Shiawassee, Michigan - Owosso Fire Department & the City of Owosso

I have compiled this reference material in preparation for a series of blog entries about the Owosso Fire Department and the Owosso Department of Public Safety.  I am seeking comment, corrections, etc.  I am interested in both sides of this story, but the City of Owosso always gets the last word in the media and at the council meetings.  I am trying to give the firefighters a greater voice.  As such, I would especially like to hear from anyone who is a firefighter, or who shares the concerns of the Owosso firefighters.

While I admit that I have a soft spot for labor, the City's actions just do not make sense to me.  In matters of fire safety, does one believe 18 men who are trained to be firefighters, or 1 man who is trained to be a police officer?

Summary: Dispute between the Owosso firefighters and the City of Owosso over the way the Fire Department is organized and managed.  

Players (so to speak):
   

Michael Compeau - Director of Public Safety

   

Gregg Guetschow - Owosso City Manager - (city blog - http://owosso.blogs.com)

   

Charlie Schaufele - Fire Marshall, City of Owosso

   

Bill West - 19 year veteran of Owosso Fire Department

   

Owosso City Council - http://ci.owosso.mi.us/... - The council meets The 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, except as noted - 7:30pm, Owosso City Hall, Council Chambers

   

City Code of Ordinances defining Department of Public Safety - http://www.ci.owosso.mi.us/...

Owosso City Charter - http://ci.owosso.mi.us/... (requires acrobat reader)

Timeline:    

May 2003 - Compeau hired as Owosso PD Chief of Police

   

June 2004 -   

   
• City of Owosso consolidates Owosso Fire & Police Departments into the Dept of Public Safety.
• Compeau promoted to Director of Public Safety.
       
• Schaufele, a Captain and long term veteran of the Owosso Fire Department, is promoted to Deputy Fire Director.

   

March 1, 2005 May 16, 2005 - MIOSHA investigates Owosso Fire Department

   

May 2005 - Schaufele is put on paid administrative leave following allegations of harassment by all 18 full time firefighters of the Owosso Fire Department.

   

June 2005 -

   
• Schaufele returns to work after an internal investigation of the firefighters' complaints.
   
• Bill West is fired.  West is one of the original complainants against Schaufele.
   
• Compeau allegedly tells West's superiors to tell West he had two minutes to get his belongings and go before he would be placed under arrest. (http://www.argus-press.com/...)
   
• Owosso City Councilman Charles Sumrack asks Geutschow how the City Council could arrange a second, external investigation into the firefighters' complaints. Guetschow's response: "I don't believe it's necessary" -- http://www.argus-press.com/...

   

July 2005 -

   
• Owosso FD and City of Owosso sign an agreement to move Schaufele to Fire Marshall.
   
• Guetschow claims that the city administration is being mistreated by the firefighters.

   

August 2005 -

   
• MIOSHA levies $15,000 in fines for 32 serious violations, including "worn tires on fire trucks, fire-damaged turnout gear, inadequate procedures for emergency operations such as structure fires, vehicle crashes, Hazmat situations, water rescue, severe weather conditions, bomb threats, electrical hazards, natural gas and power lines" -- (http://www.argus-press.com/...)
   
• Compeau, having been in charge of the Public Safety Department for the prior 10 months, responds to the citations: ""These are not problems I created, I inherited them and I've been trying to correct them. Why they hadn't been handled in the past is beyond me," " (http://www.argus-press.com/...)

   

September 2005 - 1 month after being fined by MIOSHA, Compeau announces that 26 of the 32 MIOSHA violations have been resolved. 60 day extensions were granted for the remaining violations.

   

December 2005 -

   
• Compeau issues an 8 page report stating that the Dept of Public Safety model has benefited the city by reducing overtime, standardizing procedures, and sharing resources. (http://www.argus-press.com/...)
   
• Compeau added to his report: ""In examining the comments from the union representatives, it does not appear that they are disagreeing with the concept of public safety (unified management) but tend to question the authority to manage, understanding that management has a right to manage and the personalities in the positions of management," --( http://www.argus-press.com/...)
   
• Owosso firefighters respond to Compeau's report: "the city's firefighters and its residents are more at risk than ever from serious injury or death in an emergency under Mr. Compeau's direction." and "This is not a union versus management issue, as Mr. Compeau would have you believe. The public safety concept that was the idea of the city manager has failed to do anything but make Owosso a more dangerous place to work, live and visit." -- (http://www.argus-press.com/...)
• Guetschow announces the search for a new Deputy Fire Director, which will eliminate the position of Owosso Fire Marshall.
• Owosso Mayor Linda Robertson tells firefighters ""As employees, you have to realize you are not in a position to dictate how you are supervised or how you are managed,"" (http://www.mlive.com/...)
• Guetschow states "The department is established by a city ordinance and at any time you can amend that ordinance," (http://www.argus-press.com/...)

•  It sounds like typical nasty small city

  infighting. One cannot honestly take sides in such a squable unless they live in Owosso and know the folks involved. And I spent a couple of years as close as Vernon and I don't know these folks. Sorry. But thanks for an interesting diary about the place.

  by John West on Sat Jan 07, 2006 at 11:43:22 PM PDT

  •  Hi John, It would probably be enlightening

    to everyone in Owosso to hear from people who did not 'take sides', so to speak.  :)  

    by christinebarry on Sun Jan 08, 2006 at 08:19:14 AM PDT

    •  It sounds like a difficult situation.

      Hopefully there is someone in the community who is close enough to the situation to understand the personalities and history involved, yet distant enough to be neutral. The town of Montrose, where I was raised, had the same sort of problems. It was always like trying to herd cats. Quite frankly, I'm glad I'm gone from there. And Vernon too, for that matter.

      by John West on Sun Jan 08, 2006 at 09:18:20 AM PDT

•  Thanks, Christine

  Appreciate your efforts here.  I'm within driving distance of Owosso, yet I can't recall hearing anything about this situation and I'll bet I read the same newspaper that most of the folks in the greater Owosso area read.  Tells you something about the press here in mid-Michigan...

  by Rayne on Sun Jan 08, 2006 at 07:14:46 AM PDT

  •  It can be difficult to get information around here

    ... our only local daily newspaper only reports on this story if something happens at a city council meeting.  The Flint & Lansing Journals pick up on it once in awhile but not often enough.    

    But, that's what blogs are for.  :)

    by christinebarry on Sun Jan 08, 2006 at 08:28:48 AM PDT