DATE: Monday, November 3, 1997              TAG: 9711030060

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:  133 lines

NEW INTERIM FIRE CHIEF WELCOMES THE HOT SEAT EDMUND E. ELLIOTT AIMS TO IMPROVE MORALE OF CHESAPEAKE FIREFIGHTERS.

One of the first things the city's new interim fire chief did was ask the department's more than 300 employees to spend the time usually allocated to training and building inspections reflecting on where the department has been and where it should go.

It was something the department needed, said acting Chief Edmund E. Elliott. There has been no shortage of turmoil over the last year and a half.

In March 1996, two firefighters died in the line of duty. Earlier this month, Chief Michael L. Bolac resigned under fire amid allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior.

In the intervening months, there had been concerns about response time and training, charges that there were problems with fire-safety procedures and evidence of low morale in the ranks. At one point after the two firefighters died, a firefighters union demanded that Bolac resign, blaming him for the deaths and for damaging morale with his handling of the situation.

``One of the messages I've sent out to the department is that we're not going to flounder around in the interim stage,'' said Elliott, a 23-year veteran who is acting chief. ``It going to be business as usual, plus.''

Elliott knows he can't immediately fix all the problems, and has not decided whether he will seek the top job permanently. But he wants things to be in the best shape possible.

``I've just been concentrating on what needs to be done,'' he said in a recent interview. ``It would be a husband-and-wife decision because of the commitment it would take. I'm not really ego-driven for another position. A lot would have to be taken into consideration.''

Out in the fire stations, the crews seem to be happy with Elliott.

``He's well-liked among the firefighters and well-respected,'' said Mark Simmons, president of the Professional Firefighters of Chesapeake, a union that represents more than half of the city's firefighters. ``It's difficult for everybody when you have these kinds of allegations against your chief. He's done a good job of stepping in and refocusing.''

With blue eyes and a square jaw, Elliott is soft-spoken, thoughtful, organized and caring. One of his first acts as interim chief was to talk to people to assess the impact of Bolac's resignation and see if a recovery period was needed.

His findings were encouraging. Morale was on the upswing. His troops were eager to look ahead.

Elliott, 42, is a firm believer in leadership by example. ``The leader of the organization has got to set the standards and exceed the standards,'' he said. ``He hits the tuning fork and sends out the pitch and the department will line up with that. . . . You set the expectations, and they'll rise to meet your expectations.''

In contrast to what many criticized as an attitude of indifference toward employees by Bolac, Elliott has been visiting stations and joining crews for lunch.

``That's where you really find out what's going on,'' he said. ``If you don't know what's in the hearts and minds of those people, it's going to come back and haunt you in a big way.''

Over the years, Bolac was criticized for his autocratic leadership. His ``my way or the highway'' response to criticism hurt morale, employees have said.

Elliott says his strategy for managing the department is not in reaction to the way Bolac did his job.

``I'm simply acting on the leadership methods that I think work,'' he said. ``One of those is communication. You have to let people know what's going on.''

He doesn't like to compare himself to Bolac, but when asked to cite the biggest difference, he named patience.

``If there is any one contrast, that's one that would come to the top in a hurry,'' he said.

The scandal involving Bolac is one more chapter in what have been trying times for the department, including the deaths of the two firefighters in an auto parts store fire.

The controversy over Bolac's alleged sexual improprieties raised questions about the professionalism of everyone who wears the Chesapeake Fire Department patch and badge, Elliott said.

As an organization, the 34-year-old Fire Department is relatively young. But recent developments have sped up the aging process, Elliott said.

``I think with the deaths of Frank (Young) and John (Hudgins), we reached the age of accountability and maturity,'' Elliott said of the firefighters who perished in the fire. ``I believe, on that day and subsequently, the department formed into a mature organization.''

Elliott compared the growth process at the department with that of a young soldier going to boot camp and coming away forever changed.

``It was a significant emotional event and it affected everyone personally,'' he said. ``It's one thing to read about firefighting statistics and it's another thing to live through it. I think we have made the commitment that we don't want to go to another firefighter funeral in this city for any reason.''

The acting chief was involved in a significant policy change following the deaths of the firefighters in the collapse of the building, which had truss construction. The department began a truss-identification program that calls for buildings with roof and floor trusses to be flagged on a computer when 911 calls come in. The department has identified 3,088 buildings that would require special notification to personnel, including warnings of truss constructions and hazardous materials.

Elliott wants Chesapeake to consider joining a handful of departments nationwide that have obtained assessment and national accreditation from the Commission of Fire Accreditation International.

Already, the department is ahead of others nationwide in mapping out action plans for specific buildings. Soon those maps will be reduced to computer disks that can be read on laptop computers in each battalion chief's car.

Elliott is ever conscious of the struggle firefighters have in balancing work and home life. He and his wife, Teresa, have four children, ages 5, 8, 14 and 20.

``As a firefighter, you have a real passion for the job,'' he said. ``It's not just a profession, it's a calling. It's easy to get your priorities mixed up, and it has cost families. I try to be cognizant of that.''

The acting chief is a Deep Creek High School graduate with associate's degrees in fire science from Tidewater Community College and biblical studies from Tabernacle Baptist Bible College. He also is a recent graduate of the National Fire Academy.

In his free time, he is a Sunday school teacher for adults and a worker in children's ministries at Peoples Baptist Church. He also coaches Little League.

Elliott is looking forward to an award ceremony Thursday, when family and professional life will come together. Department employees will be recognized for their contributions, including saving lives, in the first such ceremony in at least three years.

``A lot of what they do goes unnoticed,'' he said. ``We're trying to recognize them for their job performance.''

It's the kind of recognition that Elliott considers crucial to a well-run operation - a way to encourage the brand of excellence he expects.

``We've got the helm and we're charting things right now,'' Elliott said. ``But whoever sits in that chair should be able to sit there and feel like they're sitting behind the helm of a well-running machine.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

CHARLIE MEADS

The Virginian-Pilot

Edmund E. Elliott KEYWORDS: PROFILE

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