Firefighters union president says administration ignoring safety

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The president of the city’s firefighters union said the administration is putting “lives in danger” with its proposal to eliminate two battalion chiefs through attrition and waiting to improve a poorly functioning radio system.

Charlie Smith, the union president, told The Vindicator Thursday the department is already down four firefighters from about 18 months ago and reducing the number of battalion chiefs is a major concern.

“Any further reductions will have an impact upon not only public safety, but firefighters as well,” he said. “The position the administration wants to cut helps to reduce the risk of firefighter injury and death. Our firefighters have to be safe to protect lives and property.”

The reduction of battalion chiefs “doesn’t change the service. It’s not a safety issue,” said Fire Chief Barry Finley.

City council’s safety committee voted 3-0 Thursday to recommend a change to the master salary ordinance to reduce two battalion chief positions when two retire. One is expected to leave in December and another in one year to 18 months, Finley said.

The ordinance should be in front of city council during its Aug. 28 meeting.

The first battalion chief at a fire is in command while the second battalion chief serves as the safety officer – understanding the layout of the scene and handling communications between the firefighters as well as dispatch. If another fire breaks out, the second battalion chief responds and gives the safety officer responsibilities to the senior official at the first fire.

Smith is a battalion chief.

The radio system used by the department hasn’t properly worked since it was purchased two years ago.

Finley said modifications were made in recent months to make the system work better.

While it’s not as bad as it was, Smith said the system is a major problem.

“Every single day we’re worried about rolling the dice, going to a structure fire with someone possibly getting injured or killed and the radio system not working,” he said. “This administration doesn’t seem to care or address the safety issues. I’d like to know why.”

Finley proposed the elimination of two of the department’s six battalion chiefs through attrition.

He also wants the savings from reducing the department’s staff to pay for the $285,000 it will cost for antennas and other equipment needed to improve the radio system.

Because of financial constraints, Finley said he asked the union to wait until next year to consider the radio system improvements, but was told no.

“I find frustration because I asked for help,” he said. “I’m one person. I asked for help. They didn’t help.”

Smith said the situation is “turning into an us vs. them. We just want our firefighters to be safe.”

Finley said Thursday it would take six months for the Federal Communications Commission to approve two radio frequencies for the department to use and that request wouldn’t be made until October at the earliest. He didn’t know how long it would take to install the equipment.

Smith said: “It’s so hard to understand, with the safety issues, why the city is waiting to do this. This should have been started months ago. They’re going after our safety officers to pay for radios when they could have done this already.”

The radio system was the subject of a grievance filed by the firefighters union earlier this year after two firefighters were injured. The grievance wasn’t resolved, and the firefighters union filed a complaint with an arbitrator over the issue. It’s expected to be in front of the arbitrator in September, Finley said.

Meanwhile, Finley confirmed to The Vindicator that there’s a strong possibility that by mid-August or September, the city will have to close fire stations on a rotating basis because of overtime costs.

The department’s overtime budget for the year is $40,000 and is at about $20,000, Finley said. The chief said that he had previously decided that once overtime got to $25,000, he’d close stations on a rotating basis.

“I’m hoping I don’t have to close, but the money is getting thin,” he said.

The department’s overtime budget last year was $108,000.

Smith said he was greatly concerned with stations closing as it likely means it would take longer for the department to respond in areas where a station is closed.

The city closed stations last year for a few months, staring in July, because the department was close to its yearly overtime budget.

After about three months of the rotating closing of stations, the administration chose to remove a firetruck from service, demoted six staff members and freed up firefighters to take on duties at other stations.