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CITY OF JOHNSON CITY

Report on the Fire

Department Employee

Survey 2016

1

Report on the Johnson City Fire Department Employee Survey 2016

Introduction

Johnson City Human Resources Manager Steve Willis and City Manager Pete Peterson asked The

University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) to conduct a survey of Fire

Department employees, in order to determine their views regarding various aspects of their work. The

lead MTAS consultant assigned to the project was Pat Hardy, General Management Consultant.

Methodology

The survey instrument itself was developed by Pat Hardy in conjunction with MTAS Fire Consultant

Dennis Wolf. The Johnson City Human Resources Director also provided suggestions for survey content.

The instrument consisted of 38 questions. 8 of those were “open-ended” in nature, and another 4

provided additional opportunities for open-ended responses.

In order to administer the survey Pat Hardy met with all shifts of the Johnson City Fire Department over

the course of three days in mid-October, 2016. At that time employees were informed about the survey

and given the opportunity to complete an instrument. Doing so was voluntary and no employee was

required to participate.

86 of the 112 eligible employees completed an instrument (a 77% completion rate). Employees were

asked not to sign the survey in order that anonymity could be maintained. While administering the

survey it was brought to the attention of Pat Hardy that one question had the potential to identify the

respondent. That question has therefore been dropped from the data analysis (the question asked,

“How long have you served in your current position?”).

There were approximately 3,300 data points, which needed to be entered into the computer. In

addition, there were 67 pages of open-ended comments. In order to provide an understandable

framework for these, a “content analysis” was performed. Content analysis is performed by “clumping”

open-ended comments into common categories based on a comments “intent.” Thus categories are

developed from the comments themselves. During this analysis many comments were placed into more

than one category, if the intent were focused on more than one subject area.

MTAS employee Armintha Loveday entered all data into the computer. Statistical analysis, including all

content analysis, was then conducted by MTAS Interim Training Director (and former Benchmarking

Coordinator) Chris Shults, Ph.D. Pat Hardy then wrote this Report.

Findings

This Report is generally divided into three sections:

1. Questions about the Job Itself

2. Questions about Working Conditions

3. Questions about Management and Leadership

2

Appendix A contains a copy of the survey instrument itself. All survey responses and open-ended

comment responses are available to City leaders or others who may be interested, if so requested.

To begin, let us look at baseline characteristics of those who completed the surveys. First, respondents

were asked, “How many years have you worked in the Johnson City Fire Department?”:

There is a fairly even distribution of newer members and those who have been with the Department for

an extended period. The bulk of members have served between 6 and 15 years.

Respondents were also asked, “What is your position?”:

- 57% are non-supervisory

- 43% are either a Captain, Lieutenant, or a Sergeant/Engineer

Note that 43% of members have supervisory positions; this will lend the results a solid overview of both

supervisory and non-supervisory opinions.

[CATEGORY NAME] [VALUE]


[CATEGORY NAME] Yrs

[VALUE]


Tenure of Fire Department Employees

3

Section 1: Questions about the Job Itself

Summary of this Section

In general (and there are significant exceptions), Fire Department members enjoy the job itself and are

pleased to be members of the Fire Department. Service to the community, job functions, comradery

with other employees, and pay/benefits are key reasons for this. However, in a key tension reflected

across this Report, employees cite a lack of leadership and negative leadership-related functions as

reasons why they are unsatisfied.

In addition, while they believe the Department uses their skills, they do not believe the Department

provides the training necessary to prepare them for promotion.

Responses to Specific Questions

The first question dealing with the job itself asked, “What do you think of your job?” Here are the

responses:

I do not like it 3% I am not very well satisfied 23% I like it pretty well 43% I am very well satisfied 31%

These responses indicate fairly strong satisfaction with the job itself (74% positive), however, a significant number of employees are not supportive of the job itself. As additional comments will show, there are underlying reasons for this.

Two open-ended questions also referred to levels of job satisfaction. A content analysis has been

conducted on each of these and common categories developed based on responses. Here are the two

questions and the resulting content analysis:

What do you like best about working here?

Content Category # Responses in This Category

Serving the community/impact of providing service 48 Good pay/benefits/good schedule 29 Good work environment/comradery with other employees 28 Enjoy the job/duties/job functions 27

4

What do you like least about working here?


Leadership behavior/unfair/unethical/favoritism 47 Leadership out of touch or unqualified to lead 35 Poor work environment/negative treatment of employees 34 Poor compensation 16 No opportunity for advancement 15 No or wrong direction/direction driven by city hall or Fire Chief 15 Negative or distrustful organizational culture 10

Responses to these two questions reflect a key tension running throughout this Report. That is, most

employees enjoy the job itself, but working conditions, in particular those associated with departmental

leadership, have created a number of negative dimensions affecting nearly all aspects of work.

This tension is similarly reflected when employees were asked the extent to which they agreed with this

statement, “I recommend the Fire Department as a good place to work:” – here are their responses:

Strongly agree 5% Agree 27% Neither agree nor disagree 35% Disagree 18% Strongly disagree 15% In this case positive responses (“Strongly agree” and “Agree”) are 32% and negative responses

(“Disagree” and “Strongly disagree”) are 33%. As a follow up employees were then asked why they felt

either positive or negative in their answer. Here is the content analysis of these two questions:

If Agree or Strongly Agree Why?

Content Category # Responses in This Category Good pay/benefits/good schedule 15 Serving the community/impact of providing service 11 Enjoy the job/duties/job functions 9 Good work environment/comradery with other employees 8

If Disagree or Strongly Disagree Why?

Content Category # Responses in This Category Poor compensation 20 Lack of opportunity for advancement 20 Leadership behavior/unfair/unethical/favoritism 18 Poor work environment/negative treatment of employees 13 Leadership out of touch or unqualified to lead 9 No or wrong direction/direction driven by city hall or Fire Chief 9 Negative or distrustful organizational culture 4

5

Here again we see this tension, as there were 43 positive comments related to recommendations about

the Fire Department as a place to work and more than twice as many (93) negative comments. Of the

negative comments, 40 (“Poor compensation” and “Lack of opportunity for advancement”) are only

indirectly related to management. That is, they depend on City Commission support for resources. We

will see these same compensation and “opportunity for advancement” issues mentioned throughout

this Report.

The next question related to the job itself dealt with use of an employee’s skill set, and asked for the

extent of agreement with this statement: “My skill set is used well in the Department.” Here are

responses:

Here we see that 66% of employees refer to use of their skill set positively, while 22% refer to it

negatively.

Development of the employee skill set was referred to in the next question, asking for the extent of

agreement with this statement, “The Fire Department provides training opportunities for me to improve

my knowledge, skills and abilities to prepare me for promotions.” Somewhat in contrast to the above,

where most employees feel their skill sets are being used, most employees do not feel as though they

are receiving the training necessary to prepare them for promotions. Here are responses:

Strongly Agree 0% Agree 18% Neither Agree nor Disagree 20% Disagree 38% Strongly Disagree 24%

Strongly Agree, 16%

Agree, 50%

Neither Agree nor Disagree, 12%

Disagree, 19%

Strongly Disagree, 3%

My Skill Set is Used Well in the Department...

6

Thus 62% of employees either disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, and not a single

employee strongly agreed with the statement. This tells us the bulk of employees do not believe they

are receiving the training necessary to move into new positions.

7

Section 2: Questions about Working Conditions


With a few exceptions employees in the Department generally feel secure in their jobs and enjoy their

work enough to stay until retirement. They also feel part of a cooperative team which functions well to

accomplish the work of the Department.

On the other hand, they are split in terms of opinions about the extent to which they feel “valued” by

the Department. In addition, a significant majority do not feel as though creativity and innovation are

encouraged. It comes as no surprise then that an overwhelming number indicate morale in the

Department is in bad shape, mostly due to leadership-related factors and the presence of a negative

atmosphere.


The first question related to general conditions of employment dealt with job security. It asked, “In

working with the City, do you think your future is as secure as it would be if you worked for another

company in the community?” Here are the responses:

A similar question asked, “Do you like the Fire Department enough to consider working long enough for

retirement?” Here are the responses:

Yes 86%

No 14%

Not Secure 13%

Secure 73%

Very Secure 14%

0%

FUTURE IN THE DEPARTMENT SECURE COMPARED TO WORKING ELSEWHERE?

8

Responses to these two questions demonstrate that a significant majority of employees see their future

with the Department as secure (87%) and want to continue working in the Department until retirement

(86%). This also indicates that although there is extensive dysfunction in the Department, as we shall

see, at this point it is not enough to drive people from the Department or to make them abandon their

profession.

We saw earlier that “comradery” with other members of the Department is a key reason employees

enjoy their work. The “team” nature of this indication was reinforced when employees were asked

about the extent of agreement with this statement: “The people I work with cooperate to get the job

done.” Here is how they answered this question:

Strongly Agree 53% Agree 40% Neither Agree nor Disagree 2% Disagree 5% Strongly Disagree 0%

93% either agree or strongly agree that employees cooperate to get the job done. Not a single

respondent strongly disagreed and only 5% disagreed with the statement. Together with previous

questions this is a strong indication of the team spirit which exists among employees.

The next few questions help transition to Section 3: Questions about Management and Leadership.

These questions are somewhat related to “management and leadership” but are more associated with

“working conditions”, and thus will close out this section.

The first question in this group measured the extent to which the employee feels valued. It asked for

the extent of agreement with this statement: “I feel I am a valued member of the Fire Department.”

Strongly Disagree,

11%

Disagree, 22%


Agree, 29%

Strongly Agree, 7%

I feel I am a valued member of the Fire Department...

9

Here are the responses:

As the chart demonstrates, employees are almost equally divided on this question. Approximately 1/3

are neutral (“Neither agree nor disagree”), 1/3 are positive (either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”) and 1/3

are negative (either “Disagree” or “Strongly Disagree”).

A related question then asked about the extent of agreement with this statement, “Creativity and

innovation are encouraged in the Department.” In this case employees are not nearly as divided as they

were above. Now, although 26% are neutral (“Neither agree nor disagree”), a significant majority (63%)

eith

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disa

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stro

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disa

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Onl

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stro

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agree and only 10% agree.


Disagree, 44%


Agree, 10%

Strongly Agree, 1%

Creativity and innovation are encouraged...

10

Another question asked if “Department managers (Chief, Assistant Chiefs, and Captains) are open to

new ideas and suggestions.” This question was not properly worded because one of the managers may

be open to new ideas or suggestions and yet another (or others) may not. Because the question did not

make this distinction it can only be viewed from a general perspective. But none the less it should be

noted that 45% of respondents either “Disagreed” or “Strongly disagreed” with this statement while

only 1% “Strongly agreed” and 28% “Agreed.”

Coupled with the question about feeling “valued”, these questions further indicate a sense that many

employees do not (or cannot) utilize key abilities (in this case “creativity” and “innovation”). Recall that

22% of employees do not feel as though their skill set is being used. Together with these questions we

sense a partial stifling of ideas, new approaches, or innovative interactions among employees and those

in key leadership positions.

A final question in this section referred to Department morale. It asked, “How would you rate the morale

of Fire Department employees?” A follow-up open-ended question asked why they felt the way they

did. As before, a content analysis was performed on the open-ended follow up questions. As the

responses below show, employees are not at all divided on their views:

How would you rate the morale of Fire Department Employees?

Excellent 0% Good 0% Fair 17% Poor 83%

Content analysis from the open-ended questions probe these responses further. Here are the number of

responses in each of the content categories:

If Fair or Poor Why?


Leadership behavior/unfair/unethical/favoritism 31

Poor work environment/negative treatment of employees 28

Leadership out of touch or unqualified to lead 22

Negative or distrustful organizational culture 21

No or wrong direction/direction driven by city hall or Fire Chief 20

Lack of opportunity for advancement 11

Poor compensation 7

Of the 140 responses to the open-ended portion of this question, clearly 122 of these deal with the

overall work environment and/or the Department’s leadership. And all of these responses were

negative in nature; that is, they were an attempt to explain why an employee felt as though morale in

11

the Department was either only “fair” or “poor.” Only 18 of the 140 comments addressed something

different (in this case “opportunity for advancement” or “poor compensation”).

These responses transition us to the final analytical section of this Report, which addresses

departmental management and leadership.

12

Section 3: Questions about Management and Leadership


In general this section is largely negative. That is, there is little support for most management-related

functions; there is poor communication at the top of the organization (but good communication at the

Captains/Firefighter level), and strong indications that rewards for performance and discipline (when

necessary) are unfair. There are also indications that extensive favoritism exists. Finally, there are signs

that workplace harassment is extensive, and that grievances are not fairly resolved.

There is very little support for the Fire Chief, very little confidence in his ability to lead, and strong

indications the Department is not well managed. This holds true in a variety of ways, from

communications to operations to personal interactions with the Chief. His visibility in the Department

and interactions with most employees are minimal, and mostly negative when they occur.

Many open-ended comments convey a passion for the job. However, this passion is offset by indications

of morale problems and deep distrust of both departmental management and support from city

management as well.


We will first look at a number of questions related to “organizational culture.” The first two deal with

policies and guidelines. One asked for the extent of agreement with the statement, “Fire Department

standard operating guidelines are adequate and followed consistently.” More than ½ of employees

either “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with the statement. It should be noted, responses could

indicate either the inadequacy of policies or their inconsistency – the question did not ask for a


Disagree, 41% Neither Agree nor

Disagree, 19%

Agree, 24%

Strongly Agree, 1%

SOPs are adequate and followed consistently...

13

distinction. Here are the responses:

A somewhat related question asked for agreement with the following statement, “Fire Department

operating policies and procedures affecting my work are communicated clearly.” The distribution of

responses is remarkably close to the distribution on the previous question. For this question 51% (as

opposed to 56% on the previous question) either “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with the statement.

As on the earlier question, where 24% of employees “Agree” with the statement, in this case 26% do so.

Here are the responses:

These two questions, both addressing issues related to policies and procedures, give a picture of

problems related to consistency and communication. Although about ½ of employees feel satisfied or

neutral in this regard, the other ½ do not – they are clearly dissatisfied.

Another set of questions looked more closely at the communication dynamic itself. The first of these

asked, “Do you feel well informed about happenings in the Fire Department?” As the data shows, a

significant majority do not:

Yes 15%


Disagree, 39%


Agree, 26%

Strongly Agree, 2%

Policies and Procedures are Communicated Clearly...

14

No 85%

Additional questions probed communication from two “directions.” The first asked, “How would you

rate communication from the Shift Captains to the Firefighters?” and the second asked, “How would you

rate communication up the chain of command, from the Firefighters to the Shift Captains?” Here are

responses to these two questions:

Down the Chain from the Captains to Firefighters Up the Chain From the Firefighters to Captains

Excellent 30% Excellent 20%

Good 37% Good 50%

Fair 28% Fair 27%

Poor 5% Poor 3%

These responses are nearly identical. 67% rated communication “down” the chain as either “excellent”

or “good”, while 70% rated the same for communication “up” the chain. In both cases these

communications were rated “Fair” by 27% and 28% respectively, and only 5% and 3% rated it as

“Poor.”

Because these questions focused on the Firefighter/Captain communication exchange, and the ratings

were very positive, we should point out the discrepancy between this question and the earlier

communication question (with an 85% negative response). The difference in the positives at the

Captain/Firefighter level and the overall assessment of communications is significant. Additional

research should be done in order to detect specific points of poor communication – i.e. exactly where in

the communication chain these occur.

A number of questions addressed personnel functions such as employee performance and assessment,

grievances, and favoritism. We will begin by looking at performance-related issues.

In this regard, employees were asked two questions, one about positive performance and the other

about negative performance, and how the organization addresses each. On the next page are the

responses.

15


Disagree, 43%


Agree, 10%

Strongly Agree, 0%

The Department recognizes, appreciates, and rewards good performance...


Disagree, 41%


Agree, 16%

Strongly Agree, 0%

Steps are taken to deal with a poor performer...

16

Responses to both of the above questions are generally the same. Not a single employee strongly

disagreed with either statement. When asked if the Department recognizes positive performance, more

than 75% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. Similarly, when asked if steps are taken to

deal with poor performance 65% disagreed or strongly disagreed. This indicates that neither the

performance reward nor disciplinary systems have the confidence of most employees.

Additional questions probed these dynamics further:


Disagree, 44%


Agree, 2% Strongly Agree, 0%

The disciplinary process is fair and timely...


Disagree, 40%



Disciplinary action is applied uniformly and consistently...

17

Again, the responses are consistent. Strong majorities either disagree or strongly disagree with both

statements. This shows a deep distrust of the disciplinary process, including fairness, consistency, and

uniformity of application. When coupled with other questions addressing application of the reward and

disciplinary functions, it becomes apparent that these two basic, fundamental tenants of quality

management are either not in place or they are deeply distrusted.

A somewhat related question asked if complaints and grievances are resolved fairly. Again, no one

“strongly agreed” with this statement, and 73% either “disagree” or “strongly disagree.”

When extensive distrust and lack of confidence in basic structures such as reward, performance, and

complaint/grievance systems is as significant as it is here, it is likely these systems are perceived by

employees as being “politicized.” That is, they are dependent on relationships (e.g. “who knows who” or

“who likes who”) rather than on functional and objective processes. An additional question probed this

likelihood. It asked, “Is favoritism practiced in the Fire Department?”:

Is favoritism practiced in the Department?

There is too much favoritism 69% There is very little favoritism 31% There is no favoritism 0%

As the above data shows, employees are somewhat split on this issue. However, a significant majority

believe there is too much favoritism.

[CATEGORY NAME], [VALUE]

Disagree, 35%


Agree, 1%

Strongly Agree, 0%

Complaints and grievances are resolved fairly...

18

This was followed by an open-ended question, in an attempt to more specifically identify the source of

such favoritism. It asked, “If so, by whom?” Here are responses:

If so, by whom? (these are numbers of responses, not percentages)

Chief 38 Management in General 17 City Manager 6 Assistant Chiefs 6 Other 6 Officers 4 Everyone 3 Total number of responses 80

An additional question asked about personnel and relationships. Specifically, it probed agreement with

the following: “Workplace harassment is a problem in the Fire Department.” Here are responses:

Here, 62% either agree or strongly agree with the statement. This is an extraordinary number,

considering that harassment is a significant issue in today’s workplace. Many organizations have taken

extensive steps to minimize harassment-related problems and to provide employees with avenues to

address harassment when it affects them directly. However, additional research should be undertaken

to determine exactly where harassment is occurring. As shown by a question on page 19, frequency of

direct interaction with the Chief is quite low, which would imply that opportunities for harassment by

the Chief would be minimal, and thus harassment must be occurring elsewhere in the organization.


Disagree, 15%


Agree, 29%

Strongly Agree, 33%

Workplace harassment is a problem...

19

A word of caution is here noted. Many of the questions in this section should have been be focused at

the Captain level, because the Captain level is where discipline is applied, policies and procedures are

implemented, and where many complaints and grievances are (or should be) resolved. Although the

survey did not specify the exact point in the Department’s chain of command where many of these

questions were focused, it can be assumed that those directly responsible for grievances, discipline, and

policy application are those being rated. Additional research may be needed to determine this.

Another question begins a series focused on the Chief himself. It asked a generalized question about

respect for each of three management-related positions. It should here be noted - a distinction was not

made in the question about which Assistant Chiefs, or which Captains were being rated, only about the

positions in general. Therefore, no inference can be made about any specific Assistant or any specific

Captain, only about the positions collectively.

I have a high level of respect for (check all that apply):

note: these are numbers of responses, not percentages

The Fire Chief 2 The Assistant Chiefs 42 The Captains 92

These responses indicate few employees have a high level of respect for the Chief, and less than ½ of

those responding have a high level of respect for the Assistant Chiefs.

The next set of questions relate to the Chief himself. The first asked for agreement with this statement,

“I have confidence in the Chief’s ability to effectively lead the department.” As responses show there is


Disagree, 24%


Agree, 2%

Strongly Agree, 0%

Confidence in the Chief to effectively lead the department...

20

little confidence in the Chief’s ability to lead the Department. In fact, 91% of respondents either

disagreed or strongly disagreed the statement.

As a follow-up, employees were asked an open-ended question. The question was meant to examine

“why” they felt the way they did. A few responses were positive - four indicated the Chief was

“qualified” and one said he “treated employees positively.” However, the remaining 111 responses were

negative and fell into the following categories:

Category Number of Responses

General lack of ability to lead 36

His leadership is unethical, unfair, etc. 31

Negative treatment of employees 25

Chief is not qualified 19

Another question demonstrates how little most employees interact with the Chief. It was open-ended

and asked, “When was the last time you had direct interaction with the Fire Chief? Here are the

responses:

Time Frame Number of Responses

1 week ago 15

1 month ago 13

3 months ago 9

6 months ago 10

1 year ago 13

More than 1 year ago 11

Too far to remember or don’t know 8

Of the 79 responses, only 15 have had direct interaction with the Fire Chief in the past week. At least ½

have not interacted with the Chief in 6 months or more. This being the case, it is not hard to understand

why such little confidence and respect are garnered. Although there are significant reasons for the lack

of support, frequent interaction could improve lines of communication and understanding – but such

interactions are not there, and thus these opportunities are missed.

The question asked about content of interactions, and probed agreement with the statement, “The

Chief conducts interactions with employees in a professional manner.” Here is how employees

answered:


Disagree, 24%


Agree, 2%

Strongly Agree, 0%

Confidence in the Chief to effectively lead the department...

21

Fully 75% of employees disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. Not a single employee

strongly agreed and only 6% agreed. This indicates the unprofessional nature of employee interactions

with the Chief, and further hints at reasons related to the lack of support and confidence in the Chief.

The last question related to the Chief himself pertains to his presence in the Department and his

accessibility to employees. It asked for agreement with the statement, “The Chief is accessible and

maintains a visible presence throughout the Department.” Here is how employees responded:


Disagree, 43%


Agree, 10%

Strongly Agree, 0%

Recognize, appreciate, reward good performance...


Disagree, 33%


Agree, 1%

Strongly Agree, 0%

The Chief is accessible and has a visible presence...


Disagree, 31%



The Chief conducts interactions with employees in a professional manner...

22

A final question is more generalized and points to the overall management of the Department. Results

demonstrate a vast majority believe the Department is not well managed:

A full 81% of employees either disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, “Overall the Fire

Department is well managed.” This is an extraordinary lack of support for current management,

especially given that large numbers of survey respondents are from both the supervisory and non-

supervisory ranks.

As a conclusion to the survey four open-ended questions were asked, and they provide a good,

generalized insight to summarize the findings.

The first two asked about the main strengths and the main weaknesses of the Department. A content

analysis was conducted on these questions and resulted in the following:

The main strengths of the Department:

Content Category Number of responses

The work environment and comradery 78 Serving the community 6 The job itself 3 Compensation 1


Disagree, 38%



Overall the Fire Department is well managed...

23

The main weaknesses of the Department:


Lack of qualified leadership 66 Negative direction of the Department 19 Lack of opportunity for advancement 19 Unethical leadership behavior 12 Negative treatment of employees 10 Negative organizational culture 7 Employee compensation 4

Another generalized open-ended question asked, “If you could change any single thing about the

Department, what would it be?” Again, a content analysis yielded the following:


The Chief 53 Organizational structure 14 The City Manager 9 Organizational culture 8 Employee compensation 6 Other changes 6 Lack of promotional opportunities 5

A final question was both open-ended and very generalized. It asked, “Please provide any additional

comments which may help as we look at the employment practices of the Fire Department.” Again, a

content analysis yielded the following:


Negative comments regarding the Chief 35 Negative comments regarding the City Manager 16 Compensation or promotion issues 10 Other HR issues 9 Operational issues 9 Poor morale or negative culture 7 Poor training or training needs 7 Other management issues 4 Positive comments 3

This last question provides insight that generally, and in a more descriptive way, confirms what the data

in this Report shows. These comments also help convey the passion and intensity of opinions. Thus each

comment should be individually read.

24

Conclusion

This Report reflects the varied and sometimes complex views of a significant majority of the members of

the Johnson City Fire Department. Employees from both supervisory and non-supervisory ranks took the

time to express their opinions, including their concerns and hopes. Both dimensions exist in the

Department, and it is our desire that this data assist as city leaders work to address the concerns and to

act on the hopes expressed herein.

An important tension currently exists in the Department. There is a continued love for the fire service

and for what members do on a daily basis. However, a number of destructive dimensions, related

mostly to the Department’s leadership, have had a negative impact on the Department’s culture,

morale, and vision for the future.

The authors of this Report appreciate the commitment of those completing a survey. Their honesty and

willingness to express sometimes-difficult views has made this information profound. But it is also

important to recognize the commitment of city management and city leaders to better understand the

views of the Fire Department, and to do so in a systematic way. They too are appreciated for their

interest in uncovering both the challenges and opportunities that exist in the Department.

This Report should only be considered as an initial approach to finding and addressing issues in the

Department. As mentioned throughout the Report, additional research is needed to more closely

pinpoint areas where specific issues occur. Along with this research, strategies can then be developed to

move forward.

25

Appendix A

Survey Instrument

26

CITY OF JOHNSON CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

EMPLOYEE SURVEY

This survey has been prepared by the Municipal Technical Advisory

Service (MTAS) of The University of Tennessee to find out how you feel about

your employment with the City of Johnson City’s Fire Department. There are

two things you need to do to make this project successful.

First, do not sign this survey. It is not necessary for MTAS to know

who you are, and there will be no effort to identify you as an individual.

The individual opinions you express are absolutely confidential.

Second, try to answer all the questions carefully and honestly. This is

your chance to tell us how you feel about your job and working conditions.

After completion please place your survey in the brown envelope and give

to the facilitator as you leave the room.

1. How many years have you worked in the Johnson City Fire Department?

_____ Less than 6

_____ 6 - 15

_____ 16 – 25

_____ More than 25

2. Your position: (Please Check One)

_____ Non-supervisory

_____ Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant/Engineer

3. How long have you served in your current position? _______

4. What do you think of your job?

____ I do not like it

____ I am not very well satisfied

____ I like it pretty well

27

____ I am very well satisfied

5. In working with the City, do you think your future is as secure as

it would be if you worked for another company in the community?

____ Not secure ____ Secure ____ Very secure

6. Is favoritism practiced in the Fire Department?

____ There is too much favoritism

____ There is very little favoritism

____ There is no favoritism

If so, by whom: __________________________________________________

7. Do you feel well informed about happenings in the Fire Department?

____ Yes ____ No

8. How would you rate communication from the Shift Captains to the

Firefighters?

____ Excellent ____ Good ____ Fair ____ Poor

9. How would you rate communication up the chain of command, from the

Firefighters to the Shift Captains?


10. Do you like the Fire Department well enough to consider working

long enough for retirement?

____ Yes ____ No

11. What do you like best about working here?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

28

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

12. What do you like least about working here?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

13. How would you rate the morale of Fire Department employees?


If Good or Excellent why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

If Fair or Poor why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

14. The people I work with cooperate to get the job done:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree

____ Neither agree nor disagree

____ Disagree

____ Strongly disagree

29

15. I recommend the Fire Department as a good place to work:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


If Agree or Strongly Agree why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

If Disagree or Strongly Disagree why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

16. My skill set is used well in the Department:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


17. The Fire Department provides training opportunities for me to

improve my knowledge, skills, and abilities to prepare me for

promotions:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree

30


____ Disagree


18. In the Department steps are taken to deal with a poor performer:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


19. Creativity and innovation are encouraged in the Department:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


20. I have a high level of respect for (check all that apply):

____ The Fire Chief

____ The Assistant Chiefs

____ The Captains

21. I have confidence in the Chief’s ability to effective lead the

department:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


31

____ Disagree


If Agree or Strongly Agree why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

If Disagree or Strongly Disagree why?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

22. The Chief conducts interactions with employees in a professional

manner:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


When was the last time you had direct interaction with the Fire Chief?

_____________________________________________________________________

23. The Chief is accessible and maintains a visible presence

throughout the Department:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


32

24. Overall the Fire Department is well-managed:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


25. Department managers (Chief, Assistant Chiefs, and Captains) are

open to new ideas and suggestions:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


26. I feel I am a valued member of the Fire Department:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


27. The Fire Department recognizes, appreciates, and rewards good

performance:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree

33


____ Disagree


28. Complaints and grievances are resolved fairly:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


29. The disciplinary process in the Department is fair and timely:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


30. Disciplinary action is applied uniformly and consistently:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


31. Workplace harassment is a problem in the Fire Department:

____ Strongly agree

34

____ Agree


____ Disagree


32. Fire Department operating policies and procedures affecting my

work are communicated clearly:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


33. Fire Department standard operating guidelines are adequate and

followed consistently:

____ Strongly agree

____ Agree


____ Disagree


34. In your opinion what are the main strengths of the Department?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

35

35. In your opinion what are the main weaknesses of the Department?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

36. If you could change any single thing about the Department, what

would it be?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Please provide any additional comments which may help as we look at the

employment practices of the Fire Department.

36

Thank you for your participation and insight!

city of johnson city - wjhl · pdf filecity of johnson city report on the fire department...

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