More than two dozen Gary firefighters were brought back to work this week after being laid off just before Christmas last year.
Twenty-eight of the 34 laid-off firefighters were sworn in at city hall Wednesday and will be considered new hires, but will keep their years of service for retirement purposes, according to The Post-Tribune.
Last month the city received a SAFER grant allowing it to rehire the firefighters.
"I wanted to come back to doing what I love to do," Firefighter Eric Acevedo told the newspaper. "I had a part-time job with a contractor at the mill doing whatever was available."
Several firefighters said they say the layoffs coming well before they occurred.
"We kind of knew the cuts were going to happen because of seniority," Firefighter Thomas Smith said. "I’m excited to come back, but that five years I have don't matter anymore, because July 4 is going to be considered our first day on the job.It kind of hurts when it comes to promotions down the line."
Fire Union President Raynard Robinson said the layoffs affected many officers who took reductions in rank and had to get back on the street
"Morale has been low, because we knew we were a little top-heavy with administrators, and this was the meat of our department," he said. "We had older guys who hadn’t been on the ground in years, and those older bodies were breaking down."
He said the change affected the department's ability to fight fires and that the rehiring of the firefighters will improve response.
