Richmond Heights again has a full-time fire prevention officer. City Council in 2014 eliminated the position and in its place formed a part-time position in the Building Department titled “fire safety inspector,” which was non-unionized, and therefore less costly, according to officials. The position went from part time to full time in 2018, but it remained in the Building Department and not under the collective bargaining agreement that applies to Fire Department personnel. Now, council has approved 7-0 to create the position of fire prevention officer in the Division of Fire. Richmond Heights Inspector Rick Sumrada had been under the control of Building Commissioner William Gallagher instead of Fire Chief Marc Neumann. The indirect nature of reporting, unclear resources and unusual nature of the previous “fire safety officer” position has, according to Sumrada, Neumann and Mayor Kim Thomas, caused a fracture in fire safety services in Richmond Heights. Thomas said in a written statement that the re-formed position will “enhance coordination, improve response time and ultimately protect lives and property.” “This move, which marks a significant step towards centralizing fire safety measures and streamlining operations, is a testament to our commitment to safety,” Thomas continued. “By working with our new council members, directors and union, we made the necessary changes to ensure that our city is safe to live, work, play and learn. “This move is long overdue, and we made it happen to ensure a safe environment for everyone.” Sumrada told council on June 25, that he has been ostensibly forced to play the role of building inspector and fire inspector, which often had conflicting duties. He said that since 2017 he has conducted 739 building inspections, worked behind the counter of the Building Department answering questions about grass length, building contractors and other concerns that would normally not be in the purview of a fire prevention officer. “A lot of what goes into fire prevention is research,” Sumrada said in an interview after the council meeting. “Sometimes it’s hours of research, researching multiple codes to find out if something is OK or not OK, when you are doing that and you have to answer the phone for tall grass, or you have to go up and talk to a plumbing contractor about obtaining a permit…you would have to break away from your fire prevention duties.” In order to maintain fire certification which fire prevention officers are required to maintain due to state law, Sumrada said he paid for continuing education out of pocket. He told council that in the past he has been in uncomfortable situations when he works with other state and federal agencies due to not being under the fire division’s control. He said, over the course of multiple years, he changed clothes in his car several times, from his building department clothing to a uniform that resembles a fire prevention officer’s uniform. The building department has gone through periods where there was no building inspector, and during that time Sumrada had to fill that role. Now, those responsibilities will go back onto the building commissioner and department. “He will be missed in the building department,” Building Commissioner Gallagher told council. “He was the glue that held us together over the past eight to 12 months. There were times where he was the only one in the department, and he does know the building department like the back of his hand but, even more importantly, he knows even more about fire prevention. “Right now, the building department is in a good position with the last recent hires that we’ve had, and I think we will be able to carry on without him, but we will continue to work with him, as he’s just across the parking lot.”