Following a heated Sparks City Council meeting on March 14 in which the Sparks Firefighters IAFF Local 1265 union called for the removal of Fire Chief Jim Reid, he has since announced his retirement after 26 years of service with the department.
Last month at the regularly held city council meeting, Sparks firefighters brought forth a list of complaints in its public comment period regarding lack of staffing, delayed emergency response times, and not enough fire stations to support the city’s explosive population growth. A few came forward to state that the firefighter shortage has led to more than 11,000 forced overtime hours and 80-hour workweeks for some to ensure that its fire stations are always staffed.
They further issued a statement of no confidence citing a lack of leadership on Reid’s part; about 85 percent of the union’s membership supported the statement.
Following the meeting, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson commented, “First of all, I have complete confidence in our City Manager Neil Krutz and Fire Chief Jim Reid. We are a family here at the City of Sparks and have a passion for serving our citizens. Sometimes families have disagreements on the way things should work. This can be caused by individuals being hyper-focused on the specific job they do each day and not seeing the bigger picture.
“That being said, I have no doubt that our firefighters are passionate about their jobs. I do not believe that everything heard today from the fire union during our Sparks City Council meeting was the 100 percent truth. We are vetting the information they provided to get the whole truth, and although I certainly don’t want to pick a fight with the union, we cannot sit by silently. We will respond to these accusations through the city manager’s office with facts, not emotions.”
City Manager Neil Krutz added, “Jim Reid is a consummate fire professional and public servant who strives to serve the best interests of the people. He demonstrates by word and action the highest ethical standards. I have full faith in Chief Reid’s ability to lead the Sparks Fire Department.
“The city currently has roughly 65 vacancies throughout all departments, including seven in the Fire Department, 21 in the Police Department and 31 in the Community Services Department. Like every employer, the City of Sparks is working hard to fill these vacancies. The city provides many important services, not just those provided by the fire department. We have to balance these competing priorities to make sure we meet the needs of all our residents, businesses and visitors.”
Sparks Fire Chief Jim Reid response to the allegations include, “I deeply care about the employees at the Sparks Fire Department, many of whom I’ve worked with for more than 20 years. I am extremely disappointed that union representatives have chosen to shut down communication with me and have instead decided to air their frustrations publicly.”
Darren Jackson, president of the Sparks Firefighters union, responded, “I have been upfront and honest with Chief Reid. I have spoken to him before anything has happened. He was told days ahead of the vote and he was the first person informed of the results. I also gave him five days’ notice before we made it public at the meeting.”
Jackson says that quite a few Grievances (6-8) have been filed against Chief Reid in the last few months, and that this has been a long-term issue. “We have been trying to work with him since before he was made chief,” Jackson says.
On March 30, the City of Sparks issued the following statement:
In a March 2022 document titled, “No Confidence Motion against Sparks Fire Department Fire Chief Jim Reid,” International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1265 made several accusations against Chief Reid, including the allegation that “after the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, Chief Reid failed to prepare the Department for the health and safety impacts of COVID-19 and mismanaged COVID-19 relief funds.” In response, Sparks City Manager Neil Krutz requested details about the allegation from Local 1265.
Krutz said, “The City of Sparks takes accusations of fiscal mismanagement extremely seriously and I reached out directly to Local 1265 for clarification or details.”
Local 1265 President Darren Jackson replied by email, stating, “We are not alleging some kind of unlawful act. We are simply stating that an opportunity was missed and that the small amount of money that the FD received was not spent on anything that the men and women on the line could use to make our response to COVID better.
“I am pleased that Local 1265 clarified that they are not alleging that Chief Reid engaged in illegal activity, but I am disappointed that this inflammatory claim was made in the first place,” said Krutz. “We should be able to disagree about spending priorities without making false accusations of mismanaging funds.”
The COVID-19 relief funds allocated to the city were managed by the city’s Financial Services Department in coordination with all department directors and other senior staff members based on policy direction from the Sparks City Council. These internal checks and balances ensure accountability and compliance with federal and state requirements.
That same day, Reid submitted his resignation letter to City Manager Neil Krutz.
In his resignation letter, Reid says he will retire on June 30 when his contract ends with Sparks Fire; Sparks Firefighters Union President Darren Jackson admitted that its statement of no confidence from Reid’s fellow firefighters and concerns expressed during the March 14 meeting could’ve been a factor in his early retirement.
According to public records on Transparent Nevada, Jim Reid made a salary of $196,132.80 in 2020 and close to $338,672 total factoring in other pay and benefits.
The City of Sparks told the Sparks Tribune that City Manager Neil Krutz is weighing all options for Chief Reid’s replacement and will be meeting with Reid and the Fire Department’s command staff in the coming weeks to determine the best approach for the Department and Sparks residents. The City has also been in contact with the Sparks Firefighters IAFF 1265 regarding its desires for the next fire chief. It does not have a set date on when the position will be filled.
“I will miss [Chief Reid] for a host of reasons, both professional and personal,” said City Manager Neil Krutz regarding his resignation announcement. “His work ethic is incredible and his mantra of ‘an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay’ is something for all of us aspire to.I am grateful for his service to the City of Sparks. He has truly been a model public servant.”
Jackson adds, “I have no ill will for Jim Reid and wish him well in his retirement. We are not trying to do anything but to fix our critical staffing shortage and keep the citizens safe.”
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