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Century of fire wisdom out door

Five firefighting veterans have left Largo in the past three weeks. Now new chief Jeff Bullock must lead the department through the departures amid high expectations.

By SHANNON TAN
Published March 27, 2005

LARGO - In the past three weeks, Largo has lost five veterans with more than 120 years of combined firefighting experience.

Chief E. Caroll Williams, a 35-year veteran, retired. Division Chief Frank DeFrancesco took his 21 years of experience with Largo to Hernando County Fire Rescue. Then Deputy Chief Tom Tarulli retired after 23 years.

On March 17, the new chief, Jeff Bullock, fired District Chief David Morrin and Division Chief David King. The two had 50 years of experience between them.

That leaves the department with three district chiefs, two division chiefs and no deputy chief. Command staff levels have now been reduced to where they were in 1992.

The changes place the spotlight squarely on Bullock, who must lead the department through the departures, replenish its command staff and meet the goals set by City Manager Steven Stanton, who expects the dramatic changes to result in a better department.

Bullock, 43, a former union president with a business background, is not your typical fire chief. He patented a ventilation system used by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cool football players on a bench. He advanced through the department much more quickly than his peers. And he has a personal friendship with Stanton - they're running buddies.

Two years ago, Bullock was a lieutenant. He leapfrogged two ranks to a newly created deputy chief position in March 2003. Last year, Stanton scrapped a national search and appointed Bullock as fire chief.

"This was time for profound change," Stanton said. "This department is extremely good. How do we get from good to best?"

Fire departments become institutionalized in their thinking, he said. It was time to change the way its players think. "Chief Bullock is going to put expectations on people they never saw before," Stanton said.

Bullock plans to run the department like a business. The product is the service firefighters provide to residents, he said, and it has to be delivered as efficiently as possible.

He put union president Wayne Stokke on his decisionmaking team so he won't have to fight the firefighters union. He wants to establish a "co-op" structure so firefighters trust each other and aren't competing for the next promotion. He's unveiling his reorganization plan April 5 at a City Commission meeting.

"I know my weaknesses," Bullock says, "and I surround myself with people who have those strengths."

Stanton recalls that when community development director Ric Goss left in 2002, the deputy director and city planners soon followed. The management team had to be rebuilt, he said, and the department has since vastly improved.

Mayor Bob Jackson, however, doesn't want the same scenario to play out at Largo Fire Rescue.

"That's an awful lot of talent to lose within a month's time," he said. "It's hard to believe the department is not going to be hurting."

Williams declined to comment on the recent departures, but said the firefighters will still provide a high level of service.

Since 1982, new fire chiefs have always inherited an existing management team, said former Division Chief Mike Wallace. Bullock is the exception.

"You lose institutional knowledge, but what you gain is a fresh set of eyes," Wallace said. "It's a two-edge sword."

Wallace himself left Largo Fire Rescue about 14 months ago to become Seminole's assistant fire chief, after Bullock was promoted from lieutenant to deputy chief.

"As much as I didn't want to leave an 18-year home," he said, "I did see that my promotion opportunities were somewhat limited."

Others also saw the writing on the wall.

A personality conflict with Bullock meant that DeFrancesco knew his career wasn't going anywhere in Largo. He starts his new job as a captain at Hernando County Fire Rescue and commander of the county Hazmat team Monday.

"Every other month, it seemed like he was trying to get me demoted or fired," DeFrancesco said. "His motto was, "Intimidation is a great motivator.' "

The changes in the past few months have created much turmoil within the department, he said. "The guys on the street are scared and confused and upset."

The controversy surrounding Bullock began two years ago when Williams made the unpopular decision to promote him to deputy chief, bypassing senior district and division chiefs.

When Stanton picked Bullock for fire chief over Tarulli, some were surprised. Unlike Tarulli, who graduated from Eckerd College, Bullock does not have a degree or relevant experience.

According to the job description, Largo's fire chief should have a bachelor's in fire administration or public administration and five years' experience as chief of a multistation fire department, or five years as deputy chief with another five years supervising a rescue operation. Or, "an equivalent combination of training and experience."

Tarulli was a deputy chief since 1997. Bullock had been deputy for only two years.

"I'm very educated," Bullock said. "I just don't have a degree."

He points to his management experience building and running a business. He credits himself with a salesman's ability to sell his ideas - and his vision for the fire department.

Former union president Tim Baker says he sees positive changes in the works.

For example, Bullock is trying to get mobile data computers in fire equipment, which would provide access to building layouts and fire hydrant locations.

"I'm on board, and for the most part, everybody else is," Baker said. "Let's give this new chief the opportunity to accomplish what he wants to accomplish."

Shannon Tan can be reached at shtan@sptimes.com or 445-4174.

[Last modified March 27, 2005, 00:34:19]