Copyright 2006 The Hearst Corporation
Firefighters at airport talk say officials’ decisions leave them shorthanded
By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST
The Times Union (Albany, New York)
COLONIE, N.Y. — With roughly 25 fewer firefighters than a decade ago, the city of Troy is an example of how many cash-strapped municipalities are asking their emergency responders to do more with less, several current and former city firefighters said Sunday.
The firefighters expressed frustration at perceived criticism in the media over the amount of overtime pay some earn when it’s city officials, they say, who make the decisions that leave the department with more helmets than heads to fill them.
“Cities would rather pay overtime than hire people and have bodies there everyday,” said Ric Moreno, a retired fire captain and lifelong Troy resident who now works as a part-time paramedic for the town of Colonie.
Staffing was just one of several issues Moreno and three colleagues addressed in a wide-ranging panel discussion Sunday, which marked the kickoff of a photography exhibit depicting a year in their lives as Troy firefighters.
The photos were taken by local writer William Patrick to accompany his recently published book, “Saving Troy: A Year with Firefighters and Paramedics in a Battered City.”
The exhibit at the Albany International Airport Gallery will run through Feb. 19.
Patrick shadowed the firefighters of 1st Platoon in downtown Troy throughout 1993, when Troy was facing some of its deepest financial pains.
Sunday, Patrick and an audience of about 70 at the airport prompted them with questions ranging from how stereotypically macho firefighters view their more nurturing roles as paramedics to whether local first responders are prepared for a mass-casualty natural disaster or terrorist attack.
To the latter, Gary Favro, a retired captain, at first just shook his head.
The public, Favro explained, might have unrealistic expectations for how well any response to a catastrophe can go - envisioning flawless execution.
No matter how much planning and training, or how much new equipment federal grants buy, a certain amount of chaos is inevitable, said Favro, who now works with the United Public Service Employees Union.
And while training and supplies certainly help and the emergency response would eventually coalesce, the greater concern is whether the region’s hospitals are equipped to cope with thou sands of potential casualties, he said.
With only one local major trauma center, Favro said the limiting factor in any response might be the hospitals’ abilities to treat and accept the victims emergency responders bring them.
“You’re going to do the best you can, and when the dust settles, that’s what it’s going to be,” he said.
Current firefighters and paramedics David Paul and Jeff Gordon also participated in the discussion, saying they feel the city’s residents have always treated them well. “When they call us and we come to the house, they need us,” Paul said.
It’s because they like the city - where they have to live to work there - that they choose to stay, rather then pursue better paying jobs in places like Albany, Gordon said.
“I think we get paid fairly,” he said, adding later: “We do it for the city of Troy, which has limited means.”