Council asks staff to explore leadership training for new fire leadership

Councilor Dompkins asked city staff to research leadership training for recently promoted fire captains and battalion chiefs at the January 2025 City Council meeting. Dompkins said turnover in the fire department left many supervisory positions newly filled and that leadership training would help supervisors manage and lead their teams.

"I've asked the city staff to look into what type of curriculum and training might be available and to bring something back to council," Dompkins said during council input. He added the training could also benefit police department supervisors and others in new leadership roles.

City staff did not provide a timetable or estimated cost during the meeting; Dompkins said the request may require a budget amendment and asked staff to return to council with options.

Why it matters

Council direction to research training does not itself authorize funding but signals a priority for staff follow-up. If the city pursues formal training, that could require procurement, budget allocation or use of outside vendors and would return to council for approval when staff present recommendations.

What was said

Dompkins cited a leadership article in Forbes to describe leadership as both an innate and a learned skill and said he had discussed the idea with Jake Sparks, a tenured battalion chief, before bringing it to council. He asked staff to compile curriculum options and cost estimates so council could consider a formal program.

Next steps

Staff were asked to investigate curricula and return with recommendations; no timeframe was set during the meeting.