By FireRescue1 Staff
EASTON, Pa. — A firefighter union is protesting against the hiring of part-time firefighters.
The Easton Professional Firefighters posted their grievances on Facebook regarding how hiring part-time staff members would equate to a decrease in staff, and added the city is not going to train them as well as full-time firefighters, WFMZ reported.
“To kick off its 140th year of providing a fully career professional fire department, the mayor and city administration thought it best to cut staffing by way of hiring part-time firefighters who are not trained to the same level and would prohibit them from responding to all of the calls that we currently respond to,” the post read.
The post continued and added that the part-time staff members would not be sent to the fire academy.
“The city is not interested in sending their part-time firefighters to the Allentown Fire Academy to be on par with the full time staff’s level of training and ability to respond to all emergencies,” the post continued.
Mayor Sal Panto denies the claims that the firefighters will not be sent to the academy. An arbitrator will determine if the city can hire part-time firefighters, and the decision will be binding once it is made.