Herald-Standard.com: Firefighters rally against Fike's policy

Firefighters rally against Fike's policy
November 03, 2009 03:25 AM

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By: STEVE FERRIS

Herald Standard

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Alvin Sapp Jr. (center), president of the Uniontown Volunteer Firemen Boosters, and other members carry signs Monday morning about public safety as they protest Mayor Ed Fikes plans to furlough full-time firemen Monday. Ed Cope/Herald-Standard

The sound of car and truck horns honking outside City Hall in support of Uniontown's firefighters reached Mayor Ed Fike's office Monday, but did not convince him to change directions in calling for laying off some full-time firemen.

City volunteer firefighters protested the possible layoffs by holding signs that asked passing motorists to honk in support of public safety.

"Public safety is gone without the full-time firefighters," said Alvin Sapp, who has served as a city volunteer for 26 years. "Volunteers can't do it alone. There's not enough volunteers anymore."

He said the volunteers held the daylong protest to help generate support for keeping all 13 full-time firemen on the job.

Able to see the volunteers through his office window facing Gallatin Avenue and hearing the horns honking, Fike said he respects the volunteers' show of support and respects all firefighters, but the city can't afford 13 paid firemen.

"I respect that. I can understand their support. I have always supported firemen myself," Fike said. "It's all about the dollar. Unfortunately, we can't just wave a magic wand and create new money. Fortunately, we have volunteers."

He said he does not want to abolish the fire department or close either of the two fire stations, but he believes a property tax increase would be needed to keep all 13 on the payroll.

Fike has said at least 25 city employees, including seven firemen, have to be laid off to avoid ending the year in a $220,700 deficit.

Sapp said volunteer firefighters and the public would be at risk if career firemen do not respond to emergencies.

The city volunteer fire departments have about 100 members, but most are older, he said. Three or four regularly respond to alarms and only one or two respond during the day, Sapp said.

All fire departments have difficulty enlisting volunteers, he said.

Fike said he believes voters selected him as mayor to reduce the city's expenses and keep taxes as low as possible.

His goal is to lower the real estate tax rate next year and have a strong fire department that operates at a minimal cost, he said.

It has taken a lot of courage to enact unpopular, but necessary cost-cutting measures the last two years, Fike said.

He and council laid off 41 employees, including seven firemen, last year and this year. The firemen and some of the other workers have been recalled.

A 4.5-mill increase in the real estate tax rate went into effect this year.

The 10-man sanitation department was replaced with an outside contractor that pays the city an $8,000 a month franchise fee last year, but an arbitrator ordered the city to pay the workers $83,225 to compensate them for the time remaining in their contract, which expires at the end of this year.

Fike said he wants to follow to the agreement that was reached to recall the seven firemen. The agreement required the city to keep three of the firemen on the job to at least Sept. 18 and four through the end of the year.

He said the city has adhered to a provision in the agreement that required the city to meet with the firemen at least 30 days before taking action on any layoffs, but he and council have not yet made any decisions regarding layoffs.

The fire department has said laying off seven men would delay emergency response time, force the closure of the East End Fire Station due to insufficient manpower and leave the city without zoning and code enforcement officers.

Pamphlets the volunteers distributed said they have not been trained as fire engine operators and the last time a volunteer joined the department was in 2006.

Fike said the volunteers should have commercial drivers licenses (CDL), which would allow them to drive the fire trucks. If volunteers can learn how to fight fires, they can pass a CDL test, Fike said.

Comments

Kathryn Jones, 11-03-09 9:00 am | Rate: 0 |

Nobody likes to see anyone lose a job, but the city jobs are treated like birth rights...passed around like family heirlooms. What part of we can't afford it do these folks not understand?

Mark, 11-03-09 9:57 am | Rate: 0 |

I think what Mr. Fike is missing here is that he wasn't voted in to keep taxes low and reduce expenses. He was voted in to do what's right for the city of Uniontown. Sometimes that doesn't always mean low taxes.

The people that support 13 firefighters being laid off are actually only in support of their own property taxes not going up. A question needs to be posed...what good does your lower property tax do for you when your house burns to the ground?

Furthermore, I don't see a single one of the people who support this, takin their rearends down to the firestation and volunteering.

I don't think that city jobs like fire fighting is passed around like family heirlooms...far from it. What people fail to realize is that being a firefighter is in your blood. It's a lifestyle. So it stands to reason that when your grandfather was a firefighter, your dad will probably be one, and then you, etc, etc. Ironically, the people who are getting laid off will probably be angry enough to leave the dept for a little while, but these guys are far too good hearted to stay away....and this is how the city treats them.

To top it all off, he now wants them to get a CDL as well. Well tell me Mr. Fike...who will pay for those? CDLs aren't free.

With the horns that were honking it's nice to see that the majority of Uniontown's citizens support the firemen and the fire dept. and what's even more refreshing is those people honking...are voters, which means people like Mr. Fike won't be in office for long.

I understand the city not having enough money, but believe me, when you're trapped in your vehicle wishing someone was there to get you out, or when your house is burning down with everything you own inside of it, and when there aren't enough volunteers to make a difference for either, you'll wish you didn't short change public safety.

You really want to find someone to lay off? How about laying off the entire city police department and allowing the State Police (who are state funded) to take over Uniontown's patrol.

Kathryn Jones, 11-03-09 10:11 am | Rate: 0 |

Once again...what part of we can't afford this do you not understand, Mark? I lost my mother to a house fire in the city. I'm not blind to the need for public safety...but I recognize nonsense when I hear it. I don't see the city asking for volunteers or offering to train volunteers. They don't want volunteers...th ey want their heirlooms.

Now, I can get behind higher taxes to fund state troopers...or even better...develo ping a county police department. Anything to break the log jam of favoritism, nepotism and corruption.

UFD supporter, 11-03-09 11:14 am | Rate: 0 |

Where has the extra half mill in the last tax increase (that was specifically designated to keep THE FIRE DEPT in tact) gone? Ask your Mayor that question at the next council meeting, Ms. Jones.

Mark, 11-04-09 11:35 am | Rate: 0 |

Kathryn my point is there are a lot of other un-needed aspects of this city that could be cut instead of the fire department.

You are right on something you stated however. You said that the city is not asking for volunteers or offering to train them. The fire department is ALWAYS asking for volunteers, and the county typically trains the volunteers. The problem is that there are very few people volunteering, and Mr. Fike has suggested a new limitation on the ones that still remain. While I agree that drivers should have CDL licenses, you still have to ask...who is going to pay for those tests, and licenses? Again...CDLs aren't free.

You obviously cannot expect a volunteer to fork out that kind of money.

The bigger picture here is that we should be able to afford these firefighters. There is no reason we shouldn't.

The point is Kathryn, you do seem to have an opinion here that we can't afford it, so it should be dropped. Then your opinion is that the mayor is a criminal, but you say "I wouldn't ask him to shovel cow chips" when the point was stated that he should be asked about the tax increase that was meant to keep the fire department intact. So essentially you're saying

1. You support the fire department, but the entire issue should be dropped simply because we can't afford it.

2. Even though there was a tax increase for the sole purpose of "affording it", and that your opinion of the mayor is that he is a criminal...he shouldn't be held accountable?

To say that the paid fire fighters have their jobs not because of skill, training, and passion for their job, but instead because it's a heirloom handed down, tells me that you know nothing about what it is to be a firefighter.... paid or otherwise.

The fact that you just think the issue should be dropped all the way around, even though there is obviously something seriously wrong here, tells me that you have an opinion here, but not enough of one to stand up at a council meeting and say "This is wrong that we can't afford this, because we incurred a tax increase to prevent this...so WHERE IS THAT MONEY?!"...talk about "fake posturing"

If you're not against firefighters, and believe that the mayor is a criminal...then do something about it.

As for now, it seems you have a biased and jaded opinion, and typically this comes not getting something you want. So Kathryn, perhaps way off, but was it maybe that you or a family member wanted a city job and didn't get it, so now your stance is just to make an unsupported claim that all city jobs are a family affair?

Kathryn Jones, 11-04-09 11:44 am | Rate: 0 |

1. No, the issue should not be dropped, it should be addressed by adults without a personal agenda.

2. The Mayor and Council should have been charged, convicted and removed from office due to their pre-meditated disregard for the law and their constituents. But Vernon made sure that didn't happen...even after her pit bull Curry assured me at three separate face to face meetings that she would.

Don't mistake me for someone's relative, Mark. I know no one and I owe no one. I'm simply a vested (and disgusted) observer of this sitcom we call our community.

Mark, 11-04-09 1:07 pm | Rate: 0 |

If society has taught us anything Kathryn is that there is no such thing as a person pressing an issue with no personal agenda.

Everyone has a personal agenda, and that is quite ok. As long as the personal agenda and the argument is just, intelligent and benefits not only the person, but the public they're arguing for.

The truth is that we SHOULD be able to afford those firefighters, but "somehow" the tax dollars that were raised to prevent having to lose mch needed firefighters and maintain the fire department as a whole, comes up "missing" or at the very least not used for what it was raised for.

Someone needs to be accountable for that, and that question needs to be posed.

Like I said, when it comes time to cut jobs to save money, why not start with the useless things...like the city police department?

I have no personal agenda in regards to this particular issue, but as a former firefighter (not in Uniontown), I know a bit about the needs of the fire department and the firefighters in it (both paid and volunteer).

The fact is, the Uniontown City police seem to cover a very small portion of Uniontown anyway, the rest is State jurisdiction. Now consider the fact that the city police response times within the small amount of area they cover is ridiculous, as it takes the State Police about the same amount of time to get there all the way from near Dunbar...it only stands to reason...who needs the city police department?

So yeah, want to save money? Start there.

Want to save more? Start cutting some politician's pay.

Want to save even more? How about putting a million dollars into things such as the fire department, public safety and public charity organizations, instead of renovations to make Uniontown look good for Nemacolin's guests who are just passing through.

It seems that a lot of people tend to lose fact of a very fundamental concept...which is if you want to save money, increase revenue, and decrease deficit...then STOP SPENDING MONEY or at the very least, stop spending it on useless things and put it into things that actually increase value...not just visual appearence.

Mark, 11-04-09 1:14 pm | Rate: 0 |

I did want to add, that I bet it's kind of a slap in the face that not only did the tax dollars raised to assist the fire department, apparently weren't used for the fire department, but instead of having 13 much needed firefighters, the courthouse will be getting renovated, and Uniontown has two new water fountains, one of which hasn't been running for quite some time.

There's an awesome use of money eh?

James Hall, 11-04-09 3:11 pm | Rate: 0 |

I have read all these comments reguarding this issue about the tax dollars, and I agree with some of it. What everyone is either failing to realize or is blind to is the fact that there was a property tax increase that was put into effect to be able to afford the paid firemen on the force. However, these dollars went into Myron Nypaver's pocket via the illegal pay raise he received from his father-in-law, Gary Crozier. A raise that was done under the table and behind City Council's back. The former Fire Chief's raise was not accepted or even voted on by Uniontown City Council.This pay raise was in the amount of $10,000 a year to a man, city employee and family member of a councilman who failed to do his job properly in the first place. I have been one of the spokesmen against the Regulated Rental Unit Occupancy Ordinance. One of the reasons I was so against this ordinance was because it was not needed. If Mr. Nypaver would have been doing his job in the first place and effectively enforcing the codes of the City, no new ordinance would have been needed. So, in my opinion, these protesters should take their protests to the proper places, which would be the homes of Myron Nypaver and Gary Crozier. Because of this illegal pay raise, which by the way Mayor Fike's staff found, this extra money could have been going toward paying the wages of at least 1 fireman if not more, but instead, Mr. Nypaver was perfectly fine with stealing this money from the City and its taxpayers. And, now he is one of the biggest activists toward this cause in trying to convince the public that the Mayor is trying to abolish the fire department. So, if all of you are going to point fingers, you should really consider pointing fingers at the right people. By the way, Mr. Crozier's illegal activity is probably one of the reasons that he didn't even make it to yesterday's election ballot.

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