TriTownship600
04-09-2006, 09:30 PM
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http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/040906/loc_20060409004.shtml
Shared fire services in place for now, to be challenged
By Lena Khzouz
, The News-Herald
A controversial intergovernmental services agreement between the Melvindale and Allen Park fire departments will remain in effect at least until May 4.
After the cities' officials approved the agreement whereby firefighters would automatically assist each other during emergencies, the two firefighters' unions filed an injunction to stop the change.
According to firefighters, the agreement could affect safety and lead to a reduction in firefighter positions, so they say they should have been asked to provide input through negotiations.
The injunction request was before Wayne County Circuit Judge Warfield Moore Jr. on Thursday. However, the judge said he had only recently received hundreds of pages of documents related to the issue and would need time over the next couple of weeks to review them.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 4.
In the meantime, the judge received assurances from the cities' officials that there would be no staffing reductions while the matter is being reviewed, Allen Park City Administrator Anthony Rinna said.
The unions, on the other hand, asked the judge to restrain the automatic mutual aid agreement pending the May 4 hearing. The judge declined the request.
Therefore, the intergovernmental services agreement that went into effect March 23 remains intact.
It allows both fire departments to be notified about an emergency at about the same time, so that firefighters from both cities can get to the scene quicker, according to the cities' officials.
Allen Park and Melvindale firefighters have spoken against the agreement several times during public meetings.
Among their concerns is that positions will be reduced, a belief that stems from wording in the intergovernmental agreement.
In Allen Park, the union's collective bargaining agreement requires a minimum of 28 full-time firefighting personnel, but the intergovernmental agreement "anticipates a reduction" in that number to 24, according to the lawsuit requesting the injunction.
Normally, Melvindale has 14 firefighters in the union, but the intergovernmental agreement permits Melvindale to maintain a minimum of 12.
Melvindale Mayor Andrew Luzod and Kerry Morgan, labor attorney, said the agreement cannot affect staffing levels because that would require negotiations.
However, the cities' officials have said jobs would be eliminated through attrition.
During a March 15 council meeting, Luzod talked about what he believes is the issue.
"The firemen are trying to do their collective bargaining in the public," he said. "The heart of the issue is this: We need to operate our fire department with a staff of 12 men, and find a way to contain our overtime costs."
He said he has told that to the union president in private and at that point was saying it in public.
The firefighters' lawsuit says that 12 firefighters is "wholly inadequate to fill the current four-person-per-shift requirement" set by the state.
Firefighters also say the intergovernmental agreement impacts safety by slowing the rescue process.
They say that dispatch time will increase while a 911 call travels between the cities, and they say response time will increase as firefighters will have to travel greater distances.
Also, firefighters working in the neighboring city would need to secure a release from a fire official before they would be permitted to respond to an emergency in their own city, delaying their return.
The lawsuit also says firefighters would have to service a larger area and perform more runs, exhausting personnel and resources.
City officials, however, say that the cities already operate under the Downriver Mutual Aid consortium and routinely assist each other during emergencies.
They say the agreement would ensure that more firefighters would be available for emergencies.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/040906/loc_20060409004.shtml
http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/040906/loc_20060409004.shtml
Shared fire services in place for now, to be challenged
By Lena Khzouz
, The News-Herald
A controversial intergovernmental services agreement between the Melvindale and Allen Park fire departments will remain in effect at least until May 4.
After the cities' officials approved the agreement whereby firefighters would automatically assist each other during emergencies, the two firefighters' unions filed an injunction to stop the change.
According to firefighters, the agreement could affect safety and lead to a reduction in firefighter positions, so they say they should have been asked to provide input through negotiations.
The injunction request was before Wayne County Circuit Judge Warfield Moore Jr. on Thursday. However, the judge said he had only recently received hundreds of pages of documents related to the issue and would need time over the next couple of weeks to review them.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 4.
In the meantime, the judge received assurances from the cities' officials that there would be no staffing reductions while the matter is being reviewed, Allen Park City Administrator Anthony Rinna said.
The unions, on the other hand, asked the judge to restrain the automatic mutual aid agreement pending the May 4 hearing. The judge declined the request.
Therefore, the intergovernmental services agreement that went into effect March 23 remains intact.
It allows both fire departments to be notified about an emergency at about the same time, so that firefighters from both cities can get to the scene quicker, according to the cities' officials.
Allen Park and Melvindale firefighters have spoken against the agreement several times during public meetings.
Among their concerns is that positions will be reduced, a belief that stems from wording in the intergovernmental agreement.
In Allen Park, the union's collective bargaining agreement requires a minimum of 28 full-time firefighting personnel, but the intergovernmental agreement "anticipates a reduction" in that number to 24, according to the lawsuit requesting the injunction.
Normally, Melvindale has 14 firefighters in the union, but the intergovernmental agreement permits Melvindale to maintain a minimum of 12.
Melvindale Mayor Andrew Luzod and Kerry Morgan, labor attorney, said the agreement cannot affect staffing levels because that would require negotiations.
However, the cities' officials have said jobs would be eliminated through attrition.
During a March 15 council meeting, Luzod talked about what he believes is the issue.
"The firemen are trying to do their collective bargaining in the public," he said. "The heart of the issue is this: We need to operate our fire department with a staff of 12 men, and find a way to contain our overtime costs."
He said he has told that to the union president in private and at that point was saying it in public.
The firefighters' lawsuit says that 12 firefighters is "wholly inadequate to fill the current four-person-per-shift requirement" set by the state.
Firefighters also say the intergovernmental agreement impacts safety by slowing the rescue process.
They say that dispatch time will increase while a 911 call travels between the cities, and they say response time will increase as firefighters will have to travel greater distances.
Also, firefighters working in the neighboring city would need to secure a release from a fire official before they would be permitted to respond to an emergency in their own city, delaying their return.
The lawsuit also says firefighters would have to service a larger area and perform more runs, exhausting personnel and resources.
City officials, however, say that the cities already operate under the Downriver Mutual Aid consortium and routinely assist each other during emergencies.
They say the agreement would ensure that more firefighters would be available for emergencies.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/040906/loc_20060409004.shtml