gripe Sessions”. The assessment and action plan that Tridata eventu-ally developed addresses the issues and prob-lems as identified by all of us through these ses-sions and surveys.

Tridata also used various focus groups, inter-views, and a “Project Resource Team” to help clarify the issues that had been identified and to help identify possible solutions. It was during this phase of the “Building Bridges Process” that the PRT was formed. It is important to note that, by design, the PRT is a diverse group comprised of personnel from all subgroups of the department i.e.; rank, age, sex, race, job function, etc. in an effort to be truly representative of everyone in our department. The PRT’s first assignment was the development of our “Mission, Vision and Values” statements which can be seen hanging in all of our Fire Stations today. During those first days the PRT also assisted Tridata in prioritization of issues and coming up with goals and objectives to address them.

Today, the PRT still exists as an advisory com-mittee to the Fire Chief and Fire Administration; it is still made up of personnel from all areas of the department. Everyone on the PRT has volun-

teered to be there and is tasked with represent-ing all of the various subgroups in our depart-ment in its recommendations to the Fire Chief.

Recently, the PRT was instrumental in the devel-opment and roll out of our new mentorship pro-gram. We are also working on a number of other initiatives that address problems as identified by you; these include, but are not limited to:

Recommendations for a new disciplinary process.

Recommendations for new qualifications and standards for the positions of Acting Lieutenants and the new proposed posi-tions of Field Training Instructor/Officer and Master Firefighter.

Recommendations for an updated promo-tional process.

Recommendations for new training re-quirements for Firefighters and Officers.

Recommendations to the Firefighter re-cruitment process.

Soon, the PRT will be seeking new volunteers with fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm who would like to work towards making our depart-ment a better place to work. If you care about your department and would like to see it reach its full potential, please give becoming part of the PRT some serious thought.

-Bill Vytlacil

N E W R E C R U I T C L A S S B E G I N S


Some of you may not be aware that we have started another Fire Training Academy on Jan 31st 2011. There are 24 students in the Academy with Capt. Aycock, Lt. Travis Preau and Lt. Douglas Clevert leading the Academy. This Academy brings our staffing to capacity and was only able to come to-

gether thanks to great grant writing by Theresa Hunter. Seventeen of the positions are being funded through a SAFER grant from the federal government. There has been some confusion as what that means as far as requirements for the grant- the fire department agrees to maintain sworn staffing

at 413. We can not drop below that number or we lose one position’s worth of funding. The staffing on a day to day basis does not affect the SAFER grant; it is only if our overall staffing level lowers.

This Academy is also different than previous acad-emies due to the length of the class. Due to an addi-tional 40 hours of EMS requirements and 40 hours of FF1 and FF2 requirements, this Academy will be our longest at 22 weeks. The Academy is slated to graduate June 30th, 2011. More details will be sent out about the ceremony as we get closer to the graduation date.

- Hallie Neville

M D A ’ S M O S T W A N T E D C I T I Z E N S

MDA’s most wanted jailbirds were unfortunately released after being held for an hour. Because of your support, MDA is able to continually provide help & hope to hundreds of thousands of children and adults living with neuromuscular disease. Donations from the Lock-Up will support local families and guarantee that MDA can continue its mission to find treatments and cures, as well as provide vital services. I wanted to thank everyone that donated money to assist with our bail. The donation website will remain open until the end of April for anyone who still wishes to donate. https://secure.mdausa.org/donate/ - Shawn Jones

Battalion Chief David Creasy and Lieutenant Shawn Jones

To see more about the City Demographics, go to: https://quickfacts.census.gov or http://www.city-data.com

Identifying the basic data is just a start to being able to

provide quality customer service. Using the data to

develop education and prevention plans for the com-

munity is also helpful. Getting to know the community

by making face to face contact builds trust through the

development of relationships and gains support for the

department. Getting to know the community means

being able to provide the quality customer service

based not only on meeting their needs but also ex-

ceeding their expectations.

W H O A R E O U R C U S T O M E R S ? ( C O N T ’ D )

- Christina Smith

Full Name: Kevin Gibson

Hometown: Richmond, VA

Current City: Richmond, VA

Education: Bachelor's of Science - Business Ad-ministration

Marital Status: Married for Twenty-one years.

Pet (s): 1 Dog

Do you have any children? One Son age 14.

Position at the Fire Department: Captain Favorite Color: Blue

Jobs before the Fire Department: Fence Con-tractor for Fourteen years.

How long have you worked for the city and

briefly describe what you do in your position

with the department: I have worked for the de-

partment for 20 years. Currently, as a Fire Cap-

tain I am responsible for administrative oversight

of my station, equipment, apparatus and all activi-

ties pertaining to such within my station.

What do you enjoy doing with your family? I enjoy skiing and vacationing at the beach.

On a scale of 1-10 (extremely messy), how messy is your desk? Seven

What would you do if you had a million dol-

lars? Buy a house at the beach.

Are you a good

dancer? No

What is your favor-

ite part about

working at The

Richmond Fire

Dept? I enjoy work-

ing with the public.

However, I really

admire the Depart-

ments’ camaraderie.

Where is your favorite place to go out to lunch? Applebee’s

How would your co-workers describe you?

Hardworking, dedicated and likes to have fun.

What is your proudest accomplishment while

working at The Fire Department? My proudest

accomplishment was saving the life of a citizen.

What is your favorite snack at the office? Pea

-nut Butter and Jelly .

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S E M P L O Y E E S P O T L I G H T : K E V I N G I B S O N



The City of Richmond Fire and

Emergency Service has steadily

increased the number of women

in our department since the first

woman, Barbara Hicks-Spring,

was hired on November 3, 1979.

Our department now stands

above the national average in

metro fire departments with fe-

male employees.

A survey of U.S. Metro Fire De-

partments reported that in 2009

the average metro fire depart-

ment employed 4.5 % women in

the position of firefighter. In the

City of Richmond, 7.32% of our

current sworn firefighters are

women.

Our department has a total of

411 sworn firefighters. Currently

27 of the 411 firefighters are

women. The number will in-

crease to 30 in July after the re-

cruits of 2011-1 graduates.

Our department has one female

Staff Battalion Chief, Tracy Tho-

mas, and recently promoted two

female Fire Battalion Chiefs,

Christine Richardson and Tina

Watkins.

On January 27th, the department

promoted three women; Robin

McCarter, Melissa Russ and

Melody Spivey to the rank of

Captain. In the position of Lieu-

tenant, our department has two

women; Hallie Neville in the po-

sition of the Organizational De-

velopment and Equal Opportu-

nity Officer and Jamie Potter

who was also promoted. The re-

maining nineteen women hold

the title of firefighter, one in fire

prevention, two in Rescue Com-

panies, and sixteen in Quint com-

panies across the city.

H I S T O R Y O F W O M E N I N T H E R I C H M O N D F I R E D E P A R T M E N T


The Station 17 Project committee is aggres-sively working to remain on schedule. Please review our progress this period:

Finalizing the Station sign “RICHMOND DEPARTMENT OF FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES.”

Preparing our Station 17 ribbon cutting ceremony

Preparing responses to all design ques-tions

Security System Meeting - 3/21/11

Public Arts Commission Meeting

The Station 17 project committee would like to thank the department and the community members for all the support that has been given.

- Laura Neville


F I R E S T A T I O N 1 7 P R O J E C T

FF. Melissa Noblin


Congratulations to the Newly Promoted!

P R O M O T I O N S

2 0 1 1 A N N U A L D E P A R T M E N T A L A W A R D S

-Christina Smith

- Kimberly Wilson-Cho

Captain

Lieutenant Christopher Aycock

Lieutenant Rodney Berbert

Lieutenant Kevin Gibson

Lieutenant Bailey Martin, Jr

Lieutenant Robin McCarter

Lieutenant Mark Rada

Lieutenant Harold Ring

Lieutenant Melissa Russ

Lieutenant Melody Spivey

Lieutenants

Firefighter George Bridgers, Jr

Firefighter William Bullock

Firefighter Douglas Clevert, Jr

Firefighter Christopher Cozzie

Firefighter Dariel Green

Firefighter James Herbin, Jr

Firefighter Robert Maass

Firefighter Shawn McGovern

Firefighter Jody Moore

Firefighter Lawrence Plaskett, Jr

Firefighter Jamie Potter

Firefighter Mark Ryals

Firefighter Anthony Smith

A reminder notice!!

I am pleased once again to request nominations for the 2011 Annual Awards. I

hope that you will take the time to reflect on previous activities and sort out in-

cidents that are worthy of recognition. Please participate and select candidates who have

gone beyond the call of duty to serve their City.


T H E M E N T O R S H I P P R O G R A M E X P L A I N E D

Mentoring has always been a tradition of the Fire Service. So, it was no surprise when the Tri-Data group came in to review our department, they found an informal mentoring process. They also found that it was really only being seen in certain areas of the department. The PRT re-solved to take on the challenge of recommendation 16 – a department wide formal mentoring process- and start with the Probationary Firefighter. The Mentorship Com-mittee felt that was the best place to start. In the fall of last year, the department was asked to respond to a sur-vey asking everyone to list the informal mentors in the department. The response was great and we started contacting potential mentors.

The Mentors received training from the Va. Mentorship Partnership, as well as the City of Richmond’s Central HR Training Division. Seven months after the survey, we are now in our third cycle meetings of the Probationary Fire-fighter Mentorship program (PFMP) with mentors hand picked by the department. We are experiencing ups and downs like any new program, but so far have been well received by the mentees, firefighters and officers in the stations.

While designing the PMFP, the mentorship committee had many long discussions about key points of the pro-gram, including overtime payment, mandatory vs. volun-tary and officers or no officers just to name a few of the debates. We are sure if we were having these debates, then they are going on around coffee tables all over the department as well.

Below, we will try to answer several questions we have received along the way:

Why, if I volunteered, did I not get selected to be a Mentor?

The mentors were selected based on scores returned on an anonymous survey done department wide where we asked “Who mentored you?” The top scoring names were then solicited for their interest in the program. Someone may have volunteered, but he or she may not have fallen into the top numbers and have received an invitation to apply.

Why do we need a mentor program?

The Mentor program is design to help new recruits better adapt to the life style changes that come with being a Fire-fighter. For a person who has never worked in the fire service, paid or volunteer, the culture and traditions within the fire service can often leave you feeling like you have moved to a new planet. For the seasoned recruit with prior experience, the Mentor can be very helpful with explaining

and adapting to “The Richmond Way”. It also provides a great way for our department to create a better social net-work as we have hired and retired so many in our depart-ment in the last 5 years.

Twenty four hour shift work also poses a challenge for not only the Recruit, but for the family members who must learn to adapt to their loved ones being gone for an entire day and night. On top of that adjustment, we often return home exhausted from our shift and will need to sleep or defuse which can cause resentment within the family. The Mentor is in place to be a sounding board for all of these issues. In one form or another, the Mentor can bring advice and personal experience to the Recruit to help make these transitions a little easier.

Why is the program mandatory?

Whenever one is designing a program it is always best to look at other departments to see what information or ideas you can glean from programs that are already in existence. One of the departments we spoke with was Chicago Fire Department. The director of the HR for the CFD gave us an analysis of programs they were using. One of the big-gest pieces of advice was to make any programs for Proba-tionary members mandatory as they had a very low suc-cess rate with the initial program they had implemented. The reason were many; the members either did not recog-nize there was a problem or felt too inundated with informa-tion until it was too late for mentorship intervention or rec-ognized a problem but did not want to act on it. This is one example of reasons why the Mentorship Committee felt that for this program it should be mandatory participation.

How do we assign a Mentor to a Recruit?

The Fire Training Academy and the Mentor Committee work closely together to match each recruit with a Mentor.

- Laura Neville

R A P I D S


FIREMAN SALSA Prep Time: 15 min Level: Easy Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 small red onion, finely diced

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large avocado, peeled, seeded and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 mango, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/2 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, if canned, drained

2 limes, juiced

Directions

In a large glass bowl, combine all ingredients.

Stir well with a spoon.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Tips

Add cilantro!

N E W S L E T T E R R E C I P E S

- Lauren Bonneville

It is my pleasure to introduce you to RAPIDS

which is the City’s enterprise resource planning

solution. RAPIDS stands for RVA: Advancing

Proven Innovation Direction. This initiative will

modernize the City’s full range of administrative,

financial and human resources systems which will

serve to help move Richmond in the direction of

becoming a Tier One City. RAPIDS will stream-

line and improve many of our financial and busi-

ness operations which will enhance the City’s

strong fiscal foundation.

In the months to come you will be seeing more

information about RAPIDS. Much of the function-

ality of RAPIDS will be on the administrative and

support ser-

v ices s ide.

However, RAP-

IDS will likely

modify how we do time and attendance record

keeping as well as employee status maintenance.

Several members of the Richmond Fire Depart-ment serve on one of the RAPIDS implementation teams. These members include: Robert Creecy, Melvin Carter, Elmond Taylor, Carl Jackson, Chris-topher Morris, and Nancy Hall. Others will likely be added as we move closer to implementation.

- Elmond Taylor

Anyone interested in writing articles for the

newsletter, please contact Lt. Bailey Martin.

Future Issues of this Building Bridges Newslet-

ter will include:

Safety Is Our Business

Black & Gold Spirit Day

Fire Station 17 Project - Update

Employee Spotlights

APRIL

April 2nd, 2011 – Virginia Dept. of Fire’s HazMat Train the Trainer course

April 2nd, 2011 – HazMat Aware-ness & Operations (for existing HMAO only)

April 2nd & 3rd, 2011 – Virginia State Fire Instructor Sympo-sium

April 9 & 10th, 2011 – Galax Re-gional Fire School

April 9 & 10th, 2011 – Southamp-ton County Regional Fire School*

April 16 & 17th, 2011 – Caroline County Regional Fire School

April 16 & 17th, 2011 – Rocking-ham Regional Fire School

April 16 & 17th, 2011 – Hanover Fire ACLS Instructor Class

April 18th, 2011 – Hanover Fire Basic Pump Operator Training*

MAY

May 7th, 2011 – Hanover Fire Officer II Training*

May 14th, 2011 – City of Rich-mond’s Driver/Operator Aerial course*

May 17th, 2011 – Hanover Fire Rural Water Supply Training*

May 21st & 22nd, 2011 – Hanover Fire PHTLS Training*

JULY

July 16 & 17th, 2011 – Hanover Fire EPC Instructor Class

SEPTEMBER

September 17 &18th, 2011 – Vir-ginia State Weekend

*Please see announcement for specific class dates and times as these may vary

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

I N C L U S I O N & D I V E R S I T Y C A L E D A R

I N F O R M A T I O N B O X

January

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 17

February African-American History Month

March

Women's History Month Irish American Heritage Month

St. Patrick's Day - March 17

April Celebrate Diversity Month

May

Jewish Heritage Month Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Senior Americans Month Cinco de Mayo – May 5

June

Gay and Lesbian Pride Month

July

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act - July 26

August

Women’s Equality Day – August 26

September Hispanic Heritage Month –September 15 to October

15 German American Heritage Day – September 15 to

October 15

October Disability Employment Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Polish American Heritage Month

November

American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month Veterans Day - November 11

building bridgesbuilding bridges employee spotlight: lawrence e. plaskett jr. - kimberly wilson-cho...

Documents