By Lucas Sullivan
The Dayton Daily News
DAYTON, Ohio — The city’s decision to park a fire engine because four of its firefighters left to attend a union meeting is not unusual.
Engine 14, housed at the station at 2213 N. Main St. — the city’s third busiest firehouse — has been removed from service, or “browned out” nine of the first 24 days this year.
It was in service 32 percent of the time in 2010, Chief Herbert Redden said.
The engine was immobilized Jan. 5, the same day of a fatal fire its four-man crew would have responded to at 148 Hillcrest Ave.
Anthony Gumm, 29, was removed from the home and later died.
Redden and Dayton City Manager Tim Riordan said the union’s decision to publicly criticize the city for parking the engine was a situation based on the union meeting and dismayed them.
“My biggest concern is the union using the citizen’s death to make an issue about staffing levels,” Redden said.
Jim Cox, International Association of Firefighters Local 136 president, disagreed.
“What we’re concerned about is the lack of first responders at fire scenes,” Cox said. “Four people arrived at that fire when normally there would have been eight. I can’t tell you if we would have saved (Gumm’s) life, but the outcome of that fire would likely be different.”
Firefighters are allowed by contract to take time off to attend necessary union functions.
“We responded to the fire on Hillcrest in an appropriate amount of time, so to me it wasn’t worth bringing up,” Riordan said. “Given the circumstances, the performance of our fire department was exemplary.”
The union’s criticism comes after four months of contract talks with the city that have gone to an independent fact-finder to try to reach an agreement.
Riordan announced in November that parking more fire equipment was likely this year in order to balance the city’s budget. Riordan has also considered a plan to reduce four-man staffing crews to three-man units in some of the city’s outlying stations.
The city is required by law to balance its operating budget no matter what the state does to fill its $8 billion deficit this year.
Cox said staffing reductions put citizens and his members at risk because firefighters can’t simultaneously douse flames and conduct rescues.
Redden said parking engine 14 is the “line in the sand” for his department, at least for now. If low staffing jeopardizes the use of more equipment, off-duty firefighters could be called in for overtime assignments. He also said he is in the process of hiring civilian emergency medicine technicians to help free up firefighters who also work as paramedics.
Copyright 2011 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.