District of Squamish council refused to reverse their decision of eliminating a firefighter position Tuesday (May 26) despite being presented with alternative budget cut recommendations by union staff.
As firefighter Steve Barone received his lay off papers Wednesday (May 27), each side continued to assert opposing opinions and statistics.
"There were suggestions that management could work longer hours," said Mayor Greg Gardner. "There were suggestions of eliminating at least one capital maintenance item. And did not go far to indicate that council's decision was other than the right one."
Five career firefighter positions will be reduced to four, however, said Gardner, the fact that one worker was on sick leave and will now be replaced temporarily as he goes on disability means the actual career manpower remains the same as it has been for several months.
Squamish union representative Russ Inouye said the recommendations put forward included the elimination of scheduled overtime, which would save $35,000 for the remainder of the year, which is $1,000 shy of the remainder of Barone's annual salary.
Asked if the document suggested management work longer hours, Inouye said: "I guess so."
"If they stop scheduling us to do the overtime than somebody has to do it. And it would require that the Chief and the Deputy Chief do it. Years ago it used to be that way anyway."
Public safety will be negatively impacted, said Inouye, pointing to just over a week ago when firefighters had to abandon one daytime call when another call came in at the same time. A call about the smell of smoke wasn't attended to for four hours while Fire Rescue put out a trailer fire.
"We were certainly hurting for manpower that day," said Inouye. "What kind of public service is that? Abandon a fire call like that? And as time goes on, our department gets busier and busier."
Gardner disagreed.
"It's very unfortunate that some people are saying that this will be a safety issue in our community," said Gardner. "I can assure you that no member of council would make a decision that it believed would jeopardize the safety of our community.
"Our community requires fire protection 24 hours a day seven days a week. In order to provide that kind of protection we actually have 60 firefighters."
Barone said Gardner's repeated assertion that 60 volunteer firefighters is adequate protection sends out "a false sense of security" since most of the force can't leave their jobs to attend a call during the workday.
"We don't get 60 volunteers showing up when the pager goes off," he said.
Gardner also said that according to statistics at the district office, per capita, Squamish has among the higher number of career firefighters in the province.
"Hardly," laughed Inouye when asked to respond. "Just look at Powell River."
A Protection Services report presented to council in 2007 warned of a "staffing crisis," with a complement of 50 volunteers and five career staffers. The department recommended that 10 volunteers be recruited and three new career firefighters be hired.
Gardner would not provide details on the discussion with management arising out of the delivery of the alternative recommendations. He said accountability always rests on the councillors' shoulders regardless of council members pointing to the decision as resulting from a staff recommendation.
Inouye says the decision is further indication that council does not have enough information on the fire department's workings.
"Even Coun. Lonsdale who is probably the most knowledgeable, she made a comment during election time about Squamish having a 'Cadillac Fire Department,'" he said. "If she's basing that on the fact that we have nice, shiny fire engines, she may have validity there, but a Cadillac fire department to me is a lot more than shiny trucks. Trucks don't put fires out, people put fires out."
Meanwhile, Barone is facing the possibility of uprooting his family, including his two teenaged children.
"You listen to mayor Gardner's address across the radio of how joyed he is that his dealership survived what's going on and that they're able maintain the jobs in Squamish he has going on in his business, but what about his other business he's looking after as mayor of the town of Squamish?"
And, he said, "This isn't over yet."
The firefighters now plan to begin their door-to-door campaign to bring awareness to the issue and get Barone's job back, said Inouye.
"I guess if council won't listen to reports that are given to them, maybe they'll listen to their taxpayers. That's our only avenue of trying to save his job, and the actual needs of the community."
