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Bluffs firefighter grievances smoulder
By WAYNE AYERS
Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 |
BELLEAIR BLUFFS – The city won approval from Pinellas County to have its fire department provide Advanced Life Support services, it was announced at the Aug. 13 City Commission workshop meeting.
However, lingering firefighter grievances have put a damper on the enthusiam.
Under the ALS agreement, paramedics will be assigned to the Belleair Bluffs fire engines – one paramedic per shift, seven days a week, City Clerk Debra Sullivan said. The ALS contract currently is being reviewed by city and county attorneys. Under a separate agreement with the city of Largo, that city’s firefighters will provide paramedics and EMS personnel until the Bluffs firefighters are certified to provide those services.
The ALS agreement was a long-term goal of the city, and its completion will be “a phenomenal achievement,” fire Commissioner Hunt Brand said. “With the ALS contract, the sky’s the limit as to where we can take this department,” he said.
Acting Largo fire Chief Karry Bell said the Bluffs ALS service would be put in operation as soon as possible.
“We are ready to go,” Bell said.
The city also will continue to have the Largo fire department provide administration services to the Bluffs department.
“We’re excited to be able to continue our relationship with Largo, and have our own ALS department,” Mayor Chris Arbutine said.
While praising the ALS approval, the mayor also cited what he called “lingering problems” in the fire department. He produced a list of firefighter grievances he said had been brought to him to settle. Arbutine blamed the problem on past Largo city and fire administrations and an “unclear chain of command” in the department. He recommended that most of the issues be given to the Largo fire administration to handle.
“I am not a fire chief,” Arbutine said.
Other commissioners were less charitable toward the firefighter grievances, which included the right to wear shorts and disputes over supplies and hours paid for schooling.
The firefighters should “back down and quit complaining,” said Commissioner Robert Russo.
Russo said he had been a long-time supporter of the fire department and that the city had given the firefighters “anything they needed.”
“Now I’m sitting here with grievances about shorts,” Russo said.
Commissioner David Shimkus said he also was disappointed with the firefighters. He said the department had been provided with new fire engines and equipment. Shimkus said he had “seen members of the fire department verbally abuse the city clerk and staff.”
A number of firefighters were in the audience, but Arbutine declined to take public comment on the issue.
The grievances were far from insignificant for the firefighters, department spokesperson Lt. Chuck Barlet said in comments made after the meeting. Barlet said, for example, wearing of shorts was included in the contract negotiated with the city.
“Shorts were part of the agreement. We had to give up other things to get that,” he said.
Barlet also said that all contract disputes must be “grieved” and settled, as required by law.
“If we allow them to change one thing, we open the door for them to change the entire contract,” he said.
According to Barlet, the disputes had been settled, and then City Clerk Sullivan stepped in. “(The grievances) were all settled. The city clerk stopped it,” he said. “The city clerk absolutely did not allow us to settle it.”
Barlet said he was ordered by Sullivan to go through her rather than the Largo fire administration with the complaints. He claimed Sullivan came to the Bluffs fire station on several occasions and declared, “I am your administration.”
Barlet said he regretted that the firefighters were not allowed to speak at the meeting and explain their side.
“There are a lot of things going on out there that (the commissioners) don’t know about,” Barlet said.
Asked to respond Tuesday to Barlet’s comments, Sullivan said, “I don’t have the authority to deal with grievances. The mayor and the fire chief handle grievances.”
Commissioner David Shimkus also disputed some of Barlet’s remarks. In an e-mail message, Shimkus said, “It disappoints me that Lt. Barlet would make public comments about these grievances that are totally false. Public records do not lie, and all of the grievances in question were still pending when he made his comments, and still are not formally closed. Anyone interested in the truth can feel free to make a public records request at city hall.”
Chivas appointed to Board of Adjustments
In other business, the commission appointed Frank Chivas to the Board of Adjustments. Chivas owns the Marlin Darlin restaurant in the Bluffs, along with several other notable eateries in the area.
The city is looking for applicants to serve on its Fire Pension Board, following the resignation of board chairman Paul Kuykendall.
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Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007
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