Mayor in N.Y. Forms Committee to Study FD Issues

Oct. 20--ONEONTA -- Mayor Dick Miller is forming a committee to take a closer look at a variety of issues concerning the fire department.

They include fee structures, recruiting call and part-time firefighters, and examining contracts the city has with neighboring towns for ambulance services.

The question of how "big" the fire department needs to be in terms of personnel is one of the overarching issues Miller said he hopes to get resolved.

"My major concern is we've got all of these issues floating around," Miller said.

The department has 27 full-time personnel, including Chief Patrick Pidgeon and Assistant Chief Shane Mattice. There are four captains and 22 firefighters, along with two part-time dispatchers.

Miller announced at the Common Council on Tuesday that he would launch the committee and said he is expecting to tap Chamberlain Meg Hungerford, Personnel Director Kathy Wolverton, Pidgeon, one of the four captains, First Ward Alderman Maureen Hennessy, Fourth Ward Alderman Mike Lynch and a union member.

During discussion Tuesday, Lynch said he would like to see a greater representation of firefighter members on the committee. The mayor said Wednesday he will take that into consideration.

Mike Mancini, vice president of the firefighters' union, said he was enthusiastic about the mayor's plan.

"I think it's a great idea," Mancini said. "There are instances where we've been excluded."

Pidgeon said he is optimistic.

"I am glad that (the mayor) is doing it and that he is at least thinking about taking some sort of action," Pidgeon said. "Our manpower is definitely down, numbers-wise in terms of call firefighters and part-timers."

Call firefighters are typically called for service during emergencies, while part-timers are called in to fill out shifts when a full-time firefighter is out sick, on vacation or injured.

In the mid-1980s, the department had close to 40 call firefighters, including about 10 "extremely active" call firefighters, according to Pidgeon.

"We currently have six call department members now," he said.

Pidgeon said more intensive training requirements, combined with a desire among local young people to move away from Oneonta, have thinned the pool of call firefighters and part-timers.

Full-time firefighters are also often recruited from those ranks.

At the same time, the fire department is seeing an increase in call volume.

There were 22 percent more calls from the beginning of the year through September than there were during the same time period last year, according to Pidgeon.

Miller said he expects the committee to meet for at least the next two or three months.