Greenfield Has New Chiefs: Now What?

They were named , assumed their interim status together back in June and were by the Greenfield Police and Fire Commission together Oct. 20.

And Fire Chief Jon Cohn and Police Chief Brad Wentlandt plan on working together, and keeping the city safe, for years to come.

"Police Chief Wentlandt and I have recognized that we have an opportunity to create synergistic improvements through cooperative opportunities," Cohn said. "Police and fire departments can make single-department service improvements but officer safety, firefighter safety, and community safety significantly improves when emergency services work together."

So it was only fitting that Greenfield Patch ask the new department heads the same questions, looking back at the last six months and ahead into the future.

Greenfield Patch: Over the last several months, what was the biggest challenge you encountered as interim chief?

Cohn: There has not been a single, biggest challenge as there have been multiple, large challenges. 

Passage of the state budget with no tax levy increase has created substantial budgetary concerns on the local level. Costs continue to increase but budgets currently cannot. Therefore, we have had to become more efficient, which meant leaving a Deputy Chief position vacant, savings $120,000. This has caused the workload to be divided amongst existing members.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Greenfield firefighters and the city was set to expire at the end of 2011. Negotiations recently occurred and through cooperation, as well as pay an increased amount towards health insurance. 

Milwaukee County currently has not budgeted to continue their share of funding for the Milwaukee County paramedic program. Besides leaving a potential shortfall in the absent funding ($230,000), to ensure uninterrupted paramedic services despite changes in funding.

continues to play a more active role in the future planning of the department.   

Wentlandt: Developing a staffing model that reflects the economic realities that face the department without compromising the high level of service our residents expect and ensuring our crime control efforts are not diminished.

We also successfully navigated a highly with the city expecting employees to contribute to WRS and the possibility of dramatically reduced health benefits. We're confident that the trust and positive relationship between the and union went a long way toward bridging the divide.

Greenfield Patch: Looking forward, what do you anticipate being one of the most difficult challenge you face as chief over the next year? Five years? 10 years?

Cohn: The challenge of delivering high-quality emergency services will become more challenging with increasingly difficult economic times and budgetary restraints. We will have to continuously explore new opportunities to increase efficiencies and control costs while attempting to maintain the high level of service the community enjoys and expects. While the fire service has a rich history and many traditions, we must explore new partnerships and models for delivery. For too long the fire service has been summarized as ‘300 years of tradition unimpeded by progress.’ Well, it may be time to start some new traditions. 

Wentlandt: The answer is clearly funding. State aid to municipalities continues to shrink while Federal funding for public safety has all but dried up.

Our challenge is to look for ways we can leverage technology to offer service at a lower cost and look for ways to collaborate with other communities wherever possible.

Our other challenge will be organizational turnover and the need to recruit high-quality candidates and keep the quality personnel we have now. Dramatic changes to benefit levels means that municipal employment isn't quite as attractive as it once was. This is compounded by the nationwide shortage of qualified prospective police officers and the extremely high level of competition for candidates among municipalities.

Greenfield Patch: What are some long-term goals for the department that you hope to get started on right away?

Cohn: Continue to enhance the delivery of Emergency Medical Services and provide the highest level of care at every call by increasing the prevalence of paramedics; continue to seek efficiencies while delivering high quality emergency services; be more active in the community through public relations as well as providing public education to make families safe and prepared; integrate technology into an often traditional profession so members have pertinent information available to them which will in turn provide for better outcomes as well as increased firefighter safety; build on internal partnerships with other city departments and explore external partnerships with neighboring communities, and private industry partners such as hospitals, businesses and industries that further our mission and create additional opportunities; have an organization that is well educated, courteous, and responsive to the needs of those we serve; become a benchmark against industry standards as well as other organizations. 

Wentlandt: We'll hit the ground running with a series of changes on Jan. 1, that are designed to transform the department. A reorganization of the command staff will significantly change the way we do business.

The (CSO) program will help to position the department for the future by using part-time personnel for minor calls for service keeping full-time police officers available for emergency calls. These CSOs will also provide us with a ready pool of qualified candidates.

Greenfield Patch: What did you learn from your predecessor – retired chiefs Russ Spahn (fire) and Frank Springob (police) – that you believe you will benefit from as you settle into your role as chief?

Cohn: While the challenges and decisions ahead are daunting, great opportunities for exploring new models of service delivery exist. Chief Spahn was a strong advocate of simply doing what is best for the patient or citizen. When all else fails and the challenges mount, I as well expect our members to attempt to remember this simple rule: 'do what is best for the patient, citizen, community, and organization.'

Additionally, retired chief Spahn and I believe that the strength of the organization comes from the collective efforts of all members. The success of our organization is truly a team effort dependent on everyone from the chief down to the newest firefighter, as well as vice versa. I believe we have a great team and will continue to be one of the innovators of emergency service delivery.

Wentlandt: (Springob’s) ability to delegate responsibilities allowed me to grow and prepare myself for the chief's position.

This is important for me to remember moving forward in order to allow our supervisors and command staff to succeed and excel at their positions and for them to know that I have their back when things go wrong.