Cape's new fire chief settling in

Southeast Missourian

After just a month on the job, new fire chief Michael W. Lackman is getting ready to move into a house here and just beginning to really find his way around Cape Girardeau.

Lackman was hired to replace Dan White, who resigned in April to take a position in Bentonville, Ark., and inherits a department that has, in Lackman's words, "a solid foundation."

Though they've vowed to give the new guy a chance, Cape Girardeau's troops were somewhat uneasy when a new fire chief was hired. The department has a fairly low turnover rate and many longtime employees. In 2001, four firefighters have left the department. Two were retirements, one was the chief, who was homesick for Arkansas, and another was a six-year employee who wanted to move on.

After 26 years with a large fire department in the Chicago suburbs, Lackman had some adjustments to make himself.

All in all, though, Lackman said the transition seems to be a smooth one. He said he's found a sound organization with a dedicated staff and a rich history.

"The people are fantastic," he said. "They've bent over backwards to make me feel at home."

Thoughts with NYC

Lackman began his job at an unusual time. The local department had been without a full-time chief for about four months. Exactly one week after he stepped into the job, terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center, killing hundreds of rescue workers and plunging firefighters around the country into mourning.

"It was firefighting's worst moment and it was its finest moment," Lackman said. "Those New York City firefighters took on a task -- I can't put it into words. They had to know it was going to turn out deadly for them and they went in to help anyway."

Safety first

In the last decade, the local fire department began offering emergency medical services, and demands on the firefighters and their equipment increased dramatically, Lackman said.

The fire department went from a small number of fire calls to a large number of emergency medical service calls.

That takes a toll on equipment, so a full-time mechanic is employed to keep the engines and reserve trucks at all four stations in good repair.

But some are getting pretty old, Lackman said. Two pumpers had to have water leaks fixed recently, and the newest engine has had some brake trouble.

Station One is relying on their 20-year-old reserve engine while the mechanic awaits parts to repair the new engine's brakes.

With multiple drivers, Lackman said, it was tough to tell how serious the problem was. Some reported the truck ran fine, others said the brakes weren't right but that it wasn't a big deal. Still, the engine was sidelined.

"If we've erred, we erred on the side of safety," Lackman said.

City manager Mike Miller said the city has had to make some tough choices in recent years. "We upgraded the retirement system at the expense of equipment," he said.

Another new engine is budgeted for next year, but they don't come cheap. A new fire engine costs in the neighborhood of $300,000.

Plans for the future

Lackman said his initial focus is to see what programs exist and what can be added or re-emphasized.

He said after an initial evaluation he plans to concentrate on beefing up the department's public education program.

"That's where we can get the most payback," Lackman said, from kids who put what they've learned from firefighters to use and took the proper steps in an emergency.

"And you can't even measure the times accidents have been avoided entirely, simply by a child going to an adult when they've found a lighter or a match," he said.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160