By Brandon Formby
The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas — Irving Fire Chief Mario Molina vowed this week to work with the firefighters who voiced overwhelming displeasure with his leadership style and decision-making in a recent referendum.
But firefighter association officials said many department employees feel the chief hasn’t taken advantage of opportunities to solve problems.
“The guys feel like it can’t be done,” said Roy Todd Harvey, president of the Irving Professional Fire Fighters Association.
Molina, who took the helm in 2007, and City Manager Tommy Gonzalez did not respond to several requests for interviews this week. Both indicated in emailed statements that Molina will remain in his position.
Molina’s statement said he will “find common ground” with firefighters.
The firefighters association on Monday revealed that 266 of 290 members who voted in a referendum on Molina’s leadership do not believe the chief can continue to lead the department. Ten members abstained, and 14 supported Molina.
Harvey said association members have an open dialogue with Gonzalez about ongoing department issues. Concerns include staffing decisions, disciplinary actions considered too harsh and behavior some employees feel is retaliatory.
Harvey said the city manager’s apparent support of the chief hasn’t spurred faith among firefighters because many issues have been lingering since before Gonzalez got involved.
“Not that we don’t appreciate that he’s trying, we just don’t think it can be done,” Harvey said.
Harvey said it’s not that firefighters aren’t willing or ready to meet the chief half way. He said many employees say Molina has promised to work on problems in the past, but the issues only continued or escalated.
Association members must work for the Fire Department, although employees are not required to join. Almost 300 of the department’s 312 employees are also association members.
Members on two previous occasions discussed taking a vote of no confidence. Harvey said one no-confidence vote was averted after firefighters suggested better communicating their disagreements with the chief rather than hold a referendum.
The topic came up again in August, this time over disciplinary actions and the reshuffling of employees. After a member of the department’s fire suppression division retired, the firefighter who was assigned to oversee all educational programs was assigned to cover those duties.
No one was reassigned to handle public education, which includes teaching elementary students about fire prevention.
Harvey said many association members believe public outreach is a vital role. He also said there have been complaints that some vacant positions go unfilled while it takes too long to hire replacements for other posts.
Harvey said Molina spoke at the August meeting during which members were to decide whether to call a referendum, but the motion failed. Tensions again arose, though, over more disciplinary actions that association members felt were too harsh.
Molina has since dropped his recommendation to demote one employee, and a fired employee has been reinstated.
Harvey said association members are glad that the most recent disciplinary actions were reversed. But concerns over leadership in general remain.
He said the issues should have been addressed when firefighters initially raised them.
“It’s the timing issue,” he said.
Copyright 2011 THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS