After a year of Chief Leffler, MFD working out of trouble

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The overhaul of the Maricopa Fire Department is making headway.

Brady Leffler said he inherited a situation of mismanagement and lack of foresight, “and we’re still paying for it today.”

Approaching his first anniversary as chief of the department, Leffler is watching the results of his reorganization efforts in personnel, equipment and training. Now he wants the department on the road to accreditation.

“They are doing an exceptional job at this point,” said City Manager Gregory Rose, with whom the chief works out his budget priorities. City Hall is also keeping an eye on the direction of the department as things evolve.

The restructuring at MFD involved adding a full-time position and upgrading two others. “That expanded the budget a little bit,” Leffler said.

Still, the department is understaffed by his estimation. Changing that, of course, is an objective. “But I know that comes with a hefty price tag,” he said.

The reorganization has allowed the department to segregate functionality within the department. Part of that has meant playing catch-up in gaining a records management system and creating a full operations track under Assistant Chief Bobby Miller. Early on, they sat down with a multi-page checklist to hit every area of concern.

So far, Rose sees the changes at MFD as effective. The City of Maricopa is expecting expansion in all departments as the community grows along with the demand for services, he said.

MFD is in the process of developing all EMS modules of training, prevention and investigations. There were components that Leffler said were “ignored completely” in a dearth of forward thinking. That, the chief said, is something that can impact insurance ratings.

Leffler came into MFD as interim chief last year in the midst of a swamp of dissension within the department. Then-Chief Wade Brannon had received a vote of no confidence from the Professional Firefighters of Maricopa Local 4561. Brannon later resigned.

Even before officially being sworn in as chief in December, Leffler was instituting changes. Since then, he’s had staff implementing priority components he felt have long been missing.

We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it,” Leffler said.

Besides operations leadership, MFD had issues with employee morale. Things are different now, according to Local 4561 President Carlos Schulz.

“There has been a big change in how we view ourselves and how we are viewed from outside,” Schulz said. “The guys’ attitude is overwhelmingly supportive and positive.”

Crew members are much more motivated now to go back to school, get additional training and “better themselves in their current positions,” he said.

The experience (“100 years combined,” Schulz points out) brought in by four new chiefs has gained new connections and opportunities, according to Schulz. He said the employees have also been impressed with the strong relationship between management and labor as they have worked to restructure.

That has put everyone on the same page as they look at needs and expenses. Living within the MFD budget puts limits on staffing and equipment upgrades, but options are available.

“We are so aggressive. We are seeking out any and all grants,” Leffler said.

A new ladder truck is also in the Capital Improvement Projects plan.

In the future, Leffler would like to go after accreditation, something that could take two to three years of development. But the means to do it is in place with clerical help, he said.

Of great concern is the expansion of the community south of the railroad tracks, where there is currently only one station. One passing train can exacerbate an emergency situation.