May 16--Frederick County's fire chief this week sent out a cluster of memos to personnel addressing concerns raised in a pointed, seven-page letter from the president of the firefighters union.
In the correspondence, the union head criticized county Fire Chief Denise Pouget, saying lack of communication from her had caused confusion and low morale among the ranks. John Neary, president of the Career Firefighters Association of Frederick County, also warned Pouget that firefighters' frustrations could boil over into a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
"(T)his document should show a level of frustration," Neary wrote in the May 2 email. "This frustration is systemwide and not just solely my frustration."
But a couple of weeks after the email, Commissioners President Blaine Young said he thinks the issues raised by Neary have been resolved.
Young, Neary, Pouget and a couple of others met Monday to hash out some of the issues, he said. The memos that explained some of Pouget's management decisions also helped alleviate confusion, Young said.
"Things are pointing in the right direction, and a lot of concerns are no more," Young said Thursday.
Pouget said she's not so sure she and Neary have worked through all of their differences, but not because she hasn't tried.
"Whether I like someone or not, I know that I have to have communication with them. It's extremely important. Where I see the problem is that if I do not tell him what he needs to hear, he says I'm not communicating," she said.
However, Pouget said she is confident Neary's email reflects the feelings of a vocal minority, and many union members support her leadership. Commissioners last summer appointed Pouget to take the helm of a newly organized fire and rescue service that blended the volunteer and career branches. They charged her with unifying components of the service and buckling down on spending.
But Neary's email argues that promotions, station transfers and practices for assigning workload are not happening fairly under Pouget's administration.
One of Pouget's memos explains why her office is reviewing policies that govern everything from responding to natural and petroleum gas emergencies to test administration. Another message to the service addressed staff transfers between stations, while others tackled extra shift assignments and forced overtime.
The staffing and policy changes that have come under Pouget's leadership have aimed at streamlining the service and supporting the safety of personnel and residents, she said.
Recently, her division completed a comprehensive review of the system's fire hose, finding that some of it dated from the 1970s and 1980s, she said. The division spent $121,000 to replace the 35,000 feet of hose that failed the tests. Another recent initiative looked at the self-contained breathing apparatus used by the county's firefighters, she said.
Hose and apparatus reviews should happen on an annual basis, but when Pouget stepped into her current post, she found no record of past checks, she said. The fire and rescue division has worked within its budget to replace the outdated equipment, Pouget added.
"In nine months, we've made significant strides to better firefighter safety and become more fiscally sound," she said. "I'm not going anywhere because these folks mean a lot to me. ... Until they ask me to go, I'm staying here, and I'm going to see this through."
She said she's not sure what to expect from the May 28 union meeting, a gathering she does not attend. However, Young said he does not think there is union support for a vote of no confidence in Pouget.
Neary did not respond to a request for comment.
Follow Bethany Rodgers on Twitter: @BethRodgersFNP.
Copyright 2014 - The Frederick News-Post, Md.
