http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-fire4jun29,0,5951149.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Natasha Lee
Staff Writer
June 29, 2007
STAMFORD - Faced with budget cuts and layoff notices, the volunteer Glenbrook Fire Department buckled yesterday and agreed to join in a city proposal to merge its department with Stamford Fire & Rescue.
The plan, proposed by Mayor Dannel Malloy earlier this month, calls for consolidating three of the Big Five volunteer departments with the city's downtown fire department into one paid fire system.
The plan is expected to avoid layoffs and save $560,000 next year, city officials said.
Belltown Fire Department has until today to respond or risk losing 30 percent of its paid firefighters, city officials said.
Turn of River Fire Department filed an injunction last week against the city to prevent losing five paid firefighters until a hearing July 9 at state Superior Court in Stamford.
Turn of River Chief Frank Jacobellis deferred comment to attorney Mark Kovack, who could not be reached yesterday. A call to Belltown Chief John Didelot was not returned yesterday.
Edward Rondano, Glenbrook department president, said he signed a tentative agreement yesterday after two of his nine firefighters were presented with layoff notices.
"Either we spend a lot of money and get an injunction or sign the agreement. If we didn't get the agreement signed, Saturday they're laying off our guys, so we really had no choice," Rondano said.
The nine Glenbrook firefighters, who now operate under a separate labor contract, will be placed under the same contract as Stamford Fire & Rescue.
The merger will move additional Stamford Fire & Rescue firefighters and an engine into the firehouse at 17 Arthur Place to help improve fire coverage in the district and cut overtime costs. The Glenbrook firehouse is staffed with nine paid firefighters and stood to lose two if it did not agree to the deal, Rondano said.
Rondano said the agreement must be voted on by the department's seven-member executive board and volunteer membership before it is approved.
If the department fails to approve the deal, layoffs will happen.
The fire union and city Board of Representatives also must give final approval, he said.
Stamford public safety Director William Callion said he was pleased with Rondano's decision and hopeful the remaining two departments would join the plan.
"For the people who have rejected the plan, the ball is in their court," he said.
Three layoffs at Belltown and five at Turn of River would cut staff at each department by 30 percent and put public safety in jeopardy, volunteer chiefs have argued.
No changes were expected at Springdale Fire Company and Long Ridge Fire Department.
The move will beef up Glenbrook firehouse apparatus from two paid firefighters riding to a call to four firefighters, and cut overtime, Rondano said.
Malloy has said Glenbrook and the other two volunteer departments are costly because they heavily rely on overtime to cover co-workers on vacation or out sick.
Initially, volunteer chiefs clashed with city officials and the fire union over how to manage the volunteer firehouses that operate under different safety and staffing standards from a career firehouse.
The reorganized system will allow Glenbrook's volunteer Chief Frank Passero to maintain control over the volunteers and manage the firehouse, and paid firefighters will report to Stamford Fire & Rescue Chief Robert McGrath.
Glenbrook's paid firefighters would be given seniority on assignments within the department which was a sticking point in previous negotiations, Rondano said.
Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 786 President Brendan Keatley said he is satisfied with the agreement but worries about the pending layoffs of his union members.
"Our plan is we will do what we legally can for our employees," he said.
Rondano said it would have been difficult to operate the firehouse with two fewer firefighters because volunteers work during the day.
" 'Volunteers' and 'guarantee' don't really go together. Having a set number of firefighters to respond to a call, you can't argue with that," he said.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.