19 - Approve Thomas McMongile as the Fire ChiefItem No. 19
TO: Mayor & City Council
FROM: Grayson Path, City Manager
SUBJECT: Fire Chief
Appointment of Thomas McMonigle
City Charter Section 23
DATE: December 14, 2020
BACKGROUND:
The Fire Chief position has been vacant since October 2019. Thomas McMonigle, Assistant Fire
Chief, has been serving as Interim Fire Chief since that time. A copy of the Job Description is
found below. The City Manager formed an Interview Team consisting of the following individuals
to assist him in receiving, reviewing, interviewing and vetting candidates:
- Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman
- Marshall Fire Chief Reggie Cooper
- Mt. Pleasant Fire Chief Larry McRae
- HR and Civil Service Director Sandy Collard
Their experience, knowledge, and counsel was most valuable to the City Manager.
The City received forty-three (43) applications, of which fifteen (15) were interviewed. There
were three rounds, with each round narrowing down the list of applicants.
STATUS OF ISSUE:
I am pleased to present to you Thomas McMonigle as my selection for Fire Chief. Chief
McMonigle is currently our Assistant Fire Chief and acting Interim Fire Chief. I am very
impressed with this individual, both in his experience as well as his character. He possesses the
right combination of potential, experience, attitude, energy, professionalism and civility that I want
to see as the leader of the Fire Department. Chief McMonigle brings over 34 years of experience
working with the City of Paris Fire Department, working his way up through all of the ranks to his
current position as Assistant Fire Chief. He holds an impressive array of education and training
credentials and certifications that have helped prepare him to take on the challenges of leading the
Paris Fire Department as its new Fire Chief.
Pursuant to the Paris City Charter, Section 23, "Neither the council nor any of its members shall
direct the City Manager or any of his subordinates in the appointment or removal of any city
employee, provided, however, that the appointment o `de heads shall be subiect to the
artment
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as Wr__q„ val ocouncil." Therefore, the job offer to Chief McMonigle is contingent upon the
approval of the City Council.
Furthermore, pursuant Texas Local Government Code 143.013(a)(1), "Unless elected, each
department head is: appointed by the municipality's chief executive and confirmed b > the
munic i?ali r'svovernint! bode." Therefore, as a Department Head over a Civil Service
Department, the job offer to Chief McMonigle is contingent upon the approval of the City Council.
A copy of his resume is available upon request.
BUDGET:
Given his years of experience as well as his current rate of pay as Interim Fire Chief, Chief
McMonigle will be given a starting salary of Grade 60, Step 3, which is $91,699.00. This is a
salaried position.
OPTIONS:
A resolution has been presented to you tonight to appoint the City Manager's selection of Chief
Thomas McMonigle as the Fire Chief.
1. Approve the resolution as presented.
2. Request edits to the resolution as presented.
3. Request additional information regarding Chief McMonigle or the process.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the Resolution to appoint Chief Thomas McMonigle as the Fire Chief.
JOB DESCRIPTION
FIRE CHIEF
General Statement of Duties
Under the general supervision of the City Manager, this position is responsible for the overall
management of the Fire Department, which includes but is not limited to, developing policies
and procedures, developing and implementing short-term and long-term department goals,
creating and managing the budget, prioritization of needs, and allocation of resources. This
position interacts regularly with other City departments, other public agencies, other
emergency service agencies, community groups, news media and the general public.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Directs, plans, supervises, oversees, implements and organizes the financial
management, operations, work flow and maintenance of the Fire Department for the
protection of life and property, including firefighting, fire prevention, fire suppression,
and fire investigation.
• Develops and implements goals, priorities, policies, objectives, standards and procedures
relating to the Fire Department, including regularly reviewing Standard Operation
Procedures (SOPs).
• Directs ongoing research into new municipal firefighting, fire prevention, fire safety, and
fire investigation methods, technologies and trends and recommends implementation of
programs and equipment to help the Fire Department achieve its objectives more
efficiently.
• Responds to major emergency incident scenes and takes command when appropriate.
• Analyzes future personnel staffing needs and develops short and long-term plans to meet
those needs with emphasis on retention.
• Selects, promotes, motivates, evaluates, trains, and disciplines Police Department
personnel consistent with applicable laws, civil service and the City's Personnel Policies
and Procedures.
• Supervises and monitors staff performance, ensuring that they are in compliance with
City and department policies, procedures, ordinances and resolutions.
• Develops and maintains an efficient complaint tracking system for the Fire Department,
investigating issues, and responds to concerns.
• Advises City Manager and Department Heads of Fire Department issues and solutions to
address issues.
• Works with the Chief of Police, EMS Director, and other City and non -City Emergency
Management Staff in addressing matters of public safety.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with colleagues within the City
Departments, peers in other emergency service agencies, minority and other community
groups.
• Coordinates additional and other assigned activities with other departments and outside
agencies and provides highly responsible and administrative support to the City Manager.
• Develops realistic and fiscally sound budget requests based on program need and
monitors budget expenditures to ensure they remain within budget allocation.
• Works with and attends City Council and other Board and Committee Meetings as
needed.
• Member of and attends conferences and workshops of the Texas Fire Chief Association
and Texas Commission of Fire Protection.
• Oversees the proper procurement of all purchases pursuant to applicable City and State
laws.
• Maintains a regular and predictable work schedule.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities
• Supervises Assistant Fire Chief, Deputy Chiefs, Fire Marshall, Captains, Driver Engineers,
Firefighters and Office Staff.
Qualifications
• Education and/or Experience—A minimum of an associate degree in fire science, criminal
justice, public administration, or related field is preferred. Supplemental training in fire
administration, fire prevention, fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical service,
cause and determination of fires, fire inspections, NIMS, and federal, state and local fire
codes preferred. Must have a minimum of ten (10) years' experience in fire suppression
and prevention with progressively responsible experience in a variety of fire functions and
at least five (5) years of fire command experience as an Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief,
Battalion Chief or higher rank is preferred. An equivalent combination of education and
experience may be substituted for some of the above.
• Computer Skills — Microsoft Internet Explorer and other internet-based search engines;
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software; Microsoft Outlook; Microsoft Word processing
software; Microsoft Powerpoint; and Laserfiche document storage and retrieval
software.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
• Valid Class "C" Texas driver's license.
Knowledize. Skills and Abilities
• Knowledge of modern firefighting, inspector, and investigative methods, practices and
procedures;
• Knowledge of administrative practices as it relates to Fire Departments;
• Knowledge of NIMS/ICS principles, concepts, and policies;
• Knowledge of Texas Commission of Fire Protection Rules and Regulations, International
Fire Code, and local, state and federal rules and regulations;
• Knowledge of Civil Service Law;
• Ability to effectively communicate with subordinates, disseminate information and take
charge of situations which arise in the course of duty;
• Ability to lead, direct, delegate and distribute personnel;
• Ability to be self -motivated and willingness to take responsibility for the actions of
subordinates;
• Knowledge of employment practices, including recruitment, selection, retention and
evaluation of staff;
• Knowledge of human resource issues, budgeting, research, and evaluation techniques;
• Ability to direct, coordinate and review the work of operation divisions/departments;
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills and ability to effectively communicate
on a daily basis with administrative, elected and appointed officials and the public with
courtesy, professionalism, civility and tact;
• Ability to plan for municipal needs;
• Knowledge and ability to prepare and interpret complicated reports and standards;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with City officials,
employees, citizens, vendors and contractors;
• Knowledge of intergovernmental relations and ability to understand and work with State
and Federal Regulations, Departments, and Personnel;
• Ability to maintain composure and decision making skills under stress;
• Ability to maintain professionalism and civility in all interactions.
Physical Demands
• Physical ability to lift 20 pounds;
• Must be able to sit for long periods of time;
• Sensory demands typically require speaking, hearing touching and seeing;
• Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter and retrieve data using a computer keyboard
or other office equipment;
• Requires occasional bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching and pushing or pulling drawers
to retrieve files;
• Must have visual acuity to endure eye strain of working on a computer for extended
periods of time;
• Must be able to hear;
• Mobility required to inspect work of staff;
• Physical mobility needed for moving around a worksite for the purpose of monitoring
quality of work.
Work Environment
• Employee works in an office setting but must occasionally go out into the field to respond
to complaints or inspect work of staff;
• Must interact with upset citizens on occasion;
• Office climate is moderate; however in the field work temperatures can range from
extreme hot to extreme cold;
• During, but not limited to, fire incidents, employee may be required to work outdoors, in
fire scenes, around siren noise, flashing lights and moving vehicles, and walking on uneven
or slippery surfaces;
• The position may require working around chemicals, blood and other potential hazardous
exposures;
• The position may require working in hazardous, dangerous, and/or stressful situations.
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, PARIS,
TEXAS, APPROVING THOMAS MCMONIGLE AS THE FIRE CHIEF AS
RECOMMENDED BY THE CITY MANAGER IN CONFORMANCE WITH
SECTION 23 OF THE CITY CHARTER; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND
PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, Chapter 23 of the City Charter provides that the appointment of department
heads by the City Manager is subject to the approval of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended for appointment to the office of Fire
Chief, Thomas McMonigle; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to approve the City Manager's appointment of
Thomas McMonigle as the Fire Chief for the City of Paris; and,
WHEREAS, Texas Local Government Code 143.013(a)(1) requires that the Fire Chief
appointment as a department head over a civil service department be confirmed by the City
Council;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
TEXAS:
Section 1. That the findings set out in the preamble to this resolution are hereby in all things
approved.
Section 2. That Thomas McMonigle, shall be and is hereby approved as the Fire Chief of the
City of Paris, on the recommendation of the City Manager, and as a consequence of said approval to
serve as Fire Chief, said approval to be in conformance with Section 23 of the City Charter, and the
aforesaid Thomas McMonigle shall be and is hereby authorized and directed to perform any and all
responsibilities and obligations incident to the office of Fire Chief.
Section 3. That this resolution shall be effective from and after its date of passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED on this 14th day of December, 2020, by the City Council of the City
of Paris, in regular session, following notice and publication as required by law.
Steven J. Clifford, M.D., Mayor
ATTEST:
Janice Ellis, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Stephanie H. Harris, City Attorney