"He will be able to look at the operation plans [and] do the gap analysis to identify the shortcomings, and he'll look for the dollars to close those gaps," Forte said.
Clack has been trying to secure federal grants to make up for staffing shortfalls at the Minneapolis Fire Department, according to the Star Tribune. The shortfalls have taken a toll on firefighters there, with a 10 percent increase in fire-related injuries during his tenure.
"We were short-staffed," he said. "We hired a class in January to try to alleviate that."
In Baltimore, Clack will have to soothe both a jittery command staff and the rank-and-file firefighters who have been through a tumultuous year in which the mayor dismissed a commander and top staff members have left the department.
Clack has demonstrated grace in such public controversies. He became acting fire chief after then-Chief Bonnie Bleskachek was put on leave while the city sorted out multiple sexual discrimination lawsuits that drew national attention.
At the time, he said he played a role of shuttle diplomacy between Bleskachek and the City Council - many of whom initially wanted her fired. She ultimately was demoted to captain and still works for the department.
"She is doing a great job, which is a testament to what we were able to accomplish though a very tough time," Clack said yesterday. "To have her still working for the Fire Department successfully and being accepted again is another great accomplishment, I think."
But the extent of racial tensions in the Baltimore department will be new to him. He noted yesterday that Minnesota is not a very diverse state.
Yesterday, before he was officially introduced at a news conference, Clack met with about 40 members of the Vulcan Blazers, the city's black firefighters organization, and faced questions about appointments and recruitment.
"We talked though those things," Clack said. "I think honesty is important and putting those things on the table and not trying to pretend there are not tensions."
Henry Burris, president of the Vulcan Blazers, said the meeting was candid. "I gave him a brief history of the Fire Department and the racial tension from its inception to the present," he said. "He fully understood them. He felt that his philosophy was to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
"We will not prejudge him," Burris said. "We will give him ample time to do things that are needed to correct the problems in the Baltimore City Fire Department."
