“A CAREER TO REMEMBER”
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF ED THACHER
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Such successes included convincing the Fire Chief to purchase new Suburbans, split the once geographically enormous BN11 into two manageable battalions, eliminate the battalion chief “work-short” program, improve management training formats and, keep Fair Standards Labor Act (FSLA) for battalion chiefs. Ed adds proudly that, “It was the concerted efforts of the AOC that got the County to count the built in 10 hours in FLSA towards retirement. Volunteers who do the best they can without the benefit of lawyers and paid professional staff”. Further, Ed adds that, “the AOC is not just about pay, but professionalism, training and portraying the Department in a good light. There are many other things the AOC has done that have been forgotten by time. I can tell you that the Fire Chief definitely thinks about the AOC before he makes a decision. It may not always go our way, but the AOC does have influence. Believe me when I say, if the AOC did not exist, there would be a vacuum that would be not be favorable to the membership”.

In 1996, Ed found a new home in the BN9 office. He became very familiar with the battalion, the jurisdiction and the personnel and over time was called upon to act as the interim Assistant Fire Chief of all of Division IV.

"Firefighter/Paramedic" Thacher offers his best "Johnny and Roy" impersonation

In 2002, while still assigned to BN9, Ed was asked by Fire Chief Freeman to assume interim responsibilities of the Employee Relations (ER) Division. He ultimately found this interim assignment to ER a very satisfying experience. “I was asked by Chief Freeman to oversee the Division and to provide the Executive Office with a detailed report as to how ER could be improved” remembered Ed. His desire to see that appropriate disciplinary policies and adjudication of personnel complimented by his self-characterized “practical thinking”, made the prospects of the interim assignment very appealing. Ed saw the assignment as an opportunity to encourage the “civilian” staff within Employee Relations to trust in the “uniformed” managers to execute appropriate disciplinary action. Ed felt clearly that “with a little guidance and understanding from both sides, all members would benefit.”

Although all recommendations within his report have not been realized, he still holds out hope that Chief Freeman will recognize their importance and implement them where needed.

During Ed’s tenure as AOC President, he worked hard at fostering a strong working relationship with the department’s Executive Staff, specifically Chief Freeman. As AOC President, not all of the conversations between he and that of the Fire Chief were pleasant yet, according to Ed, “to the benefit of the AOC, there was always open dialogue”. As Ed explains, “I respect how much work the Fire Chief does and his work ethic”. He’s accomplished a lot during his time here. I have come to know and understand that the Fire Chief is someone who can get things done and a man who can do anything he sets his mind to.” At times relentless in his lobbying of the Fire Chief on topical issues, Ed felt strongly that together with AOC persistence and the Fire Chief’s political influence the membership would ultimately become better and stronger.

In 2004, Ed saw that both time and opportunity were right for him to advance his career and promote to the rank of Assistant Fire Chief. Battalion chiefs, for a variety of economic reasons, oft approach promotion to this rank with reluctance. Ed too held this same concern yet he knew that he had reached a period in his career whereby the battalion chief’s position was no longer offering him the challenges that it once had. As he explained, “I enjoyed the BC’s job very much yet I had got to a point where I had simply chased down my last Outside Employment Verification Form and performed other routine administrative task and felt that it was time to move on…”. Ed also felt strongly that by promoting to Assistant Fire Chief he could lend his expertise as a tenured manager for the betterment of the Department all the while setting an example for other battalion chiefs. Ultimately, his assignment as Division IV provided him the opportunity to make important operational changes and provide a positive influence upon his labor and management subordinates.

Reflecting upon those who have provided him great influence in both his personal life and professional career, Ed is without hesitation in offering recognition and praise to his mentors. “I had the opportunity to work with some great men who instilled in me strength and confidence to execute as a manager. Jim Sheppard, Jay Corbett, Pete Douty and Bill Zeason are just a few of those individuals to whom I owe so much”, remembers Ed. An important lesson Ed learned from his mentors that he hopes current and future LACoFD managers will employ is that of “subordinate empowerment”. Ed describes it as a simple matter of “assigning responsibility and a commensurate amount of authority”. Ed claims this is a policy that he has always believed in and something he has practiced for many years.

 

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