MLA: Fire chief should be a Caymanian-only post
Chief Fire Officer David Hails (centre) when he first arrived, with Deputy Governor Franz Manderson (right) and then Home Affairs Ministry Chief Officer Eric Bush
(CNS): In 2013 the government passed legislation that would enable lawmakers to make certain jobs and senior posts in the public sector the reserve of Caymanians only and Kenneth Bryan, the independent member for George Town Central, is calling on government to use that change to the immigration law to reserve the job of chief of the Cayman Islands Fire Service for locals. Bryan told CNS that he has concerns about the succession planning failures and without concrete steps to ensure that a Caymanian returns to the helm of the fire service as soon as possible. it could become another unattainable job for locals.
Bryan said he is increasingly concerned about what happened with the fire service and the recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers paints a picture of significant failures over the last few years to address the problem. He challenged the position taken by the ministry and civil service that no local is qualified for the top post or even the deputy’s job, especially given the amount of money spent on courses and career development training for the current chief fire officer.
“It seems that the current chief has gone on more training courses than the entire service put together and it leads me to question his suitability for the role in the first place,” Bryan said.
CFO David Hails came to Cayman from the UK, where he had previously been a trainer rather than the head of any British fire departments. Bryan argues that as Hails has been given access to the career development he needed, but the same could have been done for local officers over the last two years to prepare several of them to take over. Instead, Bryan believes, things appear to be going backwards for locals.
Given the current situation and the premier’s own past position about this particular senior position, Bryan told CNS that he is preparing a private member’s motion for the next sitting in the Legislative Assembly, currently scheduled for 15 March, asking government to enshrine in law that the fire chief becomes a Caymanian-only job.
He said that several people now on the government benches supported the changes to the immigration legislation that paved the way for the introduction of such posts when it was passed in 2013 and he hopes that they will back this proposal.
“Sadly, I don’t trust the administration to deal with the failures of succession planning,” he said, maintaining that robust action is needed to ensure that in future the post is filled by a local, as it has been throughout Cayman’s history.
Worried that morale in the service has been exacerbated by the practice that has been adopted of rotating senior officers in and out of management, Bryan said the men and women in the fire service need to see evidence that government is serious about dealing with this issue and that legislating the position as reserved for locals only would send a clear message.
“Government has done nothing over the last few years to inspire confidence in the service that it is dealing with the issue,” Bryan stated. “We need to get a local back in this top job.”
He said that passing the law would focus the ministry on real succession planning, which he fears will not happen without a legislative requirement.
Since government paved the way to name certain posts as Caymanians-only, no specific category of job or senior post has been enshrined in law. The legislation was passed at the end of the last UDP administration and was not supported by the current premier, and so no action has been taken since the PPM took over the reins of power.
Category: Jobs, Local News, Policy, Politics
Let the best man win! Who cares where he’s from, how he looks or what he believes in.
Does anyone realise that being a fire chief is not just about putting a hose with water to out a fire or even to attend an accident scene and drive a fast truck with lights and sirens? It also requires administrative and managerial capabilities. Accounts, people skills, representations at conferences overseas, managing a budget, running an organisation – planning, development, setting long term goals, disciplining staff, rewarding staff etc. If being in a job for 15 or more years is all the qualification one needs by all means, give it to anyone who meets that one single criteria. However, if Caymanians have proven ability and experience in running an organisation at the top level and have gone on to improve their qualifications, then let them apply and be seriously considered for the post. There is no point in hiring someone to muck it up so give qualified firemen a chance but dont just give a job to a Caymanian because he is a Caymanian. Being Caymanian alone, is not a qualification.
I say we focus on appointing the best “Native Born Caymanian” for the job. That way, if we fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
So a crucial department lacks sufficient leadership yet the CPA is continuing to approve 10 story buildings. You really can’t make this stuff up. #facepalm.
It’s difficult to comprehend why the department management has not always been 100% Caymanian. Raise the pay if you need to attract better candidates.
Then all you will get is a high paid idiot, like our MLAs, 3:34.
Now that we have multi-storey buildings constructed from a wide spectrum of materials, occupied by hundreds, if not thousands, of employees, where would a Caymanian Fire Chief obtain sufficient experience to cover all the possible eventualities of a major fire. Like many occupations in the private and public sectors, Caymanians need to go abroad to gain experience and/or qualifications to enable them to compete with expatriate workers, for senior positions in Cayman.
Well, sounds like you answered your own question. i.e., same place the last guy got his experience: on training courses. – This is why succession planning is so important if it is necessary to have X experience you put it down on paper so (a) everyone knows in advance and can make their plans to get it and (b) the organisation can arrange to send staff on the various secondments in the UK (or wherever) to gain the experience the organisation needs. Just like the accountants who get sent overseas for a couple of years of exposure.
HSA CFO is a 100% Caymanian. It did not end well.
Commissioner of Police was Caymanian once. Didn’t end well.
A few Commissioners of Police were British at various times. Didn’t end well.
Know it all Bernie Bush is primarily responsible for that.
“From this point forward, the Fire Service will engage in an Open and Fair Recruitment process and… er, that doesnt sound right. Ok, yeah, we will engage in a Succession Planning Recruitment process for the new Fire Chief… er, no, that doesnt sound right either. Bushy, what am I suppose to do again?”
Whatever…
Mr Kenneth should just be thankful that his job is Caymanian only!
It would be lovely if the position is filled by a Caymanian but in the instance of lives at risk I want the BEST qualified candidate for the job. To say that ONLY a Caymanian can hold that position does not appear to be a good idea.
Signed, a Caymanian.
real born caymanian? or paper caymanian?
There is no difference. Until people like you get over this the country will never move forward and reach its true potential. Which in my humble opinion is limitless. A Caymanian is a Caymanian. End of discussion.
Job protection just leads to an underachieving sense of self entitlement. Look how it is destroying the lives and futures of so many young people today. Those policies haven’t worked. If they had there would be full employment of Caymanians. No one would be left behind. Time to start thinking differently.
Yeah, because real born Caymanian’s in a fire would care more about the origin of the fireman coming to save their life or their leadership than their capability to put the fire out. Come on. Passing lightly over the fact you seem to think that people living on the island who may be first generation Caymanians or even expats, all of whom have the same risks and pay the same taxes that pay for the fire service, should have no view on the matter.
Are you kidding me. If you do not want to welcome people into your country who have made a commitment to Cayman and have been deemed to be an asset to the country you are brain dead. I have never seen anywhere else in the world wherever I travel where people continue to denigrate fellow citizens. You should be ashamed. Signed. A Proud Caymanian.
Too right, I’ve too not seen anywhere where the local people of a place, if left to themselves have the likely potential to implode and go the way of Easter Island. Very sad indeed. District tribalism is one of the first things that needs to end. We haven’t come far from the days of fighting over spoils from foundered vessels. Now we just fight over the almighty $.
OK here goes. Put up or shut up.
Give the names of who do you think should or could be Fire Chief.
Let’s get the names and they can be asked if they are suitable or qualified, or even interested in the position. Just because we on the outside think the position should go to so and so , does not mean that so an so really interested to hold such a post.
Facts are facts. If Kenneth want to stir kaka, then he should have to stay in the room as well. Get the facts before trying to make a drama drama political move.
Give us some names and we ask them. Good men will answer truthfully.
If not we can make them be a better man very soon.
This position is for a sound minded level headed Leader. Majority of our men knows the job but to be the Chief requires knowledge of good Leadership. Someone that the Firemen look up to. With as many men that the Civil Service is made up of there must be one man that can be pulled as a Chief (Leader). It seems that there is such a terrible work atmosphere in the Fire Service. The usual Caymanian Crab Mentality. Regardless of whomsoever that should get this position there will always be a jealousy.
This is so true!!! I know I live it every day as I work there!!!
Can’t help but think we take these guys for granted. If tomorrow they all decided not to show up for work the airport, banks, hotels, schools and our booming economy would grind to a halt.
If the firemen realize the power they have collectively, the premier in his new / used Range Rover would have to resolve their issues expeditiously.
So right …I have never heard of a place that it’s people put each other down as much as here, we degrade our own then take the expats over our own, thennnnn,,we turn round and degrade them too .what is it we want ? Push up each other na ,every Tom dick and Harry that come here make it.. Why ? They look out for each other. We caymanians come in like a barrel of crabs . May God have mercy on us .
Next up, extended contract, influx of UK colleagues for top management and exit of caymanians, just like police service.
CNS, is it true that at a base salary garbage men get paid more than firemen and that they have not had a salary increase in 20 years? Nothing against our sanitary technicians, just wondered if this could be a demoralizing element for the fire service.
No, 8:48, it’s not true. Fake news.
We can’t take Mr Bryan’s word for the Fire Chiefs qualifications, let’s hear from the committee that selected him. In any event if his background is training what does that say about all his senior officers if none of them have been found suitable for the top post.
Why is it in the Civil Service that we have so many “actors” in charge for years before promotion – here the blame for lack of succession planning clearly lies with Caymanians.
As for reserving certain leadership posts for Caymanians that in many cases will be a recipe for disaster,
That’s the norm and will never change.
Reason why we have overseas fire chief take top job as they have vast of experience and lot of training as in cayman island they only fighting house and car fires..what twice a year? If I was caymanian I would go work fireman in big cities to gain experience and training. These cities recevied thousand calls out in a month.
You’re clearly very ignorant and that’s fine. Just shut up next time.
So you think that caymanians can compete with clearly over qualified individuals from overseas? And you’re against further education?
You couldn’t make this stuff up…
Our government was definitely able to regard ALL possible local options within our fire department as unsuitable, but was unable to do the same for a non-local with ZERO history in the country or said fire service.
Wow…that takes some serious talent!
This is clear evidence of the prevailing mindset of the psychologically colonised at the helm of our leadership.
Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be the first time an unqualified expat is preferentially escorted to a senior position over the heads of locals – happens in the private sector EVERY LIVING DAY and has been for decades. (Although, this is now to be almost expected, all things considered – but I digress.)
An unqualified expat – you mean the one with 37 years of experience, including a role for 6 as the senior fire officer in The MInistry of Defence with responsibility for major installations including bulk fuel and RAF stations operating fast jets. As opposed to years of experience dealing with what exactly in Cayman – house fires and car arson? Know which I would prefer to be in charge during our recent fuel tank excitement. By all means criticize the lack of succession planning or Hails transposing his training experience to Cayman, but calling him an unqualified expat just because it suits your agenda is a bit rich.
My thoughts exactly
Diogenes
You are a really sick dude, bobo.
Let’s have some hard truths!! The fire service has for 30 years been the department where Caymanians who could not get a job any where else secured a job. Many of the firemen up until a few years ago had difficulty turning on a computer. Over the years many firemen has taken the challenge to improve their education. However, the department is plagued with drug abuse and back stabbing.
It will take much longer than 3 years to train someone from within the fire service to be fire chief.
Gone are the days in the civil service when the staff are promoted based on tenure alone. This is why the civil service has being improving.
Sorry Kenneth we know you want to secure a few votes but please don’t put my life in the hands of buju or an unqualified Caymanian.
The other area where Caymanians who could not get a job elsewhere is the LA. Case in point Mr Kenneth Bryan.
Come on Bryan. This is the kind of thinking that drags the fire service back to the 90’s. Stop playing politics with people lives…our first responders can’t be lead by incompetence or by someone who has “put in the years”
Why don’t you encourage the firemen to advance their education.
I would support your final statement IF our government had ensured they selected a candidate who made it a point “to advance their education”.
(Not to negate the need for a properly qualified individual to fill the position.)
Even in incompetence, Caymanians are being discriminated against.
At we see consistency, right? Lol!!
Lastly, I am not Bryan.
– Who
It would be fair to say that most firemen are in that position due to a lack of education.
It would also be fair to say that those “uneducated” firemen (and women) are the everyday heroes who; cut trapped and injured victims out of car wrecks, come to the rescue of trapped, terrified hurricane survivors, and run into government-approved death trap infernos to save men, women, and children in places like Grenfell Tower (London).
But hey – the muscle-bound dunces never made it past elementary school, so screw ’em, right?
smh
– Who
Comparing CI Fire Dept officers and firefighters to those who ran into Grenfell Tower when others where saving their lives by running away is gross stupidity and a demonstration of the little islander mentality we’ve come to expect from Who.
Firefighters all over the world do a vital job, but trying to make comparisons between highly trained and well educated firefighters whose experience and workload far outweighs anything a Caymanian officer would see in 30 years of service is both dangerous and dumb.
I could guarantee that few Caymanian recruits would pass neither the physical or educational testing, let alone the constant training that a UK firefighter must undertake.
Have the very best you can hire, not the best you have by immigration law or nationality, both firefighters and the public deserve the best candidate to keep them safe.
Wow … according to you every living thing is superior in jolly ol’ England – even down to the firefighters.
Where do you live again?
Anyway, nice attempt at cleaning up a very short-sighted original post.
We see you. Now, before and the next time.
Kudos!
– Who
*Btw, you do realise that for decades now Cayman firefighters have successfully undertaken and passed professional training courses in the UK, right?
However, I suspect facts play a minimal role in your biased assessment of what appears to be anything “Caymanian”.
If you are one of our expats, then Jah help us all.
Still seeing you.
Hmm, deflecting the point again Who?
Clearly a firefighter in jolly old England will be more highly qualified and experienced than any Caymanian candidate by virtue of access to world class training facilities, highly experienced training officers and huge work load. Something Cayman clearly hadn’t got, until the hiring of the latest CFO who is a genuine world class training officer, a fact you conveniently overlook when boasting about Caymanian attendance to UK training facilities. Who do you think trained them and why did they need to go to the UK in the first place if Caymanian officers are apparently so skilled and experienced?
So by virtue of them being the world class teaching authority, it clearly follows that they are indeed superior to those they are attempting to bring up to a level of competence, wherever they are from. Not a hard principle to grasp, even for you.
But your usual crab in a bucket mentality only highlights your total misunderstanding of both the subject and the wider world view.
Unlike you I have attended the fire training college at Moreton in Marsh, Surrey FS college at Wray Park and LFB Southwark, and unlike you I have witnessed the extraordinary training and experience that is absolutely not readily available to those of which you speak. Unlike you I have experience of the discipline, training regimes, the educational requirements and the physical fitness both recruits and older hands need to go through, and believe me Caymanian officers, (through no fault of their own) aren’t anywhere near the same league.
I don’t need to be in Cayman to recognise a bigoted racist who can’t resist assuming that anyone who disagrees with his ignorant, chip on the shoulder view must be a non Caymanian.
We see you for what you are, and make no mistake, you are no friend of real Caymanians.
Btw. Not my previous post either so nothing to clear up.
while I can agree that there are few Fire Officers uneducated, you may also be interested to know that we have had officers who has attended training in the UK, among other officers from many various countries including England and have brought home the “Silver Axe” because they have taken the top scores. While many of these Officers is no longer with the service, We have many good officers still remaining here. Our problem is “We are not part of Girls/Boy Club”. – Again qualification, experience or education is not the problem with service, this is why the Chief is so smart as he knows he better keep his enemy’s close
We all talk about education for all posts in Government, but never says anything that MLA’s should be qualified with al least some college degrees, don’t you all think that running for MLA’s should be some standard of education for allowing them to run.
Mr. Nixon and Mr. McLaughlin…how did THEY lead, for so many years?? Who and how was the fire service able to function and productively manage the first responders duties on the three islands for so many years? Seems to me they did very well. Politics changed things that’s what changed. If we want to say have locals do refresher training once a month whether physical and academic that is well understood but do not say the department cannot be led by someone who has “put in the years”. Experience is what also offers to ones “qualifications”.
A Caymanian have always been the “best man for the job” for years and years. What would change that now??! There would should be nothing to change that because a Caymanian can acquire any qualification or experience that an expat would have. Caymanians worked their way up from time’s inception and led the helm of all government departments very well…
Are we saying men like Mr. Carlon Powery did not lead or head Customs well? Or Mr. Nixon or McLaughlin did not hold the reins of the fire service, or Franz and Orrett ‘OC’ let the Department of Immigration slip slide? Are not each of these men Caymanians??!
This is not per se about not welcoming an expat I to our islands. It is about preserving certain governmental positions for Caymanians. The people of the islands must maintain a certain calibre of control and leadership within its government. We talk about only in Cayman are people so unwelcomibg of expatriates. Foul chatting. Most Caribbean and developing jurisdictions have these positions preserved for their homegrown citizens. Do the research. Only countries such as the UK or the US or such megaglomat nations allow others to hold some positions but even here in the US if you are not a BORN American you cannot even apply for certain positions within certain governmental departments. The UK has enough control with a governor and premier and reining government who succumbs to anything UK. Any money spent trading an expat can be spend trading a Caymanian. The present Chief, from the article, had no official nor actual fire service experience per se. And are not our officers taken overseers for training just as did our local firechiegs and acting chiefs?
Well said PB.
– Who
(Pizza man)
😉
Sad, Who, very sad. Nothing in her rant you can take issue with or ask about for clarification? Like asking her to list the government positions…we know about the President…where you have to be a born American? How about Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madelyn Albright?
How does one teach experience as a qualification amounts to nought if you don’t have the experience to implement it, please tell.
You clearly haven’t read the latest CFO’s resume, or if you have you obviously don’t understand it’s content.
Why are there still long serving firemen, on “Administrative” leave four years after the “incident”? They have not been charged or told what will happen. The term hostile workplace comes to mind.
We have a couple of fires a year. Hiring someone from an area that looks after hundreds of fire a year would make more sense.
This isn’t rocket science. How in the heck did Cayman hire a trainer instead of a fire chief?
How you ask. because the people doing the hiring didnt have a clue what they were doing. GET AN EXPERIENCED CHIEF
Read his resume stupid.
Identity politics at its best, Kenneth you need to do better than this
This position should go to the most qualified candidate, this isn’t some trophy to be touted as a fully “Caymanian run” department, this department is entrusted with protecting the public interests and safety
I would rather have someone with experience and qualifications for the position than have a Caymanian in charge by virtue of being a Caymanian
If the Caymanian was fully qualified and had the required experience I would expect they would be the first choice, but that is different from a government mandate requiring only Caymanians be considered
Cayman is only so big and our fire service has only so many members to recruit from, are we really going to limit ourselves to such a small pool of persons?
Diogenes
You miss the point! Two years have expired, and they couldn’t train a Caymanian during that time to fill the post????? Come on!!
yes they didn’t train someone in two years…
They should have but they didn’t, that is a fact. My comment wasn’t aimed at the lack of training to fill a post which should have taken place, my comment is aimed at Mr Bryan’s proposal that the post should ONLY be filled by a Caymanian regardless of any other factors
The fact that someone hasn’t been groomed for the position reinforces my point if anything. I would rather have someone competent and qualified than picked based on birth status especially knowing that someone has not been identified and earmarked for the position.
In future I would suggest actually reading what I said instead of just responding to what you think I said
“but that is different from a government mandate requiring only Caymanians be considered”
“I would rather have someone with experience and qualifications for the position than have a Caymanian in charge by virtue of being a Caymanian”
“are we really going to limit ourselves to such a small pool of persons?”
Diogenes
I agree with you but nonetheless, I wish the government would try a social experiment, close all of the doors and appoint only Caymanian’s for a period of five years across the board. If they can’t fill the post including medical staff and demand that all Cayman’s abroad return.
Again, every little town in the US has a perfectly good fire chief, there are thousands of them. Cayman should have no difficulty producing a 100% Caymanian fire service. It’s not that HARD. Stop screwing around and just do it.
And most are volunteers. Food for thought when full timers are just not needed 24/7.
But they trained the foreigner
Rubbish, Cayman does the same thing other lazy countries do, its called a brain drain look it up.
For the love of god,
My comment was aimed at Mr Bryan’s comments about only hiring from a tiny pool of Caymanians in the fire service
I had no comments on past training, a lack of training or the training of others, stop superimposing responses to comments I didn’t make
3.36pm You cannot train ability and competence, if you don’t have it, no amoint of training will help.
He was actually given 3 years and did you stop to find out that the 3 that applies for the job got below 10% multiple times when they tested for the job…. do your research. There are people within that can do the job but surely not Juju, the Dog or the 3rd running candidate that is currently and SDO who has acted as CFO before the CFO was in place and if he was capable would have also gotten the post….. do some research people and Mr. Bryan is credibility is something you thrive on stop listening to people within the service and do the leg work.
No Caymanian connected to past ding dong leadership should ever get this post to avoid a repeat of the mess we are now currently mired down in. This ppm rubbish of appointing them to boards and commissions is a disgrace and shameful to say the lease.
Buju for Chief!
If he can get more than 4%
He is who got 4% lol
Here come Kenneth racking up voters for next election. He is not about the best person to keep us all safe! But scoring points. I, as a born Caymanian, want to be protected so whomever can best fill the position should have it!
As a former trainer, the current Fire Chief has reduced recruitment training from six to three months resulting in the hiring of undertrained personnel leading to a dangerous situation where recruits are being rushed through without competence in common skills.
Surely with all the training currently being invested in the new Chief, new recruits should at minimum be required to complete the six month training regime required before his arrival.
Lowering the standards to fill a quota or add a line on your powerpoint list of achievements places everyones lives in danger.
Kenneth should go to the high schools, UCCI, ICCI and encourage students to look outside the box and go for jobs like chief of police, fire chief etc. tell them that they have to be fit and healthy, they have to do well in their final exams, they have to go abroad and do whatever studies they need to be in charge of these departments and come back and put in the time to be able to hold these positions. I am all for Caymanians being in charge wherever possible but I also believe in being educated and prepared. The fire personal that I know are mostly nice gentlemen and ladies, but dealing with a hazardous events like fire outbreak, hurricanes, road rage takes more than be nice. I also hope that the fire personnel are given every opportunity to broaden their expertise and educational level to benefit themselves and the Cayman Islands. We all have to do our part to continue to build Cayman for our own people wherever possible.
So you’re saying that the current chief is “educated and prepared?”
I really don’t know. If he is our then fire personnel should be trained up to at least his level. If he isn’t then ours need to be trained up beyond his level so that in future we will have no need to bring in a fire chief. We need to plan for the present and the future. That is all I am saying!!
I honestly don’t care whether the fire chief is Caymanian or not. What I care about is whether the individual is equipped and qualified to carry out the duties of a fire chief.
Here is an important question: is the current chief “equipped and qualified to carry out the duties of a fire chief?”
He got the job, so one assumes he did…
Assume = ass u me
Not necessarily. He got the job yes but then we had to train him. Why not train the Caymanians we had during the two years that he has been here upskilling himself at our expense
Protecting you at an expense.
This bullshit about us Caymanians training everyone…lawyers, accountants, fire chief etc etc is really pathetic and makes us the laughing stock of expats who know it is just small minded xenophobia. Please stop it.
Well he was doing the job for 37 years before he got here so you would like to think so.
get the best person available for the job. end of story.
Get the best person, but if a Caymanian is good enough (close enough to the reasonable required criteria) they should get preference over an overseas worker.
Chief David Hails does not meet the criteria and qualifications to be the Fire Chief based on the job description of the Cayman Fire Service. Is that ironic or incompetence on the part of the former Chief Officer of Home Affairs Eric Bush who gave Mr. Hails the job?
In fact he is no more qualified than any of the senior Caymanian candidates who should be trained and developed for the top job. The ministry have an agenda and have made a proper mess of this hiring. The PWC inspection report should result in Mr. Hails being fired for failing in key areas but it appears only Caymanians are held to any standards in the Fire Service and RCIPS. Time to call 911 again.
Its a shame he (and likely many others) did not meet the criteria for the job. Likely he was the best available applicant, here or abroad. The post needed to be filled. Its him!
thats how the work permit system is supposed to work, but they need to have high standards and keep to them….
Not when my house and life is at risk. the best person, period.
Why is everyone getting so worked up over this? Surely what is needed is a first class fire chief. If there is not one locally, then this suggestion would mean the preference would be for a second rater in a vital service.
What a clueless numpty this man really is.
Why doesn’t he focus his attention on something important to everyone like the escalating level of crime? All politicians are completely silent on that for fear of losing votes.
Nobody cares who is in charge of the fire department as long as it is the best person for the job.
Oh dear, cue expat bashing again.