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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

CHUCK NORRIS TALKS ABOUT HIS RETIREMENT FROM COVINGTON FIRE DEPT

THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
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by Michael Monks 
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Chuck Norris was just sixteen years old when he was part of the many firefighters called to the scene of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate in 1977. At the time, Norris was learning the ropes of being a fireman with the department in Taylor Mill and shortly after the devastating fire, the third most deadly nightclub fire in American history, that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. "I was sixteen years old (at the time of the legendary tragedy) and that's a lot and after time I kind of blocked that out for a while," Norris said. "I don't know how to explain it. It was life changing."
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"Most people search for quite a long time before they figure out what they want to do," he continued. In 1984, Norris joined the Covington Fire Department and knew from day one that someday he wanted to be Chief. Though he spent time as acting chief in 2005 and again in 2010 (as well as a stint in 2008 as interim public works director), it was August 1, 2011 that that dream was fully realized as Norris was appointed to lead Covington's department permanently. After one year in his dream job, however, Norris has decided to retire, effective July 31.
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"While it's only been a year, it's been quite some time as a department director and working for the City and it's been a fantastic experience," Norris said. "There are hard-working people in every part of the City as well as all the people connected through the neighborhoods, the community groups. It's been fantastic."
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Norris's time as leader of the fire department has run concurrently with tightening budgets at City Hall and cuts that have angered firefighters and their union leading to several heated exchanges online and in City Commission Chambers. In addition to guiding the department through the leaner times, the retiring chief has had to deal with his personal relationship with the employees he oversees, members of the same union that he was part of before becoming a manager. "Whenever you are put in that position, especially during negotiations, it causes some friction," he said. "It's a delicate situation to be in as department head but we've worked well together. The majority of the department understands it's part of the position of being fire chief in the City. There are times where you get put in a situation where it's uncomfortable, but that's all part of being a department head."
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Recently it was the chief himself who had a somewhat heated exchange at City Hall. During the presentation of Covington's then-proposed budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, the fire department was asked to cut $500,000. Norris became upset that potential higher revenue from ambulance fees were to be redirected to the City's general fund instead of the department, a maneuver he hoped would offset some of the half million he needed to cut. "That was one of the ways we saw as a department to overcome the half million, that was part of our plan and by that being moved to the revenue column, that was taken away from our plan," Norris said. The potential increase in ambulance fees has since been reduced from $441,000 that day to about $147,000, "which I think is much higher than we'll be able to obtain even with some of the changes but we're not done with discussions yet, whether that counts toward the half million dollars."
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Norris was able to save up to $127,000 recently. The department was given approval from the City Commission to spend that much on new computer equipment for its vehicles but instead was awarded a grant to cover that cost. Norris hopes those savings will be applied to the department's half million in cuts.
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Meanwhile, the overall reorganization at City Hall as recommended by Management Partners, the Cincinnati-based consulting firm that reviewed each of the City's departments, played no role in Norris's decision, he said. "It's just time and July is the best month," Norris said. July is a common time for public workers to retire and there will likely be others from the department joining the chief on their way out. Norris also said that some of the department's savings plan includes not filling vacant position.
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His retirement is expected to be accepted by the City Commission at next Tuesday's meeting.

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