Fire chiefs donâÄôt stay long in Minneapolis.
On Friday, the City Council approved John Fruetel to become the cityâÄôs fifth fire chief since 2004.
Fruetel, 59, will inherit a department that is struggling with budget cuts, low morale and heavy criticism over firefighter overtime and sick leave pay.
âÄúThese are interesting times, and they are challenging, but I truly want to provide quality leadership,âÄù Fruetel said.
Fruetel wonâÄôt take over until Mar. 1, but he said that maintaining the departmentâÄôs current budget levels will be important in order to maintain its level of service.
Mark Lakosky, president of the Minneapolis firefighters union, said he is cautiously optimistic that Fruetel can restore confidence in the department and help restore its funding.
âÄúI have no illusions of him coming in and the mayor letting him put all the rigs back in service that were cut under chief [Alex] Jackson,âÄù Lakosky said. âÄúBut we really are as low as we can go without redesigning what this fire department does.âÄù
Lakosky added that the department has struggled to maintain response times because the workforce has been cut by 17 percent in the last 10 years.
Jackson announced his retirement Jan. 4, surprising many city officials. Mayor R.T. Rybak said he planned on reappointing Jackson this year.
JacksonâÄôs retirement continues a string of short terms for Minneapolis fire chiefs. Bonnie Bleskachek was forced out of her position in 2006 amid sexual harassment allegations. She had been appointed three years prior âÄî the cityâÄôs first female and openly gay fire chief. Her replacement, James Clack, left his post in 2008 to lead the Baltimore fire department.
City Council members have criticized Jackson over abuses in firefighter sick leave, which cost the city roughly $1 million in overtime pay in 2011.
Fruetel acknowledged the issue but said it hasnâÄôt impacted his relationship with Jackson. The two became close friends more than 30 years ago when they joined the department within one year of one another.
Jackson, who became the cityâÄôs first black fire chief in 2008 after the council elected him over Fruetel, has worked closely with Fruetel to prepare him for the position. Jackson said the two have been talking almost daily.
Hours after the council approved Fruetel for the position, he attended JacksonâÄôs retirement party at Bill and Bonnie Daniels Firefighters Hall and Museum in northeast Minneapolis wearing a headshot of a young Jackson on his jacket.
Fruetel retired as JacksonâÄôs assistant fire chief in 2010 and took a job with the cityâÄôs emergency preparedness department.
Rybak said that FruetelâÄôs experience within the fire department and outside of it made him the ideal candidate for the position.
âÄúHeâÄôs a can-do, common sense, no-bull leader who understands the detailed operations of the fire department,âÄù Rybak said. âÄúHeâÄôs somebody who IâÄôve learned to trust from having worked with him in a couple big crises.âÄù
Fruetel led the cityâÄôs response to the Interstate 35W bridge collapse and the north Minneapolis tornado in May.
City Councilwoman Betsy Hodges, one of the more outspoken critics on firefighter sick leave, said she thinks Fruetel will handle the new job well.
âÄúHaving a long history with the fire department and with firefighters will help smooth the transition,âÄù she said.
While Fruetel has support from city leaders, Lakosky said he will have his work cut out for him.
âÄúHopefully bringing him to the table, some of these things get worked out and some of these issues get resolved,âÄù Lakosky said. âÄúBut weâÄôll just have to wait and see.âÄù
