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August 20, 2009

Firefighters union: Town trading $120K for safety

Union opposes effort to cut overtime

By Brian Messenger

The town manager and firefighters union are expected to meet today, Thursday, Aug. 20, in an attempt to resolve whether Andover will staff its ladder truck with one or two people.

In July, fire Chief Michael Mansfield reassigned the second ladder position to fill vacancies created when other firefighters call out sick or are on vacation, injury or bereavement leave.

The change is expected to reduce the Fire Department's overtime budget by $120,000.

But firefighters union President Thomas Agnew, a ladder truck operator, has filed a grievance over the reassignment, claiming it puts firefighters in danger and violates their contract.

Agnew already has met with a deputy fire chief and Mansfield to discuss the reassignment and will continue the grievance process Thursday at a sit-down meeting with Town Manager Buzz" Stapczynski.

Agnew said his goal is fire Chief Michael to get a second firefighter reassigned to the ladder truck.

Because firefighters always work in pairs, when responding to an emergency, the ladder truck operator is now required to wait for back up to arrive before using the truck, he said.

"What would you think if I was just sitting there waiting and a few minutes went by, three minutes go by, four minutes go by?" asked Agnew. "Right now, without the manpower, the truck is just a big rolling tool box." Stapczynski said there is no specific language in the firefighters' contract related to ladder truck staffing. In the 1990s, when ladder aide position was first created, Stapczynski said a "side letter" was written and agreed to that requires the position to be funded when money is available.

Faced with closing an estimated $2 million operating deficit between the town and schools, Stapczynski said the decision to reassign the ladder aide position was made to cut overtime costs in the Fire Department.

"We have implemented the change in staffing and they have grieved it," said Stapczynski. "Every department has budget problems. We are, as a town, looking to control our costs. We've got to squeeze some savings out of the budget." Mansfield said he "absolutely" agrees with Agnew that the ladder aide reassignment presents a safety issue to firefighters, but said he had to cut into his budget somehow.

"I've looked at all the options," said Mansfield.

To restore the two-man ladder truck team, Mansfield is applying for a federal grant administered by the state's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The deadline to apply is Friday. To help fire departments prevent layoffs and replace retiring firefighters, $20 million in stimulus grant money will be available to cities and towns across the state.

Just over a year ago, Mansfield had hoped to use federal grant money to boost his staff and assign a third firefighter to Andover's only ladder truck.

Weary of the long-term financial commitment, selectmen instead rejected a preliminary award of $1.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would have paid for a portion of five firefighter salaries over a five-year period.

Under the current grant program, communities must pay upfront to hire the new firefighters before being reimbursed on a quarterly basis with stimulus money. The funding lasts for one year.

Mansfield said the grant is similar in several aspects to the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant offered through FEMA that selectmen rejected in June 2008.

Under the SAFER grant, FEMA would have paid all but $69,000 of the salary and benefits for five new firefighters this fiscal year. Andover's liability would have gradually increased over the course of the five-year grant to $290,000 in the fourth year and $390,000 during the final year.

After five years, the town would have been responsible for funding the full expense of the new positions.

Selectmen voted 2-1 to reject the grant, with only Mary Lyman voting in favor. Ted Teichert and Jerry Stabile were recused from the vote because they have relatives who work for the Fire Department. Selectmen Brian Major and Alex Vispoli voted to decline the grant.

There are 51 firefighters, 13 lieutenants, four deputy chiefs and one chief in the Andover Fire Department.

If a resolution is not reached between Agnew and Stapczynski on Aug. 20, Agnew said he will call for an independent arbitration hearing.

Agnew said the grievance is about the safety of the taxpayers and Andover's firefighters.

"I have a strong feeling the solution will happen when I bring it to the arbitrator," said Agnew. "I don't believe that Buzz will do anything."

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Firefighters union: Town trading $120K for safety
by By Brian Messenger , , Thu Aug 20, 2009, 04:58 AM EDT
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