Schaumburg cutting fire department administration costs

Schaumburg Fire Chief David Schumann is enacting a three-phased restructuring of the fire department’s administration that, when complete, could save the village more than $500,000 a year in salaries and benefits.

The changes are similar to those proposed last fall aimed at flattening the command hierarchy of Schaumburg’s police department, a move intended to save $300,000 annually.

While the police department’s restructuring eventually will eliminate the rank of lieutenant, the fire department now plans to drop the position of battalion chief.

The timing of the three phases are contingent upon the retirements of each of the department’s three battalion chiefs. Though the first retirement will occur in February, the other two could be anywhere from six months to many years off, Schumann said.

“All of our battalion chiefs have 30-plus years of service, but when they choose to retire is up to them,” he said.

The changes will have no impact on the level of personnel that respond to fires and medical calls. The department will maintain a staff of 120, or 40 per shift.

“I don’t see any downside to the level of service we provide to the public,” Schumann said.

In fact, in addition to saving money, Schumann expects the elimination of a level of management to improve effectiveness, communication and accountability.

“The flatter an organization is, the more effective it is, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Phase one of the restructuring, to be implemented next month, will involve the elimination of the first battalion chief position, the promotion of an additional lieutenant and the hiring of a replacement firefighter.

In salaries alone, this phase is expected to reap a net savings of $23,925.

Phase two, which will look exactly like phase one when it’s implemented, should bring the net salary savings up to $47,850.

Phase three would involve the same actions as the earlier two phases along with the promotion of an additional captain and the promotion of a third deputy chief. The net salary savings by the end of this phase should be $61,026 based on today’s dollars.

While battalion chiefs have historically served as the department’s shift commanders, that role would be filled by fire captains after the reorganization.

Though it hasn’t resorted to layoffs, Schaumburg has sought to make its staffing more efficient during the past decade — both before and since the recent recession, Village Manager Ken Fritz said.

But there are no further changes on the horizon as significant as the pending reorganizations of the police and fire departments, he added.