Gildea: Talks on Fire Dept. Minimum Staffing On-Going

Meetings between town officials and firefighter union officials remain ongoing following the town's decision to drop the minimum number of firefighters on a shift.

Town Administrator Jim Gildea said that he and Fire Chief David Kelly have been meeting with Mike Sawicki, the president of the Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, and other FMBA leaders to discuss the drop in duty crews from seven to six. The decision was made in June due to the current budget crisis faced by the town government.

The decision to drop the number of firefighters on a duty crew was made following an increase in the number of overtime hours worked by firefighters and the depletion of the budget. The decision was met by resistance from Sawicki and the FMBA who said the drop will threaten the safety of firefighters and residents.

"It is something we don't like to exercise," Gildea said of the decision to drop the number of firefighters needed as a minimum, which he described as a management tool at the discretion of the town government.

The fire department currently has four duty crews in place, with two crews having nine members and two have eight members. Nine had been the maximum crew in place but two of the slots have not been filled in the fire department due to the town's on-going hiring freeze.

 Sawicki said the last time the department dropped the mandatory minimum numbers on a crew, it proved to be a danger to firefighters and members of the public. He said shortly after the drop including a motor vehicle accident which required a jaws of life extraction, which Sawicki said was made more difficult by the drop in staffing. He also said two firefighters were then injured in a fire, which he equates to the drop.

Sawicki also said that the fire department was cited by state Department of Labor officials for being in violation of the state's two in/two out law during this time. The law requires that when two firefighters are in a building two more be outside at the ready.

Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Kelly said there was no impact from the previous drop in mandatory minimums.

Gildea said he views the current talks as positive and they will remain ongoing.

"They have been positive," he said.