Ireton Shoving Firefighters Down City Council Members Throats For No Good Reason

Mayor to forward budget amendment to increase Fire Department staffing levels;

Says remaining SAFER grant officers hired part-time.

Mayor James Ireton, Jr., will forward, tomorrow, December 3rd , 2014, a budget amendment to the Salisbury City Council to fund four (4) additional full-time Firefighter/EMT positions at a cost of $160,610.

Two of the new positions will staff Engine 16 at SFD Headquarters, one will staff Truck 1 at Station 1, and one will staff Truck 2 at Station 2.

“Presently the Salisbury Fire Department is fully staffed on each fire truck at 5 firefighters on board. This budget amendment for 4 firefighters is dedicated to keeping 4 firefighters on each fire apparatus when sickness or vacation time has them understaffed,” said Mayor Ireton.

“It has been articulated that the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) requires 4 firefighters per apparatus at a fire station. We have accomplished that during lean times by placing an Assistant Chief on the team during a fire emergency. This amendment will allow the Assistant/Deputy Chief to coordinate on-scene fire rescue and containment".

“The budget amendment is for $160,610 which pays these officers through the end of FY2015. The Chief of the Fire Department will then be tasked with including them in his FY2016 budget that he presents to me.”

Additionally the Mayor can report that he has signed employee action forms hiring 10 of the 11 remaining SAFER grant officers to part-time employment status in the City of Salisbury.

Publishers Notes: Here's what you DON'T know and Ireton is HIDING. 

You know those 12 Firefighters that were hired under that grant, did you know ALL of them filled EMPTY slots, (or should I say full-time positions) a long time ago. Did you also know that the NEW Firefighters they are belly aching about are a NEW ROUND of very recently hired Firefighters that had NOTHING to do with the original 12 Firefighters hired under that grant! 

So Hoppes and Ireton absolutely knew that NONE of these NEW Firefighters would even be considered as full time or even part time employees, yet they have not let the public know this information.

Here's ANOTHER fact. Did you know that the Fire Department generally RETURNS around $250,000.00 EVERY SINGLE YEAR??? That's a FACT Ladies & Gentlemen. If the SFD deserves a pat on the back it is based on the fact that they are the most fiscally responsible department in the entire City and they constantly return $250,000.00 every year. 

OK, so now that you now know this FACT, WHY is Ireton shoving this new expense down the Taxpayer AND Council's throats! All Ireton and Hoppes need to do is NOT return that $250,000.00 this year back into the general fund and use it to pay for these new Firefighters. 

It's all about the DRAMA! It's ALL about screwing the taxpayers out of another $200,000.00 and raising taxes. Ireton wants to make it look, (on the books) as if there's a problem, there is not. The PROOF is in the fact that the taxpayers are not aware that the SFD returns $250,000.00 each and every year. None of this ever had to happen. Ireton's flip flopping just to make a scene is childish and irresponsible. 

Mayor Jim Ireton is nothing but a Drama Queen. There is NO NEED for a budget amendment.