A Maine fire chief has received a unanimous vote of no confidence from the department's firefighters union over a variety of issues, including a lack of leadership and training.
The no confidence vote by members of Biddeford Career Firefighters, Local 3017, against Chief Scott Gagne was presented to officials at Tuesday's city council meeting, the Portland Press Herald reports. President Paul Froman said members have been "unable to get anywhere" for some time when it comes to trying to talk with the chief about their concerns.
“This has been building over several years,” he told the Press Herald.
Staffing was a critical area for the union's membership, according to Froman. The 42-person department is "very understaffed" in comparison to the size of the city it serves, he added. City lawmakers approved adding two more firefighters in 2018 as part of its 2019 fiscal year budget, and 2005 had been the last year for hiring when the fire department added four members along with a second ambulance, according to the Press Herald. In 2005, the department received 2,062 calls, compared to 5,368 in 2017, the news outlet added.
Other issues highlighted in the union's no confidence letter included:
- Lowering of physical, training, education and other requirements for new hires. "We are in a situation now where new employees can’t perform at the level required, which endangers the lives of everyone we are sworn to protect," the letter stated.
- Poor fiscal spending. “We often find that we do not have funding for more training or to replace and repair needed equipment, but there is money for new furniture and televisions in the administration offices and new iPads in all the command vehicle.”
- Lack of communication across the department. "It’s been nearly two years between officers’ meetings, and we have not had a department-wide meeting since (Gagne) took the position of fire chief."
Gagne, who became chief in 2016, directed the Press Herald's questions to City Manager James Bennett, who said Wednesday that the no confidence vote was the first time he was finding out about the union's issues with the chief.
“In my time as City Manager, I have always seen Chief Scott Gagne advocate to improve the department with a laser focus on providing the very best service to the residents of this community,” Bennett wrote in a statement to the Press Herald. "As a lifelong resident, a taxpayer and a parent to young children within the community, the citizens Chief Gagne serves are often friends and relatives, and their care and safety under his leadership is his top concern.”
Bennett added that he believes the no confidence vote is connected to ongoing contract talks with the union. But the head of the Maine's firefighters union, which is representing Biddeford firefighters in those negotiations, denied that assertion.
“We truly believe we are in a spot where safety is definitely a concern, and if nothing changes, we’ll be in a pretty bad spot,” Froman told the Press Herald.
