The Salisbury Fire Department has announced necessary operational changes due to staffing shortages, cuts to the overtime budget and impending furloughs, which will be implemented beginning June 7th, 2010.
At this time, the Salisbury Fire Department has five operational position vacancies, coupled with the current hiring freeze, which often causes overtime needs. Two of these positions will remain frozen for at least the next fiscal year. With multiple furlough days required for each employee, as well as their allowed vacation and holiday time, a change was needed to accommodate the decrease in available staff.
The call volume, times when calls occurred daily, etc. were scrutinized thoroughly. The decision was made to eliminate the weekday duty crew at Station 1, (Beaglin Park and South Schumaker), for now.
Instead, the weekday duty crew at Station 2, (Naylor and Brown Streets), will run Truck 2 from Station 2 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The same crew will run Truck 1 from Station 1 on Tuesday and Thursday. The 24 hour duty crew engine at Station 16 will still remain running as is. Both Station 1 and 2 will maintain their 24 hour ambulance crew presence. This will allow for a duty crew presence in both stations throughout the week, and allow equipment to be maintained at each station during the day. Thus, a shift change was made to realign personnel to help fill vacancies on 24 hour shifts.
Enabling the mandatory furlough days was the next hurdle. When an employee is off on mandatory furlough, that position cannot be filled with overtime. Again, the numbers were analyzed and it was decided to shut down Paramedic 16, from Station 16, (Cypress Street), from 11pm to 7am, Monday through Thursday nights, only. Again, both Station 1 and 2 ambulances will still be running 24 hours from their stations. Paramedic 16 will run 24 hours as normal, Friday through Sunday, when the call volume is heavier. This will allow the department to cycle our employees through their furlough days.
The Salisbury Fire Department is aware there may be times when services could be delayed. We will be doing our best to make our normal, expeditious responses with the tools and personnel we have. When the current budgetary crisis is resolved, we are back to optimal staffing, and are no longer required to take furloughs, we remain hopeful we will return to our previous operating level.
JAMES IRETON, JR.
MAYOR
JOHN R. PICK
CITY ADMINISTRATOR
LORÉ CHAMBERS
ASSISTANT CITY ADMINISTRATOR
125 NORTH DIVISION STREET
SALISBURY, MARYLAND 21801
Tel: 410-548-3130
Fax: 410-548-3183
FIRE DEPARTMENT
RICHARD A. HOPPES
ACTING FIRE CHIEF
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
26 comments:
Anyone ever seen the movie BACKDRAFT????
What is the big deal they are cutting back the paid staff. Let the volunteers pick up the slack. You have towns twice the size of salsibury who don't have but maybe two paid guys and an EMS staff. Cut all of them except EMS.
OMG WHAT A MESS WITH MORE MESS TO COME. YOU WOULDN"T BE SHORTHANDED IF YOU KNEW HOW TO MANAGE A DEPARTMENT HOPPES. HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? FROM THE COMMENTS FROM THE ORIGINAL POST OF SHIFT CHANGES LOOKS LIKE YOU FIRE THE GOOD GUYS AND HIRE CRIMINALS. NOW THERE'S A GOOD MANAGEMENT DECISION. PUTTING THE COMMUNITY IN JEOPARDY IS NOT GOOD MANAGEMENT EITHER. REMEMBER THAT WORD ACTING BECAUSE SOON YOUR ACTING ENGAGEMENT WILL BE OVER. HOPEFULLY, SOON, WE'LL GET A REAL CHIEF, ONE WHO LEADS!
IF we had all the money that was wasted on the giant fire truck, the FAR Boat, the castle of a fire building, the new truck to pull thed hazmat trailor. There would be money to work with. There again the tax payer gets the dirty end of the stick.
Bet Pookie just robbed the city some more with that stupid, sugar coated press release....Probably a minimum of 6 hours comp time for her. The city needs to do something with this circus running the show. Get a Chief in there Mayor!!!! Not a backstabbing hipocrit.
CITIZENS!!!
You better wake up and fight the mayor for this.I am pretty sure your getting ready to see people die and stuff burn down without the staffing and part time closing of fire stations.
Sell all those new toys they got and use the money to fund the personnel. Drop the leases on some of those trucks,pickups, tractor trailers etc and use the money to pay personnel
All this pretty new crap you bought and nobody to man it. Is it getting pretty clear Hopeless that youve been took by Gordo ? Never to be chief because you let him run salisbury into the ground. Talk that postive BS all you want but things are worse than ever.
Mayor, you are a one term wonder, a real man just names his department head and gets it over with, you jerk! not you, you take the cowards way out and let the council do your dirty work for you.
Thats right folks. You pay more taxes and get less everyday. If you have an emergency call 911 and Salisbury might come. Sometime !
Get this... No one as of yet has approached the volunteer component yet to see if they can provide a staffed engine on those days. Yes there are volunteers in the City and they do a good job in the night end of the day and weekends. The majority of them can only do that time due to having a full time job. Think you tard of a mayor. The only people getting hurt are the citizens. They are the one getting screwed. They wont be receiving the service for which they are paying for. WOW is all I can say to that
Problem there is Anonymous 4:48...Most SBY Vollies who have EMS training refuse to use it...They are just cardholders and drive the medic unit if asked to. See how many vollies would actually be willing to "man" a SBY Medic unit for a whole 24hr period...EMS is "taboo" to them... Most of them just wanna ride "Big Red"...If the career people left..SBY wouldn't get the EMS coverage they get now.
This is the same memo that the administration did not want posted. They were afraid that the citizens would see what services that will not recieve. While the memo you just read has been sugar coated to try and make the top 2 look like they are trying to look out for the citizens best interest. Believe me they are not looking out for them. Whatever happened to the budget taskforce's reccomendations that were given to the Fire Chief as alternatives to not shutting down services. Alot of people wasted precious time to have the hard work thrown away. The new response matrix will affect this community and it might just take the passing or near passing of the right individuals to make the appropriate changes.
Jim Ireton either Hoppes goes or you go! Your Choice!!
Ireton is really doing a terrible job as mayor. I know it is a difficult position but my God, he is bad. Just because your different than the last person in the position doesn't mean you are good. Right Obama voters? Is it time for a new election yet?
It is an insult to my intelligence as a citizen to make these statements. How can you close a firehouse and continue to deliver the same service. The crew was put there for a reason which would be demand. Obviously the city has grown and thus an increase in calls for fire and ambulance service. You can see emergency vehicles responding to calls all day and night.I dont even pay attention to what a PIO says because theyre paid to deliver a message for a coward who manages and usually causes the mess. Make your statements, but dont insult my intelligence because I know different. Its going to affect many of our citizens for sure.
The volunteers can handle this. How do you think the rest of the city is covered 24/7. How about the area? Its about time they cut back the paid staff. Look at how many calls an engine ran last year at 16. How many of them did it matter that the paid staff was on? Do you really need the cheif running every EMS call? By a scanner and listen to this stuff. Its a joke.
Well Jim Ireton you lied to us again. You promised us there would be no retalliation and this is exactly what has happened.
Mr Volunteer I never see you at the station. Are you a ghost or are my eyes bad. Station 2 scratching constantly and no participation from the 16 Volunteers at all. Greg Fries and Dan Long are the ONLY volunteers who ride an ambulance in Salisbury.So tell me now what was it you said you could do ? Gordy has openly stated that the volunteers could not handle the need for staffing the vacancies. So are you telling me you know more than him or are you blowing hot air. By the way, whats that big V on your chest ? Superman had an S on his.
Anonymous said...
The volunteers can handle this. How do you think the rest of the city is covered 24/7. How about the area? Its about time they cut back the paid staff. Look at how many calls an engine ran last year at 16. How many of them did it matter that the paid staff was on? Do you really need the cheif running every EMS call? By a scanner and listen to this stuff. Its a joke.
10:22 AM
By the way Einstien it is "chief" not "cheif" and "buy" not "by." You uneducated volunteer FARMIN give today's fire service a bad name.
"The Salisbury Fire Department is aware there may be times when services could be delayed."
I hope I'm not the one suffering a stroke or other extreme medical condition when they are delayed. Delays in treatment can equal death. This is real people!
Mr Annom 10:59 AM....
I take offense to that statement I am nor Greg Fries or Danny Long and I run EMS calls as well. There are a lot of individuals at station 2 that would and could handle EMS calls. Who do you think is doing patient care until the AMBO gets there? Second of all We don't run an ambo normally cause we don't have another one at station 2 and we were told by Chief handle bars not to take the Utility to 16 to get an ambulance. Plus if the guys and gals from station 2 go to 16 to man the ambulance or man it at station 2 for that matter can get credit for any calls and in fact counts against them even though they are clearly conducting Fire Department business. So before you bash the vollie who are EMTS for not doing anything, you should talk to the higher ups at the station level so that they can do these things.
anon 5:12 PM,
Can you guarantee that if the city decided to pull the paid staff from Paramedic 2 at station 2 that you would be able to handle the calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? Please tell us now that you can handle the calls? Please list the names that will guarantee the coverage of that ambulance, ALS or BLS!!
I bet it can't and wouldn't happen Anon. 8:15pm.....If the career left...so would the EMS coverage...How many times did they get scratched or realerted for Engine calls...Think EMS calls would get covered? NOT!!!
1111 am I know for a fact it wouldn't happen. I love how he says "who do you think is doing patient care until the ambo gets there." LMAO, the vollies have never beat the ambo to the scene. What kind of patient care are you referring to? EMT-B is basic, just that and nothing more than getting a blood pressue and I have never seen that happen.
how about they bring on new members as volunteers! I have been waiting for almost 14months to hear the results from my interview.
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