Manchester Fire Department to add four fire fighters

By PAT GROSSMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader

Published Feb 22, 2012 at 12:19 pm (Updated Feb 22, 2012)

MANCHESTER - The city will have four more firefighters to battle blazes after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted late Tuesday night to lift the hiring freeze for the fire department.

“It's a start,” Fire Chief James Burkush said Wednesday morning while at the scene of a Somerville Street fire, the second on that street in about 13 hours. “We desperately need some firefighters back.”

While Engine 7, the pumper housed at the Somerville station, was the first on the scene, the $885,000 ladder truck was still back at the firehouse because there are not enough firefighters on duty to staff it, Burkush said. He said the city has five ladder trucks and presently only one is fully staffed.

Burkush expects to bring back four laid-off fire fighters to staff the Somerville Street ladder truck because of the action taken by the aldermanic board.

Aldermen did not appropriate more funding for the fire department, which is down 30 positions - a combination of lay-offs and retirements - from two years ago.

Burkush said savings from a tentative, three-year contract with the Manchester Professional Fire Fighters Association, Local 856, which the board approved last night and which included increases in health insurance costs for firefighters and eliminates almost all overtime pay, should cover the expense.

Ward 6 Alderman Garth Corriveau made the motion to lift the hiring freeze in the fire department and give Burkush the authority to manage his budget, including adding any firefighters. Last week's devastating Eastern Avenue fire, where firefighters rescued seven people from balconies and windows, is in Corriveau's ward.

Mayor Ted Gatsas vetoed the first vote, which was 10 to 4 to pass. Corriveau said aldermen voted to override the veto - 11 to 3 - with Aldermen Jim Roy of Ward 4, William P. Shea of Ward 7 and Phil Greazzo of Ward 10 dissenting.

Gatsas is on vacation and unavailable for the next 10 days, an office spokesman said Wednesday morning. The mayor is the only one in the city who, until last night's vote, could approve the hiring of any employee because of a citywide hiring freeze, Corriveau said.

He expects adding firefighters to the department will become an issue over the next couple of weeks when the mayor unveils his budget.

He said there are expected retirements in the department - three firefighters who are captains and/or lieutenants have turned in their paperwork - and he said there could be another five retirements by September. Corriveau said that could result in the rehiring of the last five laid-off fire fighters. However, he said that would not add any fire fighters to the full complement of 199, just replace those who are leaving.

Corriveau said the aldermen want the firefighters' positions restored, especially because of the union concessions.

“I think the aldermen have a real concern that, for the city of our size, the staffing of firefighters is not at a level that many of us are comfortable with,” he said.

Corriveau said he was against laying off firefighters in the last budget passed but the staffing level hit home with him after seeing the fire fighters battle the four-alarm Eastern Avenue fire in his ward and the bravery they exhibited that night.

“That and the sacrifices they have agreed to in the labor contract, I just thought it was well past time to do everything we could to immediately bring back firefighters,” he said. “There really is no responsibility more important in governing a city than ensuring a city is safe.”

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Howie Howe said:

This is smoke and mirrors folks, Mike Higgins of Ladder 1 stated on another thread today that they have the authroity to hire back four, but they are losing three, so it will be a net gain of 1. That is not going to change much.The big issue they keep raising is ladder trucks, which in effect are boom trucks - I noted today at an auto crash in Granite Square that the pumper there seemed to only have one short probably 16 foot ladder on it, which took me by surpirse. Fire Trucks I grew up with had several ladders on them, and at least one of them was 36-40 foot reach - seems to me that the Dept has become so specialized that it takes bringing more vehicles to a fire to have what is needed. I rally don't see any reason why every pumper in the city could not carry at least one 40 foot ladder, which would accomodate almost every three story building in the city at a lot less expense.
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Andy Cartier said:

Just some info, NFPA requires (and Manchester complies, to the best of my knowledge) that there be at least a 24 foot extension and a 10 foot roof ladder on an engine. They look smaller, but they're extension ladders after all. A 50 foot ground ladder which is rated for firefighting use weighs about 200 pounds and takes 4 people to set up safely. There isn't room on an engine for a ladder that big, nor sufficient staff. Quicker and safer to have a ladder truck for heights above 2 stories, especially when running short.
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Dean Frazier said:

You are correct, Mr Cartier, space on the engine is better used for other equipment used for fire suppression and emergency medical stuffsas these are the primary duties of an engine company. What Mr Howe fails to comprehend is the duties of a Ladder company and how if a situation calls for these longer ladders during a fire, there is simply not enough staff on an engine to carry out both sets of duties.
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Tommy Gavin said:

What Howie doesn't seem to be comprehending is that Fire Trucks don't put out Fires and Rescue people... FIREFIGHTER'S do... It is about the people and NOT so much about the equipment... However, the more people you have, the more trucks you can staff and the more functions you can perform effectively and SAFELY on a fire scene... Trucks are sitting idle and not being staffed because of the lack of manpower... Is that acceptable to anyone??? Doing more with less is a gamble that city is willing to take and a liability they are assuming on your dime... As noted in the article, the Fire Department is DOWN 30 positions and have been that way for several years because Gatsas would not let the Fire Chief hire any people regardless of if there were retirements and openings... There has been NO increase in the fire budget other than what is contractually required for years... With the cost of everything else going up, so too must the cost of doing business (i.e. the Budget) and I am not talking just about salaries... In addition to the guys who were laid off last year, there were still another 17 or so vacancies that went unfilled... So bringing back 4 of the laid off guys and losing 3 to retirement is yielding a net gain of one is still better than none... Plus, it is a start... There will be more retirements and hopefully more firefighters being rehired when the new budget cycle starts July 1st... Also, Kudos to Local 856 for coming to the table and agreeing to concessions in order to save the city money...
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Deborah Starin said:

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all the firefighters who saved the lives of my daughter, her 5 month old son, her fiance and the many others involved in the fire on February 16 at 92 Eastern Avenue here in Manchester. My daughter and her family were one of several families trapped on the third floor of the blazing building. The firefighters responded so quickly and were so calm as they helped them all climb down. Thank you for rescuing their two dogs and ferret who made the trip down in a cooler!! Thank you also to the American Red Cross volunteers who helped everybody fill out paperwork, gave them food and water and coffee and above all compassion at a very trying time. Money cannot be an issue when it comes to how many lives were saved that night. We can never have enough fire or police when times get tough. If Manchester had not had the back up from the neighboring towns, I hate to think what might have happened and how many lives would have been lost. There are other ways to cut budgets but not when it comes to public safety. My daughter, her son and her fiance are here today and for that we are all very grateful!!
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Manchester Fire Department to add four fire fighters

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