IAFF 3rd District Vice President Mike Mullane sends out IAFF Headlines on a weekly basis to keep us informed of what is happening around the country. This week's news is listed below in its entirety. Everyone should take some time and scroll through and read the stories to see how and what other IAFF local unions are doing in these tough economic times.
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/grand_rapids/GR-Manager-City-services-will-suffer
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI
GR Manager: City services will suffer
Despite layoffs being less severe than expected
Updated: Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010, 5:24 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010, 9:28 AM EST
By Joe LaFurgey
The city of Grand Rapids laid off 65 fewer people than the 110 outlined in a cost-slashing plan announced in November.
But the number of positions left empty -- 137 including jobs already left unfilled when the cuts were announced -- will remain the same.
"To somehow think that it's possible to continue to provide every service that we have in the past, with the same frequency and the same timeliness is really unreasonable," City Manager Greg Sundstrom told 24 Hour News 8.
On Tuesday morning, city commissioners got their first look at results of the reorganization plan announced in November, which aimed to cut $10.5 million, $3.5 million this year and $7 million from next year's budget.
"I do want to make crystal clear that on Nov. 10, I estimated the cost savings to be about $10.5 million from this round of layoffs and we will be saving every bit of that," Sundstrom said.
But some of those who received layoff notices in December were able to keep their jobs.
Sundstrom said various labor contracts allowed higher seniority employees who were laid off to move or bump into other positions, mainly in departments that receive revenue from sources other than the general fund -- such as water, sewer and parking.
In other departments, such as police, employees were saved by reorganizations and outside funding sources like federal grants.
Many officers saved by reorganization had to switch to lower-paying desk jobs and emergency dispatcher positions.
In the fire department, union members agreed to fund a special retirement program allowing 13 senior firefighters to retire, preserving the same number of lower-seniority firefighters.
"That's just incredible that our fire union and the city could work together to try to maintain those jobs," Sundstrom said. "And we've seen it in departments across the city -- police and fire, particularly."
But 45 city employees, including 14 police officers and five firefighters, lost their jobs in December.
Five mid-level managers were laid off as part of the reorganization of a number of departments. Seven higher-level managers were given additional duties.
"Days are gone when managers sit at a desk and all they do is make decisions and manage," Sundstrom said. "All of our management employees are working throughout their entire work day on projects and work just like any city employee."
As many as 10 more employees, most of them attendants in Parking Services, will lose their jobs when the city privatizes parking booth operations later in 2010.
Although the layoffs are not as severe, the city's overall workforce has been reduced 25 percent since 2002. Residents will notice the impact, Sundstrom said.
"The city has made huge strides in its efficiency, both with technology and by leaning our operations to really minimize the effect on our citizens," he added. "But we're at a point now where really, we're running out of ways to reduce staff and not have significant impact on our service delivery."
Asked whether some residents may view November's announcement as "crying wolf" over the budget, Sundstrom said the impact on the city's general fund -- the portion of the budget funded mostly by dwindling income and property taxes, along with state shared revenues -- is in trouble.
The dramatic cuts are brought on by a financial situation that continues to deteriorate. Income tax receipts are expected to be down $1.1 million this year and another $2.5 million in the next budget year.
State revenue sharing is expected to drop $3.8 million this year and another $2.3 million in the 2010-11 budget cycle. Property tax levels -- already hit hard by troubles in the housing market -- are expected to decline further in the next two years.
A deficit pegged at $3 million for the rest of his fiscal year, which ends in June, has grown to an expected $9.2 million. A $21 million deficit expected in 2011 could grow to $27 million.
"Yes, we were able to find jobs for employees in other funds -- in like, the water fund, in the sewer fund," Sundstrom said. "But we're still realizing the full impact of those savings in the general fund."
And, he said, he can't predict whether these cuts will be the last.
"I don't know what's going to happen with tax revenues that citizens pay in. I don't know what's going to happen to state revenue sharing that the state pays to the city," Sundstrom said. "We need to learn to live within our revenues."
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/01/45_people_unemployed_after_gra.html
MLive.com, Ann Arbor, MI
45 people unemployed after Grand Rapids cuts 137 city jobs
By Jim Harger | The Grand Rapids Press
January 26, 2010, 9:30AM
GRAND RAPIDS -- City Manager Greg Sundstrom said today that his elimination of 137 jobs on Jan. 1 has resulted in 45 people who are now unemployed.
Most of those whose jobs were eliminated found work in other departments, Sundstrom told the City Commission.
Among the 45 laid-off workers, 42 were white and three were black males, he said. Of the total, 35 were male and 10 were white females, he said.
Sundstrom said he was "thrilled" his cuts did not disproportionately affect women or minorities.
"It was luck," he said. "I didn't look at names, let alone the race and gender."
The city employs an estimated 925 white males, 300 white females, 72 black males and 42 black females.
The layoffs were aimed at cutting $3.5 million out of the 2009-10 budget and $7.5 million out of the next year's budget.
The Grand Rapids Police Department took the brunt of the cost-cutting measure with 14 officers laid off. Although 35 police officer positions were eliminated, some officers moved into lower-paying desk and dispatching jobs.
The department also eliminated 20 part-time police interns and a crime scene technician.
Of the 22 firefighter jobs eliminated, only five resulted in layoffs, mainly because of an early retirement incentive negotiated by their union.
Of the employees who survived the layoffs, most moved into other jobs, sometimes using the "bumping" rights that allowed them to find other positions, Sundstrom said.
Others moved into newly created jobs or positions that had been vacant because of the city's long-standing hiring freeze, Sundstrom said. The reorganization resulted in 10 people getting promoted and 57 taking pay cuts through demotions, he said.
Although he still needs to find more cuts to balance the budget, Sundstrom said he hopes to avoid future layoffs through other options.
One of those options he will seek is the creation of a streetlight utility fee to raise $3.3 million a year. The fee would assess property owners between $25 to $500 a year, depending on their street frontage.
Sundstrom said he also will seek a reduction in the city's income tax exemption from $750 to $600. The lower exemption is expected to raise about $400,000 when it takes effect on July 1.
Cutting the personal income tax exemption would cost residents an extra $1.95 per exemption while nonresident taxpayers would pay an extra 98 cents a year.
The personal income tax exemption has been at $750 since 2004, when it was lowered from $1,000.
http://www.wgal.com/money/22343565/detail.html
WGAL, Lancaster, PA
Police, Public Works Avoid Layoffs; Fire Department May Have To Cut Jobs
Four Fire Positions Could Be Cut If Union Does Not Approve Deal
POSTED: 11:27 am EST January 26, 2010
UPDATED: 5:26 pm EST January 26, 2010
LANCASTER Pa. -- Two Lancaster city departments have avoided layoffs, while a third could see four jobs cut.
Tuesday afternoon Mayor Rick Gray revealed the deal he and the unions agreed to. Here's how it broke down:
Public Works: No cuts
Police: No cuts
Fire: Four possible cuts
The jobs in the fire department would only be cut if the fire union rejects the city's latest deal. That union vote is expected to happen Friday.
"It's going to be a tough vote Friday. There is no doubt about it because the guys (would really) like to avoid these layoffs," said Lt. Terry Bracken.
Earlier Tuesday, a representative of the police union and the mayor said they feel very positive about the outcome. Faced with a lack of money and rising health care and benefit costs, Gray said concessions had to be made.
"Rather than lay the newest people off, which is what we would do through seniority, it gives us an opportunity to reward the people that have spent many years here," Gray said.
Gray said 19 longtime employees from the police, fire and public works departments will take the early retirement packages offered by the city. The short-term costs of that is about $1.5 million. But officials say they will save money in the long run.
"We feel like we've gone a long way to accomplishing the goals we set out. We recognize we're all in this together," Gray said.
Gray also said on Tuesday that this round was not the end of possible layoffs in the city. He said financial problems could plague the city down the road and the city will continue dialogues with the workers' unions.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100126/NEWS/1260356/1321/Reno-seeks-more-concessions-pay-cuts-from-labor-groups
Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, NV
January 26, 2010
Reno seeks more concessions, pay cuts from labor groups
By Susan Voyles
svoyles@rgj.com
To help erase a $15.2 million shortfall in 2010-11 and avoid laying off 109 workers, the Reno city manager wants the City Council to ask labor groups to take 8 percent cuts in pay and benefits.
Interim City Manager Donna Dreska also is proposing to close most city offices between Christmas and New Year's Day and wants negotiations with unions to reduce salaries by 5 percent and require employees to pay 5 percent of health insurance costs.
She said she will ask the council Wednesday for authority to lay off employees as needed in the 2010-11 year that starts July 1.
The cuts would be in addition to 42 layoffs approved Jan. 8 to help balance the 2009-10 budget.
"The city's challenge is to make good sustainable business decisions and to continue to provide services despite a volatile economy," said Susan Schlerf, assistant city manager. "That's difficult to do, and when those decisions include layoffs, it's heartbreaking."
The 8 percent reduction in pay and benefits would save $10.4 million. About 110 layoffs would be required to save that much money, based on average of $95,000 in pay and benefits per employee.
That also would require some labor unions -- including clerks, dispatchers and others represented by Operating Engineers Local 39 -- to relinquish two raises of 2.1 percent to save $1.4 million more.
A combination of pay cuts and money transfers would cover the $15.2 million shortfall and avoid the 110 layoffs, based on an average of $95,000 in pay and benefits per worker. To use layoffs to cover the entire shortfall would mean cutting 164 to 174 full-time employees, according to a staff report.
At a council caucus Monday, Mayor Bob Cashell said that the staff might be too optimistic, deeper cuts might be needed and the state could take more money that now goes to local governments to solve its budget crisis.
He asked for projected savings if the city staffed engines and trucks with three firefighters instead of four, as required under the firefighter union contract that expires June 30.
Brad Jensen, Reno firefighters union president, said he would not comment on that as contract negotiations are to start early next month.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100125/NEWS/100125061/1321/Storey-officials-making-plans-to-close-fire-station-lay-off-firefighters
Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, NV
January 25, 2010
Storey officials making plans to close fire station, lay off firefighters
BY VICTOR CALDERON
vcalderon@rgj.com
Storey County officials will recommend closing the fire station at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center and laying off five firefighters and one division chief.
The county also would eliminate 12 reserve, or part-time, firefighter positions, Chief Gary Hames said Monday. The recommendations from the fire chief and city manager could mean closing station No. 5 at the intersection of Denmark and Peru streets in the McCarran area.
“It’s a difficult decision any time you have to make these kinds of decisions,” Hames said. “I know the people (who would be let go) and have had dinner with their families, but if the revenue isn’t there, it’s not there.”
Officials said the station has the lowest call volume in Storey County and is the victim of a budget crunch. The recommended cuts save about $800,000 of the department’s $4 million budget, said County Manager Pat Whitten.
“These are signs of the times,” he said. “In order to meet our target numbers, we have to close a station and we believe that is the most logical one to close.”
Whitten said county officials have been in negotiations with bargaining members of the Storey County firefighters union Association about budget cuts. County officials have been working with other regional fire agencies to find iobs those laid off, he said.
The recommended cuts would be for three paramedic firefighter positions, two firefighter EMT positions and one division chief, Hames said.
If the industrial center fire station closes, that area would be covered by the Lockwood station, as it last was two years ago, officials said.
“We’re confident we can continue to serve the area,” Whitten said. “And as the center builds out, I’m confident we’ll have enough revenue to one day reopen that station.”
The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center is a 106,000-acre industrial park just south of the Truckee River in Storey County.
The fire station was built by the developers of the TRI and donated to Storey County, said Lance Gilman, primary developer of the center.
“The park has not grown since we built the station,” Gilman said. “Until the economy comes back ... we’re not opposed to them making that kind of an economic decision.”
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100126_11_0_Thesix778494
Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK
Tulsa fire union begins voting on mayor's proposal
by: BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
1/26/2010 4:09:21 PM
The six-day process for fire union members to vote on their proposal from the mayor began Tuesday. The proposal would save 147 firefighter jobs through 5.2 percent salary cuts and benefit concessions.
Firefighters Local 176 President 176 Stan May said the union's executive board, after receiving the final legal documents in the morning, voted to send the proposal to a vote of the full membership.
'It's coming down to the wire, but we're going to get this done," he said. The process will run to Sunday, including three days of member education about the deal on the table and then three days of voting. The three-and-three schedule allows all three of the Fire Department's 24-hour shifts to have a chance to participate.
Layoff notices that were given to firefighters last week are to go into effect Friday, but Mayor Dewey Bartlett said that if the firefighters are voting, he will grant an extension until Sunday evening. The cuts must take place by Monday, Feb. 1 - the next day - so the numbers will hold.
The proposal includes 5.2 percent salary cuts for 17 months, meaning there would be no contract negotiations for next fiscal year, and it calls for some concessions involving fitness pay and clothing allowance.
In addition, further restructuring of the Fire Department during the next year would eliminate some higher-ranking positions through attrition.
The Fire Department's budget gap is $2.5 million.
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11882343
News On 6, Tulsa, OK
Tulsa City Council Urges FOP To Work With City To Avoid Layoffs
Posted: Jan 26, 2010 12:54 PM EST Updated: Jan 26, 2010 5:16 PM EST
TULSA, OK -- A Tulsa city councilor has a warning for the city's FOP -- unless they do something concerning budget cuts, "a lot of young people are going to get laid off."
City Councilor Jim Mautino, speaking during a meeting of the city council Tuesday morning, suggested the union members change leadership, if the current FOP leaders won't bring an offer to the city to avoid layoffs.
On Monday, Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett told the media he has made an offer to the FOP that includes a 5.2% salary reduction and change in shift hours from four 10 hour days, to five 8 hour days.
The FOP has called the mayor's offer "demands."
During Tuesday's meeting, the mayor's Chief of Staff Terry Simonson angrily defended the ongoing talks with the FOP saying the mayor could have simply laid off all the employees instead of holding out the option of salary cuts.
Simonson says the main disagreement with the FOP is that they want to deal only with this fiscal year and the mayor wants to plan for the next fiscal year as well.
Friday, the city issued layoff notices to 155 officers.
The FOP said Monday evening, they are willing to take this latest proposal to its membership for a vote.
Concerning the proposal for the Tulsa firefighters union to save 147 jobs, the union's executive board approved the final language of the plan on Tuesday. Now it's up to union members to study the deal and vote on it. That will happen Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We should know the outcome late Sunday afternoon or evening. That's within the timeframe outlined by the city.
http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_026010848.html
Ashtabula Star-Beacon, Ashtabula OH
City auditor: Budget shortfall constitutes fiscal emergency
By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
January 26, 2010 01:07 am
— ASHTABULA — Still stumped over ways to make up a projected $862,000 shortfall in the 2010 budget, City Council mulled the matter during a special meeting Monday night.
President Charles Brockway started the meeting by removing an agreement with the firefighters union from the agenda. In a memorandum of understanding, firefighters agreed to reduce daily minimum staffing from six firefighters and one inspector to five firefighters and no inspector.
Brockway said council first wanted to meet with the police department’s union.
City Auditor Michael Zullo suggested meeting with representatives of each of the city workers’ three unions: police, fire and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 1197.
“It seems to work out better (than meeting with all three at once),” he said.
After some discussion, council decided to have Brockway and Vice President Betty Kist meet with union officials and report back to it.
Ward 2 Councilman August Pugliese said he wanted to be sure seniority was taken into consideration.
Zullo reminded council that $862,000 in the red constitutes a fiscal emergency.
“It’s not a good thing for our city,” he said.
Brockway said city income-tax collections are down $521,000 versus a year ago.
“That’s quite a bit of money over one year’s time,” he said. “I don’t believe the economy is going to get much better.”
Just last week, in the wake of the financial crisis, Pugliese moved to have six nonunion municipal employees take one day without pay off a month. Pugliese also moved to slash the city manager and solicitor’s pay by 5 percent. The motions passed 6-1, with Ward 4 Councilwoman Julie Lattimer casting the only no vote.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100126/NEWS16/1260378
Toledo Blade, Toledo, OH
Article published January 26, 2010
Task force told to innovate to fix deficit
Panel named by Bell holds 1st meeting
BLADE STAFF
Toledo Mayor Mike Bell had a major directive for the first meeting of his "citizens special investigation" task force:
"Think outside the box. Think way outside the box."
"I am not worried about a political career. I am worried about getting this fixed," Mr. Bell told the group that convened for the first time yesterday afternoon.
"So if you are worried about something uncomfortable, raise it."
The problem the Bell administration is struggling to fix is a $43.8 million general fund shortfall for 2010.
The red ink includes $9 million carried over from 2009.
The 13 members of the so-called CSI task force began their job with questions mostly on what their role will be, how their recommendations can be put into effect, and how far outside the box they can think.
For example, Brandon Cohen, a lecturer at the University of Toledo college of business administration, suggested selling some of the city's delinquent income taxes to a collections agency, similar to what Lucas County did to collect unpaid property taxes.
Mayor Bell last week offered Toledo City Council his first draft plan for balancing the budget.
That plan relies on voter approval in May to increase the income tax to 2.5 percent from 2.25 percent to generate $7.5 million beginning July 1, union approval of a 10 percent wage reduction for all general-fund jobs, and having employees pay 20 percent of health care costs.
Mr. Bell pointed out that the city had not sought a tax increase since 1983, but in the same period most other governmental agencies have gone to the voters for more funding.
"People here feel they are way overtaxed, but we have not raised anything since 1983," the mayor said during the two-hour discussion.
The budget-balancing plan also includes collecting $1.18 million from the $2.2 million of outstanding red-light-camera fines.
Steve Herwat, deputy mayor of operations, said council would be asked to approve towing or immobilizing vehicles when owners have not paid their fines.
Also included in the mayor's plan is selling city properties such as The Docks to raise about $3 million.
Mr. Bell said he suggested selling park parcels, which immediately drew criticism.
"If you are going to sell something, it has to be something someone wants, not just something you want to get rid of," the mayor said.
Some of the city's union leadership serve on the task force, and Mr. Herwat assured them last night that the group's meetings would not become negotiating sessions.
He said the city would engage in "substantive discussions" with the unions in private.
Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association union, and Don Czerniak, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 7, both are on the task force.
Both men have said they would not agree to concessions.
Mr. Wagner was not present at last night's meeting.
Mr. Herwat also told the task force that its job would be to offer "bigger-picture" suggestions to fix the problem, rather than going through the budget line by line.
"That is our job," he said.
Mr. Bell said his staff had already identified savings from the budget, but he stressed that that alone would not balance the budget.
Task force member Lawrence Conway, a retired UT dean and instructor, said part of the challenge faced by the city is gaining the public's trust.
"We are on the way to establishing a trust that needs to be done," Mr. Conway said. "We have to be working on this together."
Louis Escobar, a former City Council president, said holding a public meeting in each council district would help educate residents about the city's financial crisis.
The shortfall stems mostly from a steep decline in income taxes, caused by soaring unemployment and the loss of manufacturing jobs, said Councilman George Sarantou, who also is a member of the group.
The Bell administration is assuming the city will take in $202.27 million in revenues this year, which includes an estimated $136.1 million from 2010 income taxes.
That figure is down from an estimated range of $138.7 million to $140 million expected to be collected for 2009.
Also on the committee are Perrysburg Administrator John Alexander, Deborah Barnett of Huntington Bank, Charles Chambers of Chambers Business Consulting, Dan Frick, retired managing partner of Ernst & Young of Toledo, Roosevelt Gant of construction contractor R Gant LLC, KeyBank Senior Vice President Rick Gray, Wayne Hartford, president of Toledo Firefighters Local 92, and Don Saunders, former city of Toledo finance director.
The committee plans to meet twice a week. The next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at
4:30 p.m.
- Ignazio Messina
http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2010/01/26/latest_news/latestnews01.txt
Auburn Citizen, Auburn, NY
Report projects deficit for Auburn
By Christopher Caskey / The Citizen
All things considered, Auburn is in decent fiscal shape, according to city financial officials and independent auditors.
But the city will likely need to do some shuffling with the budget to account for state cuts, employee raises and some revenue shortfalls.
During a city council meeting two weeks ago, representatives from accounting firm Green & Seifter gave positive reviews to the city's financial reporting from the 2008-09 fiscal year. They also said Auburn is in better standing than many municipalities who also face state budget cuts and continuation of tough times.
The city does not have any big issues with its financial reporting, according to the audit, and built-up reserves put Auburn in a position to weather the economic storm.
“In terms of the economic times, you have solid performance ... where other municipalities haven't been able to do quite as well,” Roger Beer, of Green & Seifter, said during the meeting.
The city comptroller's office also released its semi-annual fiscal report in recent weeks. The report projects a $191,000 deficit by the end of the fiscal year.
A number of causes factor into the projected shortfall, Comptroller Lisa Green said Monday.
The solid waste fund is en route to come $343,000 short of the budget because of 26,000 tons of unsold space at the landfill. The state cut $50,000 of expected aid from this year's budget.
And Green said Gov. David Paterson's proposed budget looks to cut another $100,000 - 1 percent of the city's aid. The number, she said, is smaller than the $400,000 originally expected from budget cuts.
“(The amount) is less than it could have been,” Green said.
The city's fiscal projection also includes the 3 percent raise in employee salaries that were not included in the 2009-2010 budget. This week's council agenda has a large budget amendment that includes $275,000 for the new firefighter and assistant fire chief contracts.
The council approved the new fire contracts in October. The city and police union are still in the midst of contract negotiations.
Auburn's water and sewer funds look like they will exceed expectations this year, according to the financial report. And the new methane gas generator is expected to bring in revenues.
Green said reserve funds will likely be used to fill in for the raises. But she also said she believes the city is in pretty good shape.
“Ideally, I prefer not to use the reserve fund to balance our budget,” Green said. But ... we saved it for a rainy day, so when we need to use it, we will.“
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/01/26/elyria-fire-union-goes-to-council-on-safety-concerns/
Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH
Elyria fire union goes to Council on safety concerns
Filed by Lisa Roberson January 26th, 2010
ELYRIA — The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 474, which represents 52 Elyria firefighters, is pulling out a never-before-used article of their contract that allows them to bring safety recommendations to the City Council Public Safety Committee in hopes of change.
Monday evening, Dean Marks, the union’s president, addressed the five-member committee and requested a meeting be set for him to present his recommendations to the body.
“At the very least, I hope to educate Council members so they can understand the hazards that now exist in the Fire Department because of the lack of manpower,” he said.
In a letter that made its way to Council members after it went to Fire Chief Rich Benton and Safety Service Director Chris Eichenlaub, the union claims the Fire Department is operating at unsafe levels at all fire incidents. The union membership would like to see the city change its policy and allow firefighters to respond to a fire in a manner that aligns with national standards.
“I can’t put a number on what would make us safe, but I can say having 15 guys show up as an initial response would make us safer,” he said.
However, Mayor Bill Grace told Council members the standards the union would like to see adopted are standards that barely 10 percent of the fire departments in the country meet.
“So you say we are operating at unsafe levels, but you are unwilling to put a number to what would be safe,” he said to Marks.
Before the discussion could get too lengthy it was decided by Councilwoman Mary Siwierka, D-at large, that a meeting would be held in the near future to allow everyone ample time to gather information for presentations. Siwierka, who leads the committee, said the meeting would be a two-hour meeting where presentations from the union and administration will be heard by Council.
While this is the first time the union has used this particular article of their contract to come before Council, it is not the first time a presentation in regards to the Fire Department has been made in Council chambers.
Since August 2007, the operations of the Fire Department have been in the limelight with Grace and Marks both making multiple presentations to Council. In addition, a presentation by an Illinois-based consulting firm was also made in 2009 after they were contracted to do an audit of the Fire Department.
However, even that report has not stopped the discussions on where the Fire Department should go. The layoff of 17 firefighters in 2009 further complicated matters and resulted in Marks filing a taxpayer’s lawsuit against the city in hopes of having firefighters returned to work.
But as city Law Director Terry “Pete” Shilling pointed out Monday, the lawsuit has since been dismissed as the union has decided to take this new avenue.
If Council doesn’t give firefighters what they ask for — which includes restoring cuts imposed on the Fire Department — the union could take the issues to arbitration under the firefighters’ contract with the city, Shilling said.
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/local_story_026032318.html?keyword=secondarystory
Eagle Tribune, North Andover, MA
Councilors: City must hire more firefighters
By Shawn Regan
sregan@eagletribune.com
January 26, 2010 03:23 am
HAVERHILL — City Councilor William Macek said he agrees with the mayor that there's money to be saved in some instances by using overtime cash to cover open shifts, instead of hiring permanent employees with expensive benefits.
But Macek believes the Fire Department, now down 10 workers, has hit the "tipping point" where it is no longer financially prudent or safe to delay increasing staffing.
"I believe hiring three to five new firefighters would save money," Macek said, noting the department recently eclipsed the $1 million mark in overtime spending for the first seven months of the fiscal year that ends June 30.
The City Council budgeted $854,000 for the department's overtime account, but the city has been using money to pay for overtime that was set aside to pay the salaries of the 10 department members who have retired in the last several years.
"We have to look at not only the financial costs, but also the cost and risk of having our firefighters working so much overtime," Macek said. "I understand there's always going to be a need for a certain amount of overtime, but I don't like the idea of it being built into the regular work schedule like it is now."
City Councilor David Hall has said fire union officials told him the city would save up to $17,000 in overtime spending for each firefighter hired. Macek said he isn't sure the savings are that much, but said "there is definitely money to be saved" by adding workers.
At tonight's council meeting, Macek and Hall will ask their colleagues to refer Fire Department staffing to the council's Public Safety Committee. That committee, headed by Hall, plans to hold a meeting Feb. 10 to discuss the issue with Mayor James Fiorentini, fire Chief Richard Borden and union officials, Macek said.
"Both myself and the chief plan to attend their (Feb. 10) meeting," Fiorentini said. "In the meantime, I've told all the councilors that I'll look at any ideas they have for saving money." Last week, Fiorentini said the fire chief is in the process of interviewing several applicants, with the intention of hiring between one and four firefighters by the end of the month.
In November, the city received $262,645 in federal stimulus money to hire firefighters.
Haverhill is down to 85 firefighters out of 95 that are funded in this year's city budget. No new firefighters have been hired in more than four years. The vacancies are mainly the result of retirements, including at least three since the fall.
Union officials have also complained that Fiorentini has delayed several promotions and not filled several key positions, including appointing a firefighter whose primary job would be to train and drill other firefighters on safety procedures and new equipment.
Fiorentini said he has saved the city money by not making the promotions, and that he does not intend to consider them until he gets a better handle on the city's financial picture.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14269208?nclick_check=1
Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA
Vallejo awaits March arbitration hearings with fire union
By Jessica A. York
Posted: 01/26/2010 01:10:47 AM PST
Updated: 01/26/2010 07:49:20 AM PST
The conclusion of contract talks between Vallejo firefighters and city negotiators may be on the horizon, with five arbitration hearing dates set for mid-March.
The new contract with the International Association of Firefighters, Local 1186, is to replace one dissolved last August in bankruptcy court. It would have expired in June.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael McManus also threw out Vallejo's contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Local 2376, in September. The IBEW is appealing that decision.
In recent months, city and fire labor negotiators have met for five days of arbitration, following five days of mediation with the same facilitator.
The mediation/arbitration process is designed to resolve individual sticking points in the proposed new contract. The arbitrator will rule on each issue, following the end of the arbitration hearing.
Lead city negotiator Sandy Salerno said hearing dates of March 10-13, 15 and 16 were set around the mediator-arbitrator's availability, and extend three days beyond original plans to spend only seven days in arbitration.
The arbitration hearings may be open to the public, pending agreement from negotiators on both sides. The Times-Herald has requested access to them.
Mediated talks with IBEW representatives have not yet begun, but are scheduled to run initially from March 31 to April 2, Salerno said. The following arbitration hearing, if required, is tentatively scheduled for the first two weeks in May, pending the mediator-arbitrator's availability.
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2010/01/pension_payment_bill_based_on.html
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com, Newark, NJ
Pension payment bill based on Jersey City Detective Marc DiNardo back before Assembly
By Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal
January 26, 2010, 12:20PM
A pension payment bill inspired by a fallen Jersey City police officer has been reintroduced in the state Assembly.
Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, D-Jersey City, the original sponsor of the bill introduced it during the start of the legislative session last week.
Quigley said she had hoped the bill would have passed earlier this month during the lame duck session before Gov. Chris Christie took office, but it was held up in the Senate State Government Committee.
The bill is in response to the nearly three-month wait endured by the family of slain Jersey City Police Detective Marc DiNardo.
The Assembly approved the measure 77-0 in December and it was sent to the Senate, which referred it to the State Government Committee.
Quigley called the bill a “common sense” measure that would help families, like the DiNardo’s in the face of a tragedy. She said she would fight to get it passed.
DiNardo, 37, died July 21 from injuries sustained in a July 16 shootout with robbery suspects inside a Reed Street building. His left behind his wife Mary and three children. They did not receive his first pension check until October.
“To have seen this family get caught in a bureaucratic mess was outrageous,” she said. “This can't go on and it has to be fixed.”
Under the bill, pension benefits would be paid upon the filing of a death certificate and submission of Division of Pension and Benefits forms.
If the Police and Firemen's Retirement System Board of Trustees found the benefits were not payable, the payments would cease and the beneficiary would have 90 days to return the funds.
Quigley has said the bill was not meant to criticize the board, which followed established procedures with the DiNardo case.
Quigley said Sen. Nicholas Sacco, D-North Bergen, and Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, plan to reintroduce the legislation in the Senate.
“This benefit is provided to our bravest police and firefighters who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect us,” Quigley said. “The heartbroken families they leave behind should not have to face added grief because of state bureaucracy. They need to spend their time and energy focused on themselves, especially if children are involved, not fighting red tape.”
The bill, A-230, has been referred to the Assembly State Government Committee. That committee had unanimously approved the measure in December.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100126/NEWS01/1260322/1006/Cocoa+eyes+pension+expenses+tonight
Florida Today, Melbourne, FL
January 26, 2010
Cocoa eyes pension expenses tonight
BY KEYONNA SUMMERS
FLORIDA TODAY
Cocoa City Council members tonight will hold a special meeting to discuss ways to reduce the cost of police and fire pension plans to taxpayers.
Any shortfalls in what the pensions promise to pay and the amount of money set aside has to come from a city's general fund.
As the economy continues to reduce the return of stocks, bonds and other investment monies that once helped beef up retirement funds, that has placed more of the burden on taxpayers. As of Oct 1, taxpayers were estimated responsible for $13.5 million.
"We are now looking at what we feel are some pretty scary unfunded liability issues for the future," said Wendy Widmann, Cocoa's administrative services director. "We want to make the council aware of the potential for problems so they can make some decisions."
Under current pension benefits for 66 police officers and 35 firefighters, officials said employees contribute 6.5 percent of their pay toward the plans. The city contributes 58.8 percent, or almost 60 cents of every dollar, to the fire pension plan and 22.3 percent to the police pension plan, according to an administrative services report. The rest comes from the state, earnings, interest and premium taxes.
As of Oct. 1, taxpayers were estimated responsible for a $13.5 million difference in what the pensions promise to pay and the amount of money set aside.
Among the cost-saving measures the council will consider are making employees pay more into the plans, decreasing benefits that aren't required by the state or switching to the Florida Retirement System.
In a memo to City Manager Ric Holt, Widmann listed the pros and cons of each option:
? Switching to the larger Florida Retirement System would lower taxpayer contributions, give workers a 6.5 percent increase in take-home pay and add a health insurance subsidy currently not available to retirees. But it would eliminate the need for a local pension board, giving employees less control over their benefits.
? Lowering benefits – for example, capping the amount of sick leave, vacation or overtime pay that can be put toward determining the final salary the pension will be based on – would save taxpayers money. But it would affect some taxes the city receives from the state.
? Increasing employee contributions would save taxpayers money, but would cut employees' take-home pay and wouldn't address the increasing cost overall of pensions.
"If no changes are made, pension costs will likely increase dramatically for at least the next five years," the memo said.
If the council approves making changes, officials said the city would still have to negotiate with the union.According to the Florida League of Cities, pension laws and other measures that have increased benefits for police and firefighters over the past decade have cost taxpayers across the state $345 million – spending that could lead to increased property taxes, crime rates and other "fiscal crises" in some cities.
Additional Facts
Meeting
The Cocoa City Council will hold a special meeting on pension plan costs at 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 65 Stone Street. The council's regular meeting is at 7 p.m. Find a link to the complete agendas at floridatoday.com.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2dc88ec769baac4f
Daily News - Galveston County, Galveston, TX
City OKs deal with firefighters
By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published January 26, 2010
LA MARQUE — Five months after refusing to take action on a new contract with its firefighters, the city council took less than two minutes to unanimously approve a new deal.
The contract approval was contingent on the firefighters dropping a lawsuit filed two weeks ago accusing the city of negotiating in bad faith. Firefighters union President John Brashear pledged the lawsuit would be dropped as soon as possible.
The contract approval appeared to end five months of deadlock. Council members would not make a motion to consider the contract in August.
Members of the firefighters union accused the council of seeking retribution after Mayor Pro Tem Keith Bell, who is a Galveston firefighter, was suspended after his bosses found out he attended a city council meeting wearing his Galveston firefighter uniform.
Bell also was disciplined for failing to follow proper protocol to take time off from his shift to attend the council meeting.
It was at that meeting that Bell took the fire department to task about a request for a new fire truck. Bell argued the fire truck request included too many extras the department didn’t need.
When the La Marque contract came up a week later and no one on council made a motion to discuss it, firefighters took that as a sign of revenge.
Council members never have explained why the contract was not discussed five months ago. There was no discussion during the vote or after the meeting Monday because of the still pending litigation.
The new contract includes a 6 percent raise over the next three years for the city’s paid firefighters. The La Marque Fire Department has 16 paid firefighters who are assisted by 10 volunteers.
The volunteer firefighters group also has been at odds with city hall and recently threatened to disband, which would put at risk about $50,000 a year in funding the fire department receives.
Volunteer association President Brad Watkins said since the volunteer group announced it was considering breaking up, talks with City Manager Eric Gage had progressed.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=353937&src=2
Chicago Daily Herald, IL
Roselle's new fire chief offers department a 'fresh set of eyes'
By Robert Sanchez | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/26/2010 2:28 PM
Robert Tinucci wasn't looking for a long-term gig when he agreed in July to become the interim chief of the Roselle Fire Department.
Five months later, his office at the fire station still looked like it belonged to someone who could return to retirement at a moment's notice.
With barren walls and piles of paperwork purposely not filed away, the room only had three items that belonged to Tinucci: a nameplate, a sprinkler head and a jar of candy.
"The understanding upfront was that I would serve for an interim period," said Tinucci, who retired as chief of the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District in July 2007.
"I figured that I would do the best I can here and keep things going and get some things done. I would try to help transition to the new chief and get out of the way."
What no one expected is that - despite a regional search that culminated with five finalists interviewing for Roselle's fire chief position - village board members decided to offer Tinucci the job. He was sworn in and removed the "interim" part of his title Dec. 14.
"It just occurred to us how happy we were with Bob," Mayor Gayle Smolinski said. "We never thought we would end up with him. But he was just so dynamic in what he's done so far, that we realized how much we liked him as our chief."
For Tinucci, the opportunity to become Roselle's newest fire chief proved too good to pass up.
"It's a small department," the 53-year-old Willowbrook resident said. "But there is a good group of people here. They seemed to welcome me as a fresh set of eyes."
He said he also enjoys working with the village administration and village board. "If it wasn't pleasant, I probably would not have stayed," Tinucci said.
As a result, Roselle has gained someone who brings "a great deal of experience in dealing with fire department operations," said Jeff O'Dell, village administrator.
"From my perspective, he's the right guy for the job right now," O'Dell said. "He has a lot of credibility with the guys, and he's a great addition to our management team."
Tinucci was 18 years old when he started his career with Darien-Woodridge as a part-time firefighter in 1974. He had a history teacher at Hinsdale South High School who would let him leave class to respond to fire calls.
It was all about pursuing a dream Tinucci had since he chased fire trucks around Brookfield as a kid.
"It (firefighting) is the kind of job where you never know what's going to happen that day," he said. "It's not the same old thing every day. Then there's the sense of helping others. We do a lot of functions, but we're pretty much helping others in times of need."
In 1978, Tinucci started working full-time as firefighter with the Darien-Woodridge district. After serving in the roles of lieutenant, captain and assistant chief, he was appointed chief in 1991. At the time, he was 35 and one of the youngest fire chiefs in DuPage County.
During his 16 years as the chief of Darien-Woodridge, Tinucci oversaw a fire protection district with 30 full-time firefighters, 20 part-time firefighters and three fire stations. He takes pride in the fact that he's never had a firefighter seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
But by 2007, Tinucci wanted to move on, in part, to "let new ideas and new people take over."
After retiring, he remained active in the fire service community working with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association. He is also the past president of the DuPage County Fire Chiefs Association.
"My wife calls me a workaholic," Tinucci said. "I am more content if I am busy with several projects."
The chiefs association recommended Tinucci when Roselle officials announced they needed an interim chief to replace the retiring Robert Gallas.
"They were looking for someone who was retired or immediately available that was still very active and up to speed on everything," Tinucci recalled.
O'Dell said Tinucci "hit the ground running" in the interim role.
In addition to implementing a new contractual paramedic agreement, Tinucci helped negotiate a 4-year contract with the department's 12 union firefighters. He also is working with administrative staff on a new agreement with the Roselle Fire Protection District.
"He's been involved in a lot of really important projects for us and did a terrific job," O'Dell said.
Tinucci said he wasn't trying to impress Roselle leaders into giving him a job. It's simply not in his nature to let things slip and go unattended.
"There are people who say, 'If it's not broke, leave it alone,'" he said. "Personally, I would rather say, 'If it's not broke, let's break it, fix it and make it better.'"
Tinucci said one of his goals now is to evaluate the overall makeup of the fire department to see if there are any areas that could be improved. In the meantime, he has no intention of overstaying his welcome.
"There is no way that I am going to be here three to five years," he said. "It's going to be less than that. But how much less? I guess I don't want to quantify that right now."
At least he now has a reason to hang a photograph or two on his office wall.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/jan/26/overtime-falling-as-expected-martin-fire-rescue/
Vero Beach Press-Journal, Stuart, FL
Overtime falling as expected, Martin fire rescue chief reports
By George Andreassi
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
STUART — The Martin County Fire Rescue Department cut its overtime costs by nearly 80 percent by hiring 33 new fire rescue workers with a federal grant, Fire Rescue Chief Joe Ferrara said Tuesday.
The county’s bill for fire rescue overtime for 2010 is expected to be about $500,000, compared to about $2.5 million in 2009, Ferrara told the county commissioners. That means the overtime bill will be lower than it was in 1999.
“It is on a steady decline,” Ferrara said about overtime costs. “In 2010, we’re on track to be the lowest in over 10 years.”
The county hired the 33 workers in April with a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Services (SAFER) grant, Ferrara said.
All of the new hires have completed their firefighter/emergency medical technician training, Ferrara said. They are filling in for fire rescue workers who are sick, injured or on vacation.
“Before SAFER, we had to staff right around 2,100 hours of overtime, which was 10 percent of the total seat positions that we were responsible to fill,” Ferrara said.
The Martin County fire rescue workers union has long complained that staffing on the county’s firetrucks and ambulances is below national standards.
Ferrara said the department made the fire rescue workers put in overtime to maintain adequate staffing levels.
Martin County commissioners accepted Ferrara’s report.
After his presentation to the commissioners, Ferrara said, “I’m excited about the program. It’s working the way we intended it to work.”
http://www.gazettenet.com/2010/01/26/outside-help-essential-swift-response-fires
GazetteNET, Northampton, MA
Outside help essential to swift response to fires
By jlowe
Created 01/26/2010 - 10:00
NORTHAMPTON - Planning paid off when city firefighters battled a string of arson fires around the city Dec. 27.
The relative calm heard in recordings of the voices of dispatchers and first responders that morning is attributable to at least one fact - they were going by the book.
Northampton fire commanders followed their department's own regional mutual aid plan, as well as a long-standing state contingency plan, to call on help from two dozen outside fire companies during the incident.
Mutual aid among fire departments dates back to Colonial times, said state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan. But over the years, and especially within the last half-century, he said, it has evolved from an informal "come if you can" practice to a highly systematic procedure.
Coan credited Northampton Fire Chief Brian Duggan with helping to refine the plan over the last 20 years, during which time he has served as western Massachusetts regional coordinator for the program.
"Mutual aid is used every day of the week multiple times," said Coan, referring to the ways neighboring communities help each other during even fairly small blazes.
"But when situations develop and expand, such as the Northampton fires," Coan said, "the chief has that option (of calling on state resources)."
National standards call for a minimum of 14 to 17 firefighters to attack any fire, including an incident commander, crew to set up and operate fire hoses, a two-person search and rescue team and personnel to handle other tasks.
"The bottom line is no fire department is staffed to deal with a worst case," said Amherst's interim fire chief, Lindsay Stromgren. "Nobody is staffed to deal with that many fires and cover the rest of the town at the same time."
At any given time there are about 12 firefighters on duty in Northampton, Duggan said. That means mutual aid is needed for virtually every structure fire.
And with 15 structure and vehicle fires reported within a 75-minute span Dec. 27, the city needed even more firefighters than mutual aid could bring in. In the end, more than 250 firefighters and nearly 50 pieces of equipment responded, Duggan said.
Mutual aid
In some other states, communities that send fire units out of town on mutual aid calls are reimbursed. But in Massachusetts, each community bears its own costs.
"There's no exchange of money," Duggan said. "It's all in-kind services ... It's like we're part of each other's fire department."
Northampton, like many communities, follows a "run card" when bringing in firefighters and equipment from neighboring towns. Essentially, the run card spells out who to call depending on the size of a fire.
According to Duggan, here's how it works in Northampton:
Whenever a fire is reported, all on-duty personnel respond. If it's a real fire and not a false alarm, the incident commander immediately calls a "second alarm" to bring in off-duty Northampton firefighters as well as mutual aid units.
The commander can keep sounding additional alarms depending on the seriousness of the fire and the amount of personnel and equipment he or she thinks it will take to fight it.
Each additional alarm brings in another ladder truck and two more fire engines. Some of the units respond to the fire in progress, while others go to the station in case separate incidents, like other fires or auto accidents, are reported.
Even with backup pouring into the city Dec. 27 - when a total of seven alarms were sounded - Northampton firefighters were stretched thin.
Several outside departments were initially called to one fire scene, then, as other fires were reported, diverted to a different site while en route. Amherst, for instance, was first called to a house fire at 26 Union St., but ended up responding to 17 Fair St.
Northampton Fire Capt. John Garriepy told the City Council recently he and his team of eight firefighters "broke a lot of rules that night," including going through as many as three to four air packs without taking a break while fighting the Union Street fire. Normally, a break is required after one bottle runs out.
One member of the Union Street team suffered smoke inhalation and exhaustion, and was treated by paramedics at the scene, according to Duggan.
"It was a very stressful night," Garriepy said. "I'll be honest, I didn't sleep good the next night either. I was just waiting to hear those bells go off again."
State mobilization
In Northampton, if an incident escalates beyond the five-alarm stage - as it did in Northampton Dec. 27 - it's time to call in the cavalry through the state Fire Mobilization Plan.
"One thing we don't want to do is strip the outer area," Duggan said.
Because sending backup through mutual aid drains a community of its on-duty firefighters, off-duty personnel are called in to replace them. Sometimes the mutual aid communities must pool resources to protect each other. Duggan said at one point Huntington firefighters were asked to hold down the fort in Westhampton, and later Easthampton took over fire coverage for both Westhampton and Southampton.
Sharing resources regionally like this works up to a point. But when an incident reaches a certain size, surrounding communities can't send more people without leaving themselves unprotected.
The state Fire Mobilization Plan brings in units from well outside the mutual aid area. Once the plan is activated, each additional alarm triggers the formation of a task force.
Each task forces usually consists of six fire engines, two ladder trucks, an ambulance, a commander officer and a mechanic. Two task forces responded to Northampton Dec. 27.
Duggan said a total of 25 fire departments responded to the Northampton fires - 14 from nearby towns through mutual aid and 11 from farther away through the state mobilization plan.
The mutual aid companies were Amherst, Chesterfield, Easthampton, Goshen, Greenfield, Hatfield, Hadley, Holyoke, Montague, both of South Hadley's fire districts, Westhampton, Whately and Williamsburg.
Units responding through the state mobilization plan included Athol, Belchertown, Deerfield, Montague, Orange and Ware.
Not all of the fire companies were actively fighting fires, Duggan said. Some provided station coverage or helped investigators look for clues after the fires were extinguished.
In addition to all of the municipally owned fire apparatus, two state vehicles were sent to Northampton Dec. 27, said Coan.A school bus-sized Incident Command Unit brought a number of high-tech gadgets to the effort. Coan said the vehicle has equipment that can cross-patch multiple radio frequencies, making it easier for firefighters from different departments to communicate. It also has a data link to the state police helicopter that hovered over the fire sites much of the day.
One of two Incident Command Units in the state, this one is based in Easthampton. It is operated by firefighters from around the region who are also contract employees to the state Department of Fire Services.
Meanwhile, the Incident Rehab Truck arrived from Stow to provide weary firefighters with a place to sit down, warm up and rehydrate.
Evolving practice
Recently retired Holyoke Fire Chief David LaFond, a past president of the Hampden County Mutual Aid Association, said his department is testing mapping software that could be invaluable to mutual aid efforts.
Many fire departments already have detailed computer maps of their own communities showing geographical features as well as underground utilities and other useful information. But they don't have the same data for neighboring towns, LaFond said.
With grant funding, Holyoke is building its own detailed map database for the whole of western Massachusetts. LaFond said he hopes other communities around the state will take on similar projects.
High-tech tools aside, LaFond said, mutual aid relies on teamwork and communication.
"It works really well when the firefighters know each other," he said. "It works very, very well when the firefighters can train together."
Unfortunately, he said, there aren't many opportunities for separate fire departments to train jointly.
The state mobilization plan was used most extensively in 1999 in response to the Worcester Cold Storage fire. Coan said more than 150 fire departments participated, not only fighting the fire but also combing the wreckage for the bodies of six firefighters who perished in the blaze, and providing fire protection to the city while the fallen firefighters' colleagues attended their funerals.
While they didn't generate as large a mobilization, Coan said the Northampton arson fires were unprecedented in that there was such a large number of fires reported in such a short span of time. Coan said when he was first alerted to the fires early Dec. 27, he was confident the mobilization plan, with Duggan's supervision, would be up to the challenge.
"I don't think anywhere in the country you would have had a better outcome," Duggan said.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100125/NEWS01/701259927
Omaha World-Herald, Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, NE
Published Jan 25, 2010
Published Monday January 25, 2010
Fire Department boat questioned
By Juan Perez Jr.
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
An Omaha Fire Department proposal to buy a $34,000 speedboat for water rescue operations is taking heat from some government officials. At least one City Council member vows to vote against the idea when it comes before the council Tuesday.
The department's finances were under scrutiny before the speedboat matter arose. But department administrators argue that the boat won't be financed by taxpayers and will allow quicker response to water emergencies.
“We've always responded to any sort of river rescue,” said Capt. Jim Gentile, a Fire Department spokesman. “But our idea is if we can get there faster, it will help the public.”
Critics say the area has enough resources to cover water rescue situations, and they worry that public funds might be needed to maintain, store and staff the boat.
Councilman Franklin Thompson said he plans to vote against the purchase.
Councilwoman Jean Stothert declined to say how she'll vote, but said she can't see a benefit because the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and other agencies have the Missouri River covered.
“We have no idea what the cost of the program will be,” Stothert said. “The purchase of the boat is small, compared to maintenance costs.”
Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning met with Stothert and City Council staff last week about the boat proposal. He said that at least six agencies, including his, have boats available for rescue operations.
Dunning said his office fields an average of six to eight calls a month between May and September for water operations.
Almost none of the calls are for actual rescues, he said. He could think of only two rescue calls his staff has handled in the past 16 years. Other calls were to recover weapons or vehicles used in crimes, or an occasional body in the river after a suicide or boating accident.
“There's no shortage of boats,” Dunning said.
Gentile wouldn't comment on that point but said the boat would protect anyone who needed it. “If anybody uses the river, it's our obligation just to make sure that they're safe.”
The Fire Department has bought about $21,000 in equipment for the boat. Those items did not require City Council approval because the various costs fell below the level at which council approval is necessary, Stothert said.
She stressed that the issue is not the cost of the boat. Rather, she said, it is the unknown cost of staffing, training and maintenance.
Gentile said grants and private money would cover those expenses.
Hats Off Motorsports submitted the winning bid to provide the boat. The twin-engine, 21-foot Yamaha sport boat can seat nine people and run in as little as 2½ feet of water. Its $34,000 price tag was the lowest of two bids received that met the Fire Department's list of 25 specifications.
http://cbs4.com/local/haiti.earthquake.aid.2.1448255.html
CBS 4, Doral, FL
Jan 25, 2010 6:02 pm US/Eastern
Firefighters Return From Haiti With Vivid Images
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ? The devastation in Haiti has shocked the world. But for a group from South Florida, it has changed their lives forever.
"The smell of death and body parts, I think it is unspeakable," said Local Union President Adonis Garcia.
Devastation, destruction and desperation surrounded 12 members of the Miami Beach Fire Rescue team who went to Haiti on their own time. The city could not pay their way.
"Obviously, with the constraint in budgets right now it would be impossible for them to back us with overtime," said Garcia, referring to the City's Fire Department who could not send them under their umbrella.
But that wasn't going to stop them from going to Haiti. When they arrived, they were stunned with what they saw.
"As firefighters, we choose to help people, but nothing in all my years can prepare us," said Garcia to CBS4's Jorge Estevez at Fire station Headquarters on Pine Tree Drive on Miami Beach.
The memories are haunting.
"The amount of screams while people are suffering - that noise I think once it as gets into you, something happens in you," said Michael Capponi, who helped organize the trip.
The team also shared stories of survival including a 3 day old infant who the team encountered having a heart attack.
"We took the baby from them and started working the cardiac arrest right there in the street. The baby was going in and out of consciousness. When the baby left, the baby was alive. It was a good feeling," said Jorge Sanabria.
Another good feeling for the group was seeing a semblance of progress on the streets.
"The Haitian people are so strong. These kids are going to be so strong when they become adults," said Roland Sanchez, a firefighter who also went on the trip.
And while the team stayed strong, their emotions came through.
"It's sad because you hope that the person who comes back after you takes as good a care of this patient as you did," said Nelson Gonzalez , a firefighter who went on the trip.
And everyone who went on the mission can't wait to go back to Haiti.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2010m1d26-Haiti-relief-No-one-does-it-better-than-US-military-says-Secretary-Gates
Examiner.com, Denver, CO
Haiti relief: No one does it better than U.S. military, says Secretary Gates
January 26, 6:35 AM
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is telling anyone who'll listen that the U.S. military is demonstrating in Haiti its unparalleled capability in dealing with humanitarian disasters, according to Donna Miles of the American Forces Press Service.
Haiti has been the focus of an expansive relief effort in the wake of the disaster, which officials believe has killed between 100,000 to 200,000 people and which the Red Cross estimates has affected some three million people, states Ms. Miles.
For its part, the Defense Department has pledged up to $20 million in emergency relief funds for Haiti, and sprang troops into action following the quake, with the U.S. military footprint there expected to grow in the coming days.
"The way we have been able to respond is indicative of our preparedness to deal with this sort of thing," Secretary Gates told reporters traveling with him to India.
"To get the number of ships and the number of people and the supplies forward as quickly as we have, I think, speaks to the capability of the military," he said.
"Frankly, I don't think there is anybody in the world better at it than the American military."
Lessons learned supporting a long string of humanitarian crises missions around the world have sharpened this capability, Gates said. He cited the U.S. military role following the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, a major earthquake in Pakistan in 2005 and devastating hurricanes in Haiti.
"So we end up doing this with some regularity," he said, with each disaster presenting different challenges. "But we obviously learn each time."
That storehouse of experience is proving critical in Haiti, where a massive logistics operation is under way to get food and water to the populace, writes Ms. Miles in her report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
Gates reiterated concern that the situation in Haiti could turn violent if adequate sustenance doesn't reach people soon.
Although more secure landing areas have been established for helicopters to drop provisions, the secretary emphasized that airdrops alone can't meet the needs of 2 million Haitians. Ground transportation within Port-au-Prince remains challenging, he said.
In addition to the US military, there are numerous U.S. police officers involved in search and rescue operations and in triaging victims for medical treatment. For example, 40 New York City cops -- working with 40 New York firefighters -- are involved solely in search and rescue along with their four K-9 units, according to a press statement from the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health is sending additional specialists to Haiti to help assist with the rising medical needs. Reports indicate that thousands of individuals in makeshift medical facilities are in dire need of medical attention following Tuesday’s earthquake.
http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2010/01/26/villages/villages02.txt
Villages Daily Sun, The Villages, FL
Firefighters fill boots with donations for MDA
By KATIE BACKMAN, DAILY SUN
THE VILLAGES — As Bonnie and Dennis Hergert walked by the firefighters collecting money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, they were pleased to drop their contribution into the boot with the goal of helping to fund medical research.
District Public Safety Department firefighters collected donations Monday evening at Spanish Springs Town Square to benefit the MDA, a national research organization dedicated to finding a cure for neuromuscular diseases.
The fundraiser is a cooperative effort by the District Public Safety Department under the umbrella organization International Association of Firefighters, according to Bradley Mattingly, firefighter and EMT. The department hopes to raise $4,000 for MDA, he said.
The Hergerts of Water Oak Estates said some of their loved ones have medical conditions that receive research funding from MDA.
“Some causes are more worthy than others, and this one is definitely important,” Dennis Hergert said.
Firefighters nationwide have conducted MDA boot drives for years, Mattingly said. This is the first boot drive held in The Villages, he added. During the first collection day held earlier this month, firefighters raised more than $600, he said.
Six firefighters collected donations Monday night, and four of them were off-duty, Mattingly said. All the firefighters collecting for MDA volunteered to be involved with the fundraiser, he said.
“Firefighters have held fundraisers to help Jerry’s Kids (of MDA) for years, and I thought this would be a good charity for our department to get involved with, too,” said Mattingly, who organized the event.
The next scheduled collection in The Villages will start at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. Firefighters will be stationed at one side of the square, where residents will be able to see them or a fire-department vehicle.
http://www.kuik.com/Article.asp?id=1674436&spid=
KUIK, Hillsboro, OR
Hillsboro Firefighters' Union Donates to Brain Tumor Society
When Frank Reimers decided to retire, he wanted his departure from 30 years in the fire service in Hillsboro, Oregon, to have some meaning. So he asked his union brothers and sisters to consider a significant donation to brain tumor research, since his niece was undergoing treatment for a cancer known as PNET or Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor.
Nineteen-year-old Nicole Callahan was first diagnosed at age 12 with the relatively rare disorder when she began suffering seizures. Her first round of treatments involved the surgical removal of the mass in her brain followed by six weeks radiation and nearly a year of chemotherapy. Her life returned to near normal for four years until she was about to graduate from high school in 2008. The day after graduation, she knew something was wrong again and the doctors confirmed the tumor had returned and spread to additional areas of her brain. More chemotherapy was attempted, but she could not complete it because it caused too much damage.
In July 2009, the tumor had spread to the opposite side of the brain, so a new treatment had to be found. That's when she began a new type of chemotherapy called Blood Brain Barrier Disruption which puts the chemo drugs straight into the brain, resulting in far less damage to the rest of the body. The courageous young woman has now had four rounds of this therapy and her physicians are excited by the progress seen with this approach.
Reimers' colleagues at Hillsboro Firefighters Local 2210 responded generously to Frank's request to help his niece and the organization that supports cancer patients such as Nicole. They donated $1,500 to the National Brain Tumor Society. That organization provides research and education for patients, families, caregivers, and physicians.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2010/01/stacy-frank-wins-endorsement-of-tampa-firefighters.html
Tampabay.com (blog), St. Petersburg, FL
January 26, 2010
Stacy Frank wins endorsement of Tampa firefighters
Stacy Frank, the Democratic candidate for the Distrct 57 state House seat, has won the endorsement of the Tampa firefighters union, her campaign announced this week. Frank is the only Democrat seeking to replace Republican Faye Culp, who is term-limited out of the post. Democrat Clifford Somers had filed to run, but withdrew from the race.
Frank is setting up her campaign headquarters on Kennedy Boulevard near Dale Mabry Highway, right by Five Guys Burgers & Fries. She says she'll buy a hot dog (a frank from Frank, get it?) from Five Guys for anyone who volunteers for her campaign.
