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Fire Chief takes job as an Assistant

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John Beagle View Drop Down
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    Posted: Sep 17 2014 at 10:50am
After working his way through the ranks to become Middletown FIRE CHIEF, Steve Botts recently resigned to take a job in Mason as an ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF.

Perhaps Mason has a larger fire department. Perhaps there is a similar pay structure for the chief. But this looks like a slap in the face toward Middletown and Middletown Council to me.

Botts said, “In many ways it has been more that I could have ever imagined. I was so proud to be their public servant.”
He WAS so proud to be our public servant. So what changed? 

Did Botts resign because of his disagreement with council on their plan for the Middletown FD? I think so.


John Beagle

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News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.
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VietVet View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 17 2014 at 11:29am
Some posts in the Journal being thrown around concern the old "double dipping" aspect of a public service job while others point out Botts is moving from one job to another eliminating the double-dip concept. Other comments relate to Botts getting out while he can before the city blame game comes down on him for the reduction of fire personnel. Still other comments relate to simply going from a less desirable community like Middletown to a more professional, more upscale community like Mason. Some question why he gave up a chief's position in Middletown for an assistant chief's job in Mason. The Mason assist chief probably pays more I would imagine, and the obvious "who wouldn't want to live and work in a more posh area" thinking is mentioned. Makes sense.

Can't blame him can we? The city is now treating the fire department as the undesirable, unwanted ugly step child with the other city departments not effected apparently. The city will find out they made a bad mistake in gutting the fire service capability when a major fire or medical situation rears their ugly head and lawsuits start rolling in to Ole Leslie Landen's office as the city gets ready to go to court. Their choice to roll the dice. As is the case with much of the activity in this town, it is a matter of time before the city (let's call the chip the Titanic Cluster) hits the iceberg and Captain Adkins, his crew of council members and drinkers of the kool-aid go down with the ship. The sooner that happens, the sooner we can start new course damage control in the city. (with the proper people, of course)

The new fire chief selection??? Let's see, who is a friend of city hall. Who needs a job. Who is the least qualified. Who could mess up everything they touch.......there you go, the criteria for the next chief.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 17 2014 at 1:06pm
Nice man--have dealt with him during his rise thru the ranks
Always polite, respectful, professional and well-spoken
+ my female co-workers were smitten speechless whenever he was around
All the best to him
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acclaro View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acclaro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 17 2014 at 9:35pm
With all due respect, all public servants are in the loop with one another and know who is going where, who wants to go where, and helps them get there. Doug Adkins helped place Botts in Mason. You think anyone in Mason wasn't aware Botts was interviewing and it would not get to Adkins? All public servant jobs list the candiates publically for interviews. Everyone in city hall knew he was being interviewed.

Of course he would take the job. He gets overtime, more pay than what he had in salary, less hassle, and a few are acting like he bailed because of negotiations. This was as much a no brainer as the school levy passing when the performance was expected to be pathetic. Its the Middletown way, its the state OPER way.

Mason actually is a city that has fires....even greater than Middletown's 1%. Most fire fighters enjoy putting out fires, not spinning fire runs to the Atrium as drama and daily theater.

Next.      
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 18 2014 at 10:19am
Not surprised.  There is a new Executive at the helm.  Wants to look at doing things differently.  Team needs to get on board or get off board.  Botts knew the direction Adkins wanted to take.  It was in his pitch to council for the job.  Happens all the time in the private sector when new leadership is in place.

Possible others will follow suit...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 18 2014 at 11:24am
Yep, the old "I'm the new boss and it's my way or the highway" style of management followed by a "leave if you don't like it" finish. Perhaps the most popular scenario used by new managers when they start running the show. What a great concept for getting the cooperation of the subordinates. No wonder the workplace environment has gone down the toilet in the last 3 decades with the divide between boss and worker widening as time goes by. Loyalty....gone. Trust.....gone. Hope.....gone, in many ways.

Knowing the traits of Adkins, does he want to "look at things differently" or does he just want to hard a-- the troops?    
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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swohio75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote swohio75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 18 2014 at 11:42am
Adkins wants to fundamentally change the model of how the FD operates. 

If Botts can't at least have an open mind or rallying his troops, he could move on. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 18 2014 at 12:59pm
Originally posted by swohio75 swohio75 wrote:

Adkins wants to fundamentally change the model of how the FD operates. 

If Botts can't at least have an open mind or rallying his troops, he could move on. 




Change is good SOMETIMES, but change for the sake of change just to mark one's territory may come with a price. Adkins needs to be careful on his plans to change the fire department. A critical category is manning and outside cooperative help from other communities while attempting to save money. Fine and dandy as long as the response times are adequate enough to consistently yield efficient service as to the medical conditions of those helped. As soon as the response times become too long, either through a lack of proper manpower or too long due to the distance and availability of partnership communities, and those in need start dying, there will be a price to be paid, either with a lawsuit or one of a lesser nature. Again, his changes may result in a rolling of the dice as to the severity of the consequences and, perhaps, risking the city to litigation. We shall see.
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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ashkicker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ashkicker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 18 2014 at 4:39pm
swohio75,

The biggest problem was Botts did whatever the city manager wanted. All too often at the expense of the department. As I said before, the city set Botts up as the fall guy for the new fire department model. Landen was quoted in the Journal as saying the chief says it's safe and he wouldn't be doing it if it weren't safe. Do you honestly think if the chief bucked the city manager it would have played out any other way?

Some people on the forum seem to think the staffing issues are all about fire runs. That's not true. We need more staff to handle the volume of medic calls also. Headquarters made 18 calls in 24 hours the other day. That gives a guy no time for training, station duties, eating or sleeping. Before you guys go crazy because fire fighters sleep, going nonstop for 24 hours isn't good for the body or mind. Job performance suffers.

ashkicker
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eastsider View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote eastsider Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 19 2014 at 1:35pm

Some of you on here are really a joke.. Do you really think the FD wanted Botts to stay, or the union had Botts back? Absolutely not, go in and talk with most of the firemen, they were clapping that he left.  Botts was Judys puppet as some of you obviously can't see.  He did anything and everything she wanted.  Hell, if some of you guys "know" so many people in this city and are big shots, go talk to some of the command staff(as friends, off duty) that live in the city and ask them what Botts did at the department.  Destroyed it!  He didn’t even know his own budget when asked. Shouldn’t a department head be able to answer “most” questions regarding his department without consulting others? He is not/was not a fire chief or a leader! 

And for someone to say Mason has more fires than Middletown, you really just showed you have no clue.  Call or better yet, stop by and talk to a Mason firemen and ask how many fires they respond to within the Mason city limits in a year, not even close to what Middletown has! They will willingly admit/tell you that.  This 51 fires a year is a joke.  Again, if you know so many people, have them get you the stat sheets the fire dept admin assistant send out every month and see how many fires it lists year to date, ILL GIVE YOU A HINT, MORE THAN 51, try 114 through July.

I can actually email you July's stats and you can post them if you want, but I cannot figure it out

I try real hard not to come look at this forum bc of some of you and your absolute lack of how public safety works and your BS comments primarily based on your hatred for the union.  If you hate the union fine!  But to keep making ridiculous comments like Mason makes more fires or Botts is getting out bc he can't handle the changes the city wants, just shows stupidity.  Botts accepted the changes Adkins made, even spoke highly of them around the stations and then ran out because he knew good an well they won't work.  How about you go out, gather facts and then find a way to enact change that will in fact save money and continue to provide adequate service.  

And...
Before you ask me, which I’m surprised nobody has when I rarely comment on here.  I AM a firefighter- laid off!  and I DO live in the city and pay the same taxes you do and DO NOT want to pay more!  I understand things around here need to change and some of the changes can/maybe should be in public safety but some of you fail to miss/ignore very pertinent points made.  Promises were made and not kept based on the levy, there is a very large call volume in this city, whether it be fires, EMS calls, crime and so on.  Hell, Middletown was just ranked the #2 most dangerous city in the state!  WE SHOULD NOT BE CUTTING PUBLIC SAFETY!  


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spiderjohn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote spiderjohn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 19 2014 at 2:53pm
Come on, eastender--it has been obvious since your first postings that u r a firefighter.
We all hate to see a local lose his job, particularly in such a vital area as public safety. I don't know of anyone here who want to see cuts in that area or "hates the union ".

Would the public safety levy have passed if we had known what was going to transpire?
Would we be worse off if it had not passed?
It is probably true that most value police slightly over Fire, however do u really think that we want to choose between them?
We absolutely want the best of both that we can afford.

So don't join in conveniently playing the blame game against musa, because u know very well that no one here has caused any of this, and have nothing to do with the fire chief's exit.
Maybe you under-estimated the value of S5?
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