Lewiston2Capt
02-02-2004, 02:42 PM
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Sweeping changes will close some facilities and cut jobs while at the same time building new centralized sites
By BRIAN MEYER
News Staff Reporter
2/2/2004
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2004/02/02/0202fire.jpg
File photo
Buffalo firefighters are concerned that accelerated cuts in manpower will compromise safety - for themselves and for the general public.
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2004/02/02/0202quotes.jpg
Buffalo's Fire Department is about to undergo a series of sweeping changes rivaling the debut of the first motorized pumper that rolled into the city 92 years ago, ending the horse-drawn engine era.
After years of debate, the city will close old firehouses, build new ones and revamp the way emergency care is handled.
In the process, some firefighters will lose their jobs as the department shrinks by 125 positions.
Many of the changes are controversial, pitting the Masiello administration against the firefighters' union.
The decision to speed up the cuts, a move that could trigger some firefighter layoffs as early as next month, is the most contentious. The union wants to define the debate in terms of safety, rather than jobs.
"This is all about protection," said President Joseph E. Foley. "The money we'll save isn't worth it if I have to go up to a door and tell a firefighter's wife that she's a widow."
But Mayor Anthony M. Masiello insists the changes that are already in the works will not compromise safety.
"What the public will see in the near future is a better-equipped, better-trained Fire Department," Masiello said.
Consultants for the city say that, if properly implemented, the changes will allow the city to exceed national standards on fire response times even as the department gets smaller.
Their study shows that the Buffalo department has 20 percent more firefighters per 1,000 population than the median of 10 comparable cities but responds to 8 percent fewer incidents - fires and medical emergencies.
This is all happening at a time when the Fire Department is operating without a permanent commissioner, since Calvin G. Worthy resigned in protest of the cuts in December. City officials are split over whether promoting from within or hiring from outside will be more effective during a time of such great change.
Here are some key elements of the city's plan:
• The fire force would shrink to 687 from 823 over three years through layoffs and attrition. There are currently 795 firefighters on the payroll. The first round of layoffs could come in March, when up to 24 firefighters might lose their jobs.
• Eight buildings that house 10 engine and ladder companies would be closed, and five new firehouses would be built in more centralized spots. Two trucks were already phased out in November, and a third is scheduled to be decommissioned in March. Officials hope to start construction on three new firehouses this summer.
• A new model for firehouses is being developed that would eliminate expensive "bells and whistles" such as ornamental towers that have added millions to the cost of past construction jobs.
• New "cutting edge" equipment will likely be purchased. For example, administrators are looking at a compressed air foam system that makes water a more powerful fire suppressant.
• New strategies are being reviewed for handling emergency medical calls, which accounted for about two-thirds of all Fire Deparment calls answered in 2002 and to which firefighting apparatus respond.
"This is really an evolution - a move toward how modern fire departments across the country are operating," said Human Resources Commissioner Leonard A. Matarese.
Control board Chairman Thomas E. Baker said last week he's confident that the plan - which was drafted by the city, not the board - "is the right thing to do" in light of a shrinking population.
With a $51.4 million budget this year, the Fire Department represents about 18 percent of the operating budget, making it among the city's most costly services.
The overhaul is expected save the city more than $26 million through 2007. Common Council approval is needed before any fire companies are closed.
"It's probably the best plan the Masiello administration has ever put out," said Council President David A. Franczyk. "I think most of us are generally comfortable with the plan."
But not all residents say the same thing. Petition drives have even been launched to protest the cuts.
Voices of dissent
"I think they're making a mistake," said Donald A. Bunte, a Gold Street resident. "I'm afraid they're going to kill a lot of people. They can have all the studies they want. But when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you shouldn't be cutting fire services."
Anthony E. Nardozzi said he learned the hard way that "minutes matter" when a fire broke out in the basement of his Luddington Street home last fall. The truck stationed in the closest firehouse to his home was out on a call. It took another engine company a few minutes longer to arrive, he said.
"Fire is a service that under no circumstances should be cut," he said.
While the overhaul will leave the city with three fewer fire stations than currently exist, experts claim there will be no significant change in response times. The new structures will be built in more centralized spots - locations selected with the help of a computerized mapping system, an analysis of current response times and input from fire officials who have decades of experience, the consultants said.
MMA Consulting Group, a Boston firm, spent six months dissecting Buffalo's fire operations before preparing the study that shaped the plan.
But as the control board pushed the city to find ways to save money faster, Masiello decided to speed up the four-year implementation schedule MMA recommended. The city plans to complete the restructuring within three years, and some critics claim the accelerated schedule will compromise safety.
Foley said the union is not averse to change, but the decision to speed up the downsizing coupled with the collapse of contract talks between firefighters and the city have caused acrimony. "If things aren't done in a slow and methodical way, I know we'll be burying some of our own," Foley warned.
Consultant's view
MMA Consulting President Mark E. Morse acknowledged that there's "a lot of work to do" in the Fire Department retooling.
"But I think you can do it in three years, as long as you're methodical," he said. "More time would be good, but you have to do what you have to do."
Morse stressed the importance of having the resources available to build the new firehouses, upgrade equipment and absorb other costs. The city received a $20 million state grant last year to help finance changes in the Police and Fire departments.
MMA compared Buffalo's Fire Department with those in 10 cities that have similar population densities and similar fire protection problems, such as closely built wood-frame housing.
Both sides have used the study to bolster their competing arguments. The union, for example, has seized on a passage that indicates that the cost of fire services in Buffalo is "slightly lower than the median cost" of departments in other cities. Firefighters also point to MMA statistics showing that Buffalo had 78 percent more structure fires per 1,000 residents than the average city in the study.
But reform advocates said the report illustrates the need and the ability - to reduce the city's fire force. The study also included these findings:
• While Buffalo fights more structural fires than many comparable cities, the number of incidents the department responds to in a given year - including medical emergencies - is 8 percent below the median.
• Buffalo's average number of on-duty firefighters per 1,000 population is about 20 percent higher than the median and was the fifth-highest among the 11 cities studied. Experts say this is the best way to gauge fire protection strength, because it takes into account vacation and other leave policies that may mask the true number of firefighters on the street.
• The number of fire companies, or trucks, per 10,000 population in Buffalo is 21 percent higher than the average, while the number of fire companies per square mile is 17 percent higher.
Florida-based consultant John Granito, who has been involved in more than 400 fire studies and is working with MMA on this one, said the downsizing, if properly implemented, will allow the department to meet - and even exceed - national fire response standards. Those standards require the first engine with at least four crew members to arrive in four minutes or less in at least 90 percent of the calls.
"Change is very difficult," he said.
While the department grapples with those structural changes, it also is searching for a new leader after Worthy resigned, in part because he objected to laying off firefighters. Michael L. D'Orazio is serving as acting commissioner.
Search for a leader
The search for Worthy's successor has touched off an internal flap among city officials over whether the new commissioner should be a "change agent" from the outside, or an insider with extensive firefighting experience in Buffalo.
A national search is under way, and the first round of candidates could be brought in for interviews within a week. Masiello acknowledged the search has spurred some lively debate.
"I resent some people saying you can't find good people inside the (Fire) Department," Masiello said. "You have to keep all your options open.
As plans proceed to make long-term changes, there are immediate problems to address. Overtime costs in the Fire Department are up and are expected to escalate in the coming months, fueled by a high number of firefighters out with injuries. The city may ask the control board for permission to delay the layoffs of up to 24 firefighters next month, claiming the cuts might cost more in overtime. In the long term, the chairwoman of a citizens task force that Masiello appointed to help implement the changes is cautiously optimistic.
"If we can keep all the players moving forward," said Judy Shanley after a meeting Friday, "we will be a re-engineered Fire Department."
e-mail: bmeyer@buffnews.com
Sweeping changes will close some facilities and cut jobs while at the same time building new centralized sites
By BRIAN MEYER
News Staff Reporter
2/2/2004
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2004/02/02/0202fire.jpg
File photo
Buffalo firefighters are concerned that accelerated cuts in manpower will compromise safety - for themselves and for the general public.
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2004/02/02/0202quotes.jpg
Buffalo's Fire Department is about to undergo a series of sweeping changes rivaling the debut of the first motorized pumper that rolled into the city 92 years ago, ending the horse-drawn engine era.
After years of debate, the city will close old firehouses, build new ones and revamp the way emergency care is handled.
In the process, some firefighters will lose their jobs as the department shrinks by 125 positions.
Many of the changes are controversial, pitting the Masiello administration against the firefighters' union.
The decision to speed up the cuts, a move that could trigger some firefighter layoffs as early as next month, is the most contentious. The union wants to define the debate in terms of safety, rather than jobs.
"This is all about protection," said President Joseph E. Foley. "The money we'll save isn't worth it if I have to go up to a door and tell a firefighter's wife that she's a widow."
But Mayor Anthony M. Masiello insists the changes that are already in the works will not compromise safety.
"What the public will see in the near future is a better-equipped, better-trained Fire Department," Masiello said.
Consultants for the city say that, if properly implemented, the changes will allow the city to exceed national standards on fire response times even as the department gets smaller.
Their study shows that the Buffalo department has 20 percent more firefighters per 1,000 population than the median of 10 comparable cities but responds to 8 percent fewer incidents - fires and medical emergencies.
This is all happening at a time when the Fire Department is operating without a permanent commissioner, since Calvin G. Worthy resigned in protest of the cuts in December. City officials are split over whether promoting from within or hiring from outside will be more effective during a time of such great change.
Here are some key elements of the city's plan:
• The fire force would shrink to 687 from 823 over three years through layoffs and attrition. There are currently 795 firefighters on the payroll. The first round of layoffs could come in March, when up to 24 firefighters might lose their jobs.
• Eight buildings that house 10 engine and ladder companies would be closed, and five new firehouses would be built in more centralized spots. Two trucks were already phased out in November, and a third is scheduled to be decommissioned in March. Officials hope to start construction on three new firehouses this summer.
• A new model for firehouses is being developed that would eliminate expensive "bells and whistles" such as ornamental towers that have added millions to the cost of past construction jobs.
• New "cutting edge" equipment will likely be purchased. For example, administrators are looking at a compressed air foam system that makes water a more powerful fire suppressant.
• New strategies are being reviewed for handling emergency medical calls, which accounted for about two-thirds of all Fire Deparment calls answered in 2002 and to which firefighting apparatus respond.
"This is really an evolution - a move toward how modern fire departments across the country are operating," said Human Resources Commissioner Leonard A. Matarese.
Control board Chairman Thomas E. Baker said last week he's confident that the plan - which was drafted by the city, not the board - "is the right thing to do" in light of a shrinking population.
With a $51.4 million budget this year, the Fire Department represents about 18 percent of the operating budget, making it among the city's most costly services.
The overhaul is expected save the city more than $26 million through 2007. Common Council approval is needed before any fire companies are closed.
"It's probably the best plan the Masiello administration has ever put out," said Council President David A. Franczyk. "I think most of us are generally comfortable with the plan."
But not all residents say the same thing. Petition drives have even been launched to protest the cuts.
Voices of dissent
"I think they're making a mistake," said Donald A. Bunte, a Gold Street resident. "I'm afraid they're going to kill a lot of people. They can have all the studies they want. But when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you shouldn't be cutting fire services."
Anthony E. Nardozzi said he learned the hard way that "minutes matter" when a fire broke out in the basement of his Luddington Street home last fall. The truck stationed in the closest firehouse to his home was out on a call. It took another engine company a few minutes longer to arrive, he said.
"Fire is a service that under no circumstances should be cut," he said.
While the overhaul will leave the city with three fewer fire stations than currently exist, experts claim there will be no significant change in response times. The new structures will be built in more centralized spots - locations selected with the help of a computerized mapping system, an analysis of current response times and input from fire officials who have decades of experience, the consultants said.
MMA Consulting Group, a Boston firm, spent six months dissecting Buffalo's fire operations before preparing the study that shaped the plan.
But as the control board pushed the city to find ways to save money faster, Masiello decided to speed up the four-year implementation schedule MMA recommended. The city plans to complete the restructuring within three years, and some critics claim the accelerated schedule will compromise safety.
Foley said the union is not averse to change, but the decision to speed up the downsizing coupled with the collapse of contract talks between firefighters and the city have caused acrimony. "If things aren't done in a slow and methodical way, I know we'll be burying some of our own," Foley warned.
Consultant's view
MMA Consulting President Mark E. Morse acknowledged that there's "a lot of work to do" in the Fire Department retooling.
"But I think you can do it in three years, as long as you're methodical," he said. "More time would be good, but you have to do what you have to do."
Morse stressed the importance of having the resources available to build the new firehouses, upgrade equipment and absorb other costs. The city received a $20 million state grant last year to help finance changes in the Police and Fire departments.
MMA compared Buffalo's Fire Department with those in 10 cities that have similar population densities and similar fire protection problems, such as closely built wood-frame housing.
Both sides have used the study to bolster their competing arguments. The union, for example, has seized on a passage that indicates that the cost of fire services in Buffalo is "slightly lower than the median cost" of departments in other cities. Firefighters also point to MMA statistics showing that Buffalo had 78 percent more structure fires per 1,000 residents than the average city in the study.
But reform advocates said the report illustrates the need and the ability - to reduce the city's fire force. The study also included these findings:
• While Buffalo fights more structural fires than many comparable cities, the number of incidents the department responds to in a given year - including medical emergencies - is 8 percent below the median.
• Buffalo's average number of on-duty firefighters per 1,000 population is about 20 percent higher than the median and was the fifth-highest among the 11 cities studied. Experts say this is the best way to gauge fire protection strength, because it takes into account vacation and other leave policies that may mask the true number of firefighters on the street.
• The number of fire companies, or trucks, per 10,000 population in Buffalo is 21 percent higher than the average, while the number of fire companies per square mile is 17 percent higher.
Florida-based consultant John Granito, who has been involved in more than 400 fire studies and is working with MMA on this one, said the downsizing, if properly implemented, will allow the department to meet - and even exceed - national fire response standards. Those standards require the first engine with at least four crew members to arrive in four minutes or less in at least 90 percent of the calls.
"Change is very difficult," he said.
While the department grapples with those structural changes, it also is searching for a new leader after Worthy resigned, in part because he objected to laying off firefighters. Michael L. D'Orazio is serving as acting commissioner.
Search for a leader
The search for Worthy's successor has touched off an internal flap among city officials over whether the new commissioner should be a "change agent" from the outside, or an insider with extensive firefighting experience in Buffalo.
A national search is under way, and the first round of candidates could be brought in for interviews within a week. Masiello acknowledged the search has spurred some lively debate.
"I resent some people saying you can't find good people inside the (Fire) Department," Masiello said. "You have to keep all your options open.
As plans proceed to make long-term changes, there are immediate problems to address. Overtime costs in the Fire Department are up and are expected to escalate in the coming months, fueled by a high number of firefighters out with injuries. The city may ask the control board for permission to delay the layoffs of up to 24 firefighters next month, claiming the cuts might cost more in overtime. In the long term, the chairwoman of a citizens task force that Masiello appointed to help implement the changes is cautiously optimistic.
"If we can keep all the players moving forward," said Judy Shanley after a meeting Friday, "we will be a re-engineered Fire Department."
e-mail: bmeyer@buffnews.com