PERFORMANCE EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR
SYRACUSE FIRE DEPARTMENT
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
BY: Dale R. Snyder
Syracuse City Fire Department
Syracuse, Utah
An action research project submitted to the National Fire Academy
As part of the Executive Fire Officer Program
February 2003
Appendices Not Included. Please visit the Learning Resource Center on the Web at
http://www.lrc.dhs.gov/ to learn how to obtain this report in its entirety through
Interlibrary Loan.
2
ABSTRACT
The problem was that the Syracuse Fire Department (SFD) operated without a formal
employee evaluation for the past thirty-seven years. The city had a generic evaluation form;
however, even that was not utilized by the SFD. The need for an evaluation system was
evident as a result of the Campbell Organization Survey (COS) (Campbell Organizational
Survey, 8/1/12/02 Reference Group 17 8 = N, Appendix A).
The purpose of this applied research project was to develop a performance evaluation
process for SFD. This evaluation system was used by the city management to determine
wage adjustments; was used by the supervisor to determine professional development and
organizational culture; and was used by the employees to assist in individual performance
goals. Using the research methodology, the action research project answered the following
questions:
1. What if any, are the national criteria for a performance evaluation process?
2. What if any, are the state criteria for a performance evaluation process?
3. What if any, are the criteria for the performance evaluation process in Syracuse City?
4. What if any, are the criteria for performance evaluations in a department of the same
size as Syracuse Fire Department?
5. What are the performance evaluation criteria for Syracuse Fire Department?
The procedures used in this action research included literature reviews, phone interviews,
a questionnaire, an employee evaluation, and informal discussions with peer and subordinate