MONROE - A show of support from members of the Monroe Fire Department and an opportunity to work on a professional goal may keep Fire Chief Daryl Rausch on the job.
Rausch said he has "kept the city informed all along" that he has been looking at other career opportunities this year.
But when he tried to prepare the members of his department for the possibility of his leaving the city, firefighters appealed to the city to keep him.
On Tuesday, Rausch accepted the position of Emergency Management Director, offered by the Salary and Personnel Committee and approved by the Common Council.
"The emergency management plan was a goal of Chief Rausch, just one of four, when he first came on board with the city (in January 2002)," said Alderman Jan Lefevre, a member of the Salary and Personnel Committee. "Whether he remains? He said he cannot promise anything, and we agreed we do need the emergency management system. We're hoping he will remain, but I understand he has to do what he has to do."
But a letter of support undersigned by members of his department will make it "less likely" he will be leaving, Rausch said.
"It has definitely made an impact going forward," Rausch said Thursday. "Frankly, it's a bit humbling to find out 33 out of 37 members are satisfied with the direction the department is going."
Rausch said he was unaware the letter existed until "right before Common Council."
Chris Coplien, a firefighter in the department for three years, said he, like many members, discovered through the department's newsletter that Rausch was considering leaving.
"I don't know what the reason is for Daryl's leaving, but the main thing he was stressing (in the newsletter) was that it had nothing to do with the department or the firefighter personnel," Coplien said.
Not know what would convince Rausch to stay, Coplien drafted the letter appealing to the Common Council to "do the absolute best you ... can" to prevent losing Rausch, along with his education and experience in firefighting, as well as his expertise in grant writing and personnel management.
"Daryl Rausch had no idea I was doing this. I took it upon myself," he said.
He asked other firefighters to sign the letter at one point during a regular training meeting that 37 members attended just before Thanksgiving.
"When I asked Daryl and Lane (Deputy Fire Chief Heins) to leave (the room), they looked kind of worried," he laughed.
Coplien said there was no pressure on members to sign the letter, but the "turnout was amazing." He then mailed copies of the letter to members of the council and Mayor Bill Ross.
He and three other members met with Charles Koch, president of the Common Council, on Monday to explain their concerns. Koch presented the letter to the city on behalf of the signers Tuesday.
"I felt it was a pretty necessary thing to do," he added. "It went well; he was very appreciative."
The letter did not offer any suggestions for the council to follow, "but at least we can say we tried," Coplien said.
Rausch will receive a salary of $61,500 next year as fire chief, and an additional $8,000 as the emergency management director for the city.
Lefevre said Rausch has not asked for raises and is paid under-scale compared to some cities. Members of the Salary and Personnel Committee felt previously that it was "important to gradually increase his pay until it was commensurable with his duties," she added.
"Last year, we couldn't (increase the pay); we just couldn't because of the budget. But he actually requested we not give him a raise this year," she added.
Lefevre said Rausch's contributions to the city have been "unbelievable," and noted the M.E.R.I.T. Center, a regional training center for emergency responders, as one of Rausch's achievements.
"He has saved the city so much money by his grant writing, and he's willing to come in with budget cuts," she added.
According to the 2010-2011 Occupational Outlook Handbook, put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, first-line supervisors and managers of firefighting and prevention workers employed in local government in 2008 earned a median of about $69,000 a year. According to the International City-County Management Association, the average salary for a sworn full-time fire chief in 2008 was between $78,672 and $104,780.
Rausch said he has "kept the city informed all along" that he has been looking at other career opportunities this year.
But when he tried to prepare the members of his department for the possibility of his leaving the city, firefighters appealed to the city to keep him.
On Tuesday, Rausch accepted the position of Emergency Management Director, offered by the Salary and Personnel Committee and approved by the Common Council.
"The emergency management plan was a goal of Chief Rausch, just one of four, when he first came on board with the city (in January 2002)," said Alderman Jan Lefevre, a member of the Salary and Personnel Committee. "Whether he remains? He said he cannot promise anything, and we agreed we do need the emergency management system. We're hoping he will remain, but I understand he has to do what he has to do."
But a letter of support undersigned by members of his department will make it "less likely" he will be leaving, Rausch said.
"It has definitely made an impact going forward," Rausch said Thursday. "Frankly, it's a bit humbling to find out 33 out of 37 members are satisfied with the direction the department is going."
Rausch said he was unaware the letter existed until "right before Common Council."
Chris Coplien, a firefighter in the department for three years, said he, like many members, discovered through the department's newsletter that Rausch was considering leaving.
"I don't know what the reason is for Daryl's leaving, but the main thing he was stressing (in the newsletter) was that it had nothing to do with the department or the firefighter personnel," Coplien said.
Not know what would convince Rausch to stay, Coplien drafted the letter appealing to the Common Council to "do the absolute best you ... can" to prevent losing Rausch, along with his education and experience in firefighting, as well as his expertise in grant writing and personnel management.
"Daryl Rausch had no idea I was doing this. I took it upon myself," he said.
He asked other firefighters to sign the letter at one point during a regular training meeting that 37 members attended just before Thanksgiving.
"When I asked Daryl and Lane (Deputy Fire Chief Heins) to leave (the room), they looked kind of worried," he laughed.
Coplien said there was no pressure on members to sign the letter, but the "turnout was amazing." He then mailed copies of the letter to members of the council and Mayor Bill Ross.
He and three other members met with Charles Koch, president of the Common Council, on Monday to explain their concerns. Koch presented the letter to the city on behalf of the signers Tuesday.
"I felt it was a pretty necessary thing to do," he added. "It went well; he was very appreciative."
The letter did not offer any suggestions for the council to follow, "but at least we can say we tried," Coplien said.
Rausch will receive a salary of $61,500 next year as fire chief, and an additional $8,000 as the emergency management director for the city.
Lefevre said Rausch has not asked for raises and is paid under-scale compared to some cities. Members of the Salary and Personnel Committee felt previously that it was "important to gradually increase his pay until it was commensurable with his duties," she added.
"Last year, we couldn't (increase the pay); we just couldn't because of the budget. But he actually requested we not give him a raise this year," she added.
Lefevre said Rausch's contributions to the city have been "unbelievable," and noted the M.E.R.I.T. Center, a regional training center for emergency responders, as one of Rausch's achievements.
"He has saved the city so much money by his grant writing, and he's willing to come in with budget cuts," she added.
According to the 2010-2011 Occupational Outlook Handbook, put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, first-line supervisors and managers of firefighting and prevention workers employed in local government in 2008 earned a median of about $69,000 a year. According to the International City-County Management Association, the average salary for a sworn full-time fire chief in 2008 was between $78,672 and $104,780.