By Natasha Lee
Staff Writer
July 12, 2007
STAMFORD - Five career firefighters lost their jobs this week, after two volunteer fire departments pulled out of a city plan to merge with Stamford Fire & Rescue and are battling against the city for control of their firehouses.
Volunteer firefighters and executive board members for the Glenbrook and Belltown fire departments voted against a consolidation that would have shifted 32 Stamford Fire & Rescue paid firefighters into the departments, and joined career firefighters in three volunteer fire departments under the same labor contract as the downtown firefighters.
City officials threatened layoffs if the deal was not reached by July 1 and said it was the last option to save the city $560,000 after budget cuts. The city's Board of Finance cut $850,000 from the Office of Public Safety, Health and Welfare this fiscal year, and officials have said the understaffed volunteer departments spend too much on overtime.
The Turn of River Fire Department never agreed to the merger and filed an injunction against the city last month to block five layoffs at its department. On Monday, a state Superior Court judge in Stamford ordered the department and the city to mediation to resolve the dispute.
Hartford attorney Pat McHale, who is representing the Belltown and Glenbrook departments, said he has sent the city several requests for mediation in hopes of avoiding legal action. If they are denied, the departments will seek an injunction, McHale said.
In the meantime, firefighters say the city and volunteer chiefs are gambling with public safety. The layoffs of three career firefighters at Belltown Fire Department and two at Glenbrook Fire Department have reduced the staffs by 33 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
Public Safety Director William Callion said he wasn't given a reason why the merger was rejected. The five firefighters were laid off between Tuesday and yesterday morning.
"We had hoped to avert that by having the proposals in place. The proposal was rejected so we had no choice," he said.
Callion deferred questions about resident safety to the volunteer chiefs.
"They have decided they want to follow their plan, so they need to tell you how they plan to follow public safety. I made my effort," Callion said.
Mayor Dannel Malloy, who announced the plan in June, did not return a call for comment yesterday.
The loss of two paid firefighters leaves the Glenbrook firehouse, "not functionable," said volunteer firefighter Lt. Troy Jones, a six-year veteran.
Down to seven career firefighters, only two will be on duty on daytime shifts, and one at night and on weekends, he said.
Jones said having Stamford Fire & Rescue firefighters would have increased manpower responding to emergency calls, especially during the day, when volunteers are scarce.
"The numbers aren't there," he said. "You can't function with one guy on a rig. And in the daytime, you only get two or three people able to respond, versus 10 to 12."
But Glenbrook Fire President Edward Rondano said the majority of the membership and seven-person executive board voted against the merger after issues like firefighter assignments and training - initially discussed and resolved verbally with the city - were left out of the written tentative agreement. The volunteer departments are autonomous under the city Charter; though funded by Stamford, they control and staff their own firehouses.
Last month, Rondano and Belltown Fire Chief John Didelot signed tentative agreements before the deadline, pending necessary approval from volunteer membership. Rondano said the written agreement did not include that certified volunteers could work with downtown career firefighters and train with them.
"Certain talks and discussions were left out of the agreement, and that did not sit well with the membership," he said. "All we're saying is let us have some input into how it's being done."
Rondano insisted public safety was not in jeopardy. He said he did not plan to hire back paid firefighters because of overtime costs. Glenbrook, Belltown and Turn of River together spent $700,000 on overtime last fiscal year, which ended June 30.
Volunteers would have to step up their response to calls to support the paid staff, and the department would still rely on neighboring volunteer Belltown and Springdale departments for help.
"(Volunteers are) being told we're at a loss here, they have to step up to the plate and do what they have to do," Rondano said.
Belltown Chief John Didelot deferred all comment to McHale.
Glenbrook career firefighter Herman Naring, who was laid off Tuesday, said he was concerned about how he will support his wife, 16-year-old daughter, 11-year-old son and disabled father. He said the volunteer chief and executive board showed little compassion for his livelihood.
Naring said the volunteers' disagreement with the city stemmed over "silly little issues" like what fire patch Stamford Fire & Rescue firefighters assigned to the firehouse would wear and where paid firefighters would sleep.
"You have five mouths you have to feed. It's a hardship, it really is," he said. "They didn't show any concern about my welfare or my family or anything else."
Naring, a five-year veteran, also is concerned about public safety. He said the Glenbrook paid firefighters and volunteers have maintained an amicable relationship, but there are not enough qualified volunteers to support paid staff.
"If it wasn't for the nine (career) guys there, there wouldn't be a department. We check the machines, we check the medical equipment, we do the payroll, we do everything," Naring said. "Everyone has their own spiel, but we really don't have that many volunteers to fight a fire right now. God forbid something happens, it's going to be a problem."
McHale said Belltown and Glenbrook want the laid off firefighters rehired and hope to avoid costly litigation. Volunteer chiefs said legal fees are paid from the volunteer departments' fundraising budgets.
"There is no reason we ought to be adversaries with the city," McHale said. "Where else do you find people this day and age willing to provide services for free?"
But fire union President Brendan Keatley said volunteer fire service does cost taxpayers, and now residents aren't getting those services.
"We're not against the volunteer system. When something happens we depend on them. But now what are we depending on? One guy coming down on a rig?" he said.
Keatley said the union was working to help the laid-off firefighters.
"We're pretty upset. We thought we had an agreement, then these small-minded, narrow-minded fire chiefs again stepped up," he said. "It's about control, and I don't think that's right."
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.