by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
A December to remember.
That’s how Dan Kleman, the head of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, characterized the last month of 2007 — and for good reason.
The month began with the collapse of the Berkman Plaza 2 parking structure downtown, which took the life of a working father. Then came the explosion and resulting fire at T2 Laboratories on the Northside. That death toll numbered four. A few days later the department responded to a three alarm fire at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church.
“All were lengthy and complicated and required resources from every area,” said Kleman. “The men and women of this department were tested. And the men and women of this department measured up.”
It’s been trial by fire, so to speak, for Kleman, who was appointed to his post by Mayor John Peyton in October 2006 despite having no experience as a firefighter or at a fire department.
Recently, Kleman sat down with the Daily Record to reflect on his move to the fire department and his first year on the job. He said he expects more challenges in the future, especially with the prospect of eight new fire stations on the horizon.
Kleman, an Ohio native, served as the mayor’s chief administrative officer beginning in 2004, and when the previous fire chief went for open heart surgery, Kleman took over as the interim department head. The City Council confirmed his permanent appointment to the position in the spring of 2007.
Before coming to Jacksonville, Kleman worked as the city manager for Tallahassee and later became the top administrator for Hillsborough County.
“In all those circumstances I had a fire department as a responsibility, but I’ve never worked inside a fire department,” he said.
Kleman himself called his transition from municipal government to the head of a 1,300-employee fire department with a budget of roughly $146 million, “a little unusual.”
“I think I knew most of the larger issues,” he said, “but the operational nuances and technical issues I’ve been picking up as I go along.”
The challenge of taking a “good” organization and making it better was something that appealed to Kleman.
“I want to make this department one of the best in the country,” he said. “I find dealing with organizational change and culture issues fascinating.”
One of those cultural issues has been dealing with race relations in the department. Before his tenure, Kleman said there were a “series of incidents racial in nature” that led to instability in the department and criticism of past management.
The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission went so far as to issue a report in 2006 recommending better training for supervisors, diversity training and better communication within the department.
“We addressed all 22 recommendations made by the commission,” said Kleman, adding that the department instituted “study circles” on race relations and started an employee newsletter to improve communication.
In addition to making the department one of the best in the country, Kleman said he wanted to create an organization where every employee is treated with dignity, fairness and respect.
“It’s been a very challenging year,” he said. “We as a department have had to ask ourselves tough questions on how we go about getting better.”
Looking ahead, Kleman said growth will be the most pressing issue for Jacksonville Fire and Rescue.
A 2006 study done by Virginia-based System Planning Corporation called for the addition of six new stations, but Kleman said growth since that time warrants another two stations for a total of eight, each with an engine and rescue unit.
The new stations are needed in the outlying areas (or what used to be outlying areas) of Duval County, where fast growth is occurring around developments like St. Johns Town Center and Argyle Forest.
The question, Kleman said, is how to pay for a multi-million-dollar plan to build the stations over a period of five to seven years. The answer could be fire protection fees, similar to the recently instituted stormwater retention fees.
A presentation to the City Council on the matter is planned sometime in the next several months, he said.
“In our business, success is measured by timeliness of response,” he said.
The National Fire Protection Association suggests a response time of less than four minutes for at least 90 percent of the calls.
“Our stats are more like seven minutes,” said Kleman. “The only way to solve the problem is to add stations and units.”
