City Council meeting
March 26
W-B firefighters blast cuts
Members of the city’s fire department tell Mayor Leighton force reduction is dangerous.
BILL O ’ BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE – The battle between city firefighters and the mayor continues to heat up.
More than 70 members of Local 104 of the International Firefighters Association walked in protest around City Hall Thursday before city council’s meeting.
Most of them, wearing bright yellow T-shirts with the words “No more fire/EMC department cutbacks” emblazoned across the back, filed into council chambers for the meeting.
Dan Emplit, a city firefighter, addressed council as a resident and took Mayor Tom Leighton to task for his recent decision to reduce the minimum number of firefighters per shift from 14 to 12.
Leighton said he made the decision to cut down on escalating overtime costs in the fire department.
The mayor has said the city has already paid out more than $100,000 in the first two months of 2010. He said that if that continues, the overtime will reach $600,000 or more and would bankrupt the city.
Emplit said that when Leighton was elected he asked all the city unions to help the city financially in their contracts. Emplit said the fire union did agree to concessions that represented about $3.5 million over seven years.
He said the mayor, in October of 2008, said, “With the location of three city fire houses – Hollenback at the city’s north end, headquarters near center city and the Parrish and High Street station on the city’s southern border – the department can respond promptly to all calls.”
The decision to reduce the minimum number of firefighters per shift has resulted in shutting down one of the three city fire engines at different times. Emplit said that decision has raised concern about the safety of residents living in the area of the High Street station because response times are longer for trucks coming from headquarters on Ross Street and Hollenback in the city’s North End.
“So he was already aware that there will be delays with only two engines,” Emplit said.
Leighton said he has raised taxes to meet costs and has purchased new equipment for the fire department, including three new engines.
“Equipment doesn’t put out fires, Mr. Mayor,” a firefighter shouted from the audience. “Firefighters put out fires.”
Leighton asked the group if they were aware of the terms of a “handshake agreement” that was struck between the city and four of the union’s negotiators at the end of 2009 and later rejected by the union leadership. The firefighters refused to answer, saying that would be unethical.
The current contract expires at the end of 2010.
“Talk to your leadership,” Leighton said. “Look at the offer that was on the table; let me share with you what we offered.”
Emplit said fewer men and slower response times could result in increased property damage and risk human life. He said fewer men also endangers firefighters who have more duties and other tasks to perform that normally require more personnel.
“Ultimately this will increase injuries due to one firefighter trying to do the work of two, which will also increase overtime,” Emplit said. “The mayor likes to say that our response times are below national standards but then ignores those national standards which say there should be 16 men per shift; the city’s own study says 17 men, our mayor 12.”
Emplit said police, fire and EMS are the city residents’ insurance policy.
“Would you cancel your insurance policy if your personal finances were tight?” he asked. “No, you would look to other ways to save money.”
Council Chairman Bill Barrett said council members could not discuss ongoing negotiations.
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