By Victoria Macchi
IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Six Immokalee firefighters laid off in May were temporarily reinstated Tuesday evening in a special board meeting with two newly sworn-in fire commissioners in attendance.
The board voted 4-1 to bring the firefighters back, with Commissioner Joe Matthews casting the sole dissenting vote. However, Station 31, which was closed in May, will remain closed pending repairs.
The six firefighters will be back on the payroll until June 30. Starting next week the fire board will enter into contract negotiations with the fire union. The positions will be reevaluated as part of the negotiation process, in addition to other types of cuts to trim the fire district’s budget.
During the meeting, Chris Dowaliby, the retired fire chief of the Fort Myers Shores Fire Department, was selected from three candidates as the negotiator who will work with the board and the union starting June 13.
The decision to reinstate the firefighters came after union president Thomas Cunningham explained to the board the union would agree not to file any grievances regarding the layoffs — pending negotiations through June - if the reinstatement occurred.
“I think it’s a good-faith move by the board,” Cunningham said after the meeting.
“It’s too bad they wasted this many weeks, when we could have been negotiating,” he added. “I think it’s the best we could have done with not following the proper procedures. It’s fixing a wrong that’s already been done.”
More than 60 people attended the meeting, including firefighters’ family members and friends.
The layoffs were made at a May 19 meeting during which the board cited dire financial constraints as the motivator. The news came as a surprise to the laid-off firefighters, one of whom was on duty when the cuts occurred and had to finish his shift.
Immokalee Fire Chief Scott Birge was dismissed at the same meeting.
The layoffs slashed more than $500,000 from the fire district’s budget. The budget took a further hit recently with a 7.6 percent decline in taxable value in the Immokalee fire district estimated for 2011, according to Collier County Property Appraiser figures.
Given budget woes and the board’s recent decisions, the reinstated firefighters were cautious on Tuesday evening about the outlook of their jobs.
“I hope they’ll turn it around, but I don’t think they will,” said Derek Neuman.
The 25-year-old firefighter had a November fire-themed wedding planned with his fiancee, a fire medic. Since the layoffs, they have postponed their plans, and Neuman took on a second part-time job.
“I’m going to try to keep all three (jobs),” he said. “There still is no guarantee.”
Fire board Chairwoman Pam Brown, who on May 19 voted along with Matthews in favor of the layoffs, supported Commissioner Edward “Ski” Olesky’s motion on Tuesday night to reinstate the firefighters. The decision was made after the board discussed potential legal fees it could incur if the union were to file a grievance.
Matthews maintained his stance that the layoffs were necessary.
“There’s nothing magical in the budget that has happened that’s going to pay those expenses,” he said.
The closure of Station 31, on Carson Road, as well as the layoffs, increased public-safety concerns in the area. According to statistics cited by Cunningham in support of the original 21-member fire team, there were
48 fires in the area in early 2010, including four building fires. This year’s figures for the same period were 88 total fires, and 16 structure fires.
There are currently two functioning fire stations to cover the community, one in Ave Maria, and one on New Market Road in Immokalee.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first for Bonnie Keen and Lonzo Morgan, who were sworn in before the discussion turned to reinstatement.
Both voted in the firefighters’ favor.
“I think it’s the right choice,” said Olesky, the only commissioner to vote against the layoffs in May. “Unfortunately, we still have other issues to contend with to make sure we can retain the guys.”
“This will give them a shot anyway,” he added.
Two more fire board meetings are scheduled for June.
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