WILKES-BARRE - City firefighters stood in the rear of the crowded council chambers for an hour an a half Tuesday night before they got their 10 minutes to speak.
Tom Makar, a captain in the fire department and president of the firefighters' union, sat next to union Vice President Chris Buchanan, and read from a prepared speech.
The city's drive to cut costs is compromising public safety and the safety of the firefighters, he said.p
In the past five years the city has cut the number of firefighters from 88 to the present level of 81, and now reducing the minimum shift staff level to 14 in to trim more costs could compromise the level of service, Makar said.
"The city is saving money by not hiring," he said. "Now, they feel they can cut more by lowering the staff to 14."
The dispute has spiraled out of a seven-year contract reached between the union and the city in April. The contract allows the city to set the bar for minimum staff, and at 14 is too low, Buchanan said.
Under the current structure, overtime is approved only when the number of fire fighters on any shift dips below 14. The union had wanted a minimum staffing level of 17.
"All we want to do is do our job safely, effectively and go home at the end of the day," Makar told council.
As the minimum staffing level was lowered, city administration also restricted firefighters from responding in their capacity as emergency medical technicians to all but the most serious medical emergencies.
"We have the best and the brightest medical personnel, second to none, ready to do their job, and now they can't," Buchanan said. "The residents of the city pay for a service with their tax dollars, and we have the staff willing to provide it."
"The system, in my opinion, is failing."
In response, Mayor Tom Leighton described a city clawing back from the brink of fiscal ruin and a current atmosphere of sacrifice in the corridors of City Hall.
Overtime hours have been cut across city departments out of necessity, he said.
"We're all in this together," he told Makar. "I haven't had good news since I took office. I'm trying to turn this ship upright and it's not easy. We have very serious problems. The fire department is just one piece of the puzzle."
As Leighton and council members pleaded fiscal contingencies and belt tightening across the board, Makar and Buchanan called for the minimum staffing number to be increased. There was no resolution during a 15 minute back and forth.
"I don't see why we can't all sit down together again and hammer this thing out," said Councilman Bill Barrett.
Leighton finished his appeal to Makar with a call for future discussions. "The line of communication hasn't closed and you know that."
After the meeting, Buchanan didn't know what had been achieved or even how he felt about discussion in the council chambers. "Unfortunately, I don't know what will change. I don't know if they're going to make the changes to restore the level of services."
And the services are the issue, he stressed.
When a shift is staffed by only 14 firefighters, the department can put only three engines on the street, Buchanan said.
"We firmly believe when we have the 14 and there are only three engines, we are taxed to the limit," he said. "It's an issue of public safety and firefighter safety."
