A: No!  CCS tailors its services and products specifically to meet the needs of your agency - large, small, or in between.  Most of our clients are either volunteer fire departments or combination paid/volunteer fire departments.  Some have adminstrative staff, in which case our services supplement and compliment your staff; or if your department does not have dedicated administrative staff we can fill that gap for you on an 'as needed' basis.

A: Experience, Education, Expertise, and Established networks - these are the advantages of selecting CCS!  With CCS you only pay for what you need, and only when you need it.  When the need is reduced or eliminated you no longer pay!  With CCS you get the benefit of full-time experienced experts at a fraction of the cost.

A: CCS can augment and supplement the services and skills of your own staff.  For example if you have need of a one time project but can't afford to dedicate staff, CCS can fill that gap.  CCS can provide expertise and assistance in many areas where your staff may not have experience or training, such as the 207(k) fire fighter exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act, policy research and writing, fire department specific labor codes, shift patterns and work weeks, collective bargaining, classification and pay, examinations, recruitment, and so forth.

A: In these difficult economic times our experts can bring experience, knowledge, and skills to the table that your staff may not possess.  CCS consultants carry your desires to the bargaining table and represent your department's needs; allowing your executive leadership team to concentrate on other issues and not become enmeshed in potentially volatile and aggravating bargaining circumstances.

A: CCS has two basic fee structures:

• Flat rates can be charged for standard presentations or training.  Flat rates can also be established for one time projects where it is reasonably possible to establish the potential time and materials necessary.
• All other work is billed at an hourly rate of $100.00 for consulting services and $35.00 for clerical work.

In addition CCS offers a monthly flat rate for unlimited telephone support, and a flat rate for attendance at agency meetings.

A: CCS is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice; so it does not need to charge the higher rates of a law firm.  CCS consultants are primarily professionals who have retired and do not rely on consulting as their main source of income.  CCS understands the fiscal constraints of the smaller fire departments as well as the needs of those departments, and it has structured its fee arrangements to meet those needs.  Our desire is to give the smaller departments the same edge that larger departments have, but at a cost that smaller departments can afford.

A: CCS will be happy to answer any question that you may have.  If we don't have an answer, we'll try to find someone who does.  The initial consultation, either in person or on the telephone is always at no charge.  This LINK will take you to the Contacts page where you can select the contact method that best meets your needs.