Says layoffs could harm public safety (Dec. 29)
By: Lauren Burgoon
WASHINGTON The township’s firefighters are criticizing a possible takeover of the fire district and its operations by the town, saying the proposal and expected accompanying layoffs "are a major safety concern."
"The bottom line is that we are talking about one engine and one ambulance doing one heck of a lot of work from one fire station for the protection of the public in a rapidly growing 21-square-mile township," Jason Palmer, president of the firefighters’ union, said in a statement.
"There isn’t much that can be cut without compromising safety or reducing the level of services currently being provided."
The union represents 24 paid firefighters and captains in town. If a plan currently under review by Mayor Dave Fried is adopted, one-third of the paid staff can expect pink slips. The layoffs would result from consolidating police, fire and emergency medical operations under township purview. Currently the fire district is an independent body that sets its own budget and taxes residents.
The mayor said last week that fire taxes, expected to jump 34 percent by 2008 if no changes are made, are becoming too burdensome. If the predicted jump materialized, the fire tax bill for a home assessed at $175,000, the township average, would increase from $455 this year to $612 in 2008.
But by taking over fire and emergency operations, cross-training police officers as emergency medical technicians and saving money through salary and benefit cuts and shared services, Washington could save up to $1 million a year, Mayor Fried said.
The union’s question is at what cost?
"We have the capacity to handle fire and EMS calls at the same time now," Mr. Palmer said Tuesday, adding that reducing the staff would end that capacity. "If you take away staff at the Fire Department and use police officers (for EMT services), how can it not compromise public safety on the other end? You’re going to have to take police officers off patrol to respond to medical calls."
A 10-year strategic plan for the Fire Department, released earlier this year, did not mention layoffs, Mr. Palmer added.
"There is a cost associated with firefighters responding to emergencies understaffed. Firefighter, as well as citizen, injury and fatality rates rise," the union statement said. "Firefighters are injured and killed while operating without safe staffing levels, the severity of citizen injuries increases and people even die when responding fire units are not able arrive soon enough with enough fully trained firefighters to complete all of the essential tasks necessary to effectively deal with an emergency."
The union plans to "vehemently oppose" any suggested layoffs. However, members will likely have to wait to hear if layoffs are part of the consolidation plan since a panel assembled by Mayor Fried to study the issue does not include union representation.
"I don’t think it’s necessary right now. At the end of the day, this isn’t about negotiations, it’s about what’s best for the town," the mayor said Tuesday. Including a union member "could put someone in a bad situation" if the panel recommends layoffs.
The panel’s members are the mayor, Township Council members David Boyne and Ronda Hyams, fire commissioners Mike McGowan and Greg Zalenski, Fire Chief Kevin Brink (an honorary union member) and Police Chief Martin Masseroni.
Mayor Fried expects to name two more members soon. He declined to provide names since the two are not officially on the panel yet, but said one is a Washington resident with over 20 years experience with Edison’s Fire Department.
The panel will begin its work in January, Mayor Fried said, with an expected completion date before the Feb. 18 fire elections.
To dissolve the fire district, a resident would need to submit a petition with 368 signatures to the town. The council could then vote on the proposal. The five fire commissioners do not get a vote in the matter.
Mr. Palmer said the union already asked for, and will continue to request, representation on the panel, as well as request assistance from the International Association of Firefighters, the union’s mother organization. In the meantime, he vowed that emergency services would not suffer.
"Washington Township’s firefighters will continue to provide the professional level of service that the public has not only come to expect, but unquestionably deserve," the union statement said.

