Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse said Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 that it wouldn't be responsible of him to pledge an extra $300,000 in funding to the Fire Department on the spot, but he was committed to discussing the issue to reach a resolution in a meeting at City Hall.
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This story elaborates on an article published at 9:18 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017: No promises made about more funding as Holyoke officials, firefighters discuss truck brownouts
HOLYOKE -- No one in city government wants to endanger anyone and the preference would be to have enough funding to ensure all Fire Department trucks are in service, Mayor Alex B. Morse said Thursday as a deadly New Year's Day fire remained a topic at City Hall.
Morse also said at the meeting of the City Council Public Safety Committee that it "wouldn't be responsible" of him to make a $300,000 decision on the spot to move such additional funding to the Fire Department, but he was committed to discussing it.
"I just wanted to make it very clear that the mayor, the fire chief, any person in government here doesn't want to put anybody's life at risk," Morse said, in a meeting with two dozen firefighters looking on.
But the browning out, or temporary removal from service, of a fire truck has been a necessary budgeting step to avoid employee overtime costs on certain shifts when personnel is thin because firefighters are on vacation, sick or otherwise unavailable, he said.
Firefighters union President Chad Cunningham and others have said the browning out of Engine 2 out of Fire Department headquarters at 600 High St. hindered firefighters' abilities to battle the Jan. 1 blaze at 106 North East St. Three people died in that fire and it destroyed 25 families' homes.
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Fire Chief John A. Pond and Morse have said the browning out of Engine 2 didn't affect firefighters' abilities to fight the fire at 106 North East St.
Cunningham, president of Holyoke Fire Fighters Association, Local 1693,International Association of Fire Fighters, said about 25 firefighters were at the meeting.
The committee was discussing this order, filed by Chairman Daniel B. Bresnahan days after that fire:
"Ordered that the Mayor adequately fund the Fire Department to keep all apparatus in service and in operation. This includes the 5 Engine companies and the 2 ladder companies, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year."
Bresnahan said, "So who gave the order to brown out Engine 2?"
"That was my order....That's my decision" based on available funding, Pond said.
Pond told councilors repeatedly that in ordering Engine 2 browned out on some shifts he was heeding the admonitions made by councilors when the city's current spending plan was hammered out in June to work within his budget.
"You're right, we did say, work with what you have," Committee member Jossie M. Valentin said.
"Thank you," Pond said.
In other words, he said, his understanding has been that he shouldn't count on being able to get financial supplements, and so to avoid running up overtime costs, the brownouts occur.
"Nobody wants to shut down a piece of apparatus. There's not a fire chief in the country that wouldn't like to have more" resources, Pond said.
But, he said, "We also understand the constraints and the financial difficulties."
Standards recommended by the National Fire Protection Association state that fire departments should staff most trucks with four firefighters, Pond said. In Holyoke, that would mean having 30 firefighters on duty per shift, but instead, the department runs with 19 per shift, the chief said.
Valentin asked Pond how much money his department would need for "full staff, no brownout, everything is hunky dory?"
An additional $300,000 for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, would end the need for brownouts, he said.
Shortly after, Councilor at Large Joseph M. McGiverin said to Morse that he would fight for its passage if the mayor submitted a proposal to get the Fire Department the $300,000 by proposing a transfer from the stabilization, or rainy day, fund.
Most of the 15-member City Council has rejected proposals to tap the stabilization fund for operational expenses or uses that don't qualify as emergencies.
Firefighter Chris Butler stepped to the microphone and asked if Morse would address whether he would provide more Fire Department funding.
Bresnahan said that the choice whether to address the matter was the mayor's and that it would be understandable if he wanted to give it some consideration first.
"There's a lot to think about," Bresnahan said.
"I'm happy to hear this openness from the Council to potentially tap into the stabilization fund," Morse said. "I know there's been resistance to that in the past from a number of councilors for operating expenses in particular, and so I look forward to having conversations with councilors."
"I'm the CEO of a multi-million-dollar organization working hand-in-hand with the City Council. It would not be responsible for me tonight to make a $300,000 decision without again talking directly to the councilors, the Finance Committee, the city auditor and the city treasurer. But I am committed to doing everything we can to try to find a solution that addresses the concerns tonight," he said.
Municipal departments' budgets are monitored daily and though the city is unable to fund every department at the full amount that each department head wishes, there is an understanding that public safety is paramount, he said.
"I think what's important to note is that obviously none of us wants to see fires happen in our communities and never did the chief nor I nor any fire commissioner wake up and think that a brownout was a good idea and that this is something that we wanted to do today ...," Morse said.
Cunningham said Morse's funding of the Fire Department was insufficient (in video above).
"Our issue is within the budget and the mayor and how he has underfunded the Fire Department and continued to short our staffing," Cunningham said.
The goal of the union is that firefighters and everyone in the community get to go home safely each night, he said.
Deadly fire leads Holyoke union president Chad Cunningham to seek removal of Fire Chief John Pond
Pond made a reference to criticism aimed at him by Cunningham. The union chief had said in addressing the City Council on Jan. 3 that Pond should no longer head the Fire Department and that it was "disgusting" that Pond said enough firefighters were available to battle the deadly fire at 106 North East St.
"I fully support the firefighters in this department and I have since I became chief in 2011," Pond said. "To say that I don't support the firefighters is just ludicrous."
An official with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) said he attended the meeting based on what city officials had been saying about brownouts and staffing, "very, very emotionally charged" issue.
It was good to hear discussion about possibly increasing funding to the Holyoke Fire Department, which is "almost second to none in the state of Massachusetts," said Jay Colbert, IAFF 3rd district vice president.
Juan G. Sanchez, of Gatehouse Road, said in his turn at the microphone: "I have a real issue with pinching pennies at the cost of people's lives and safety."
Committee member Howard B. Greaney Jr. said the key now was healing.
"We want to heal the process and see if we can prevent it from happening again. Please, let's move on. We know what happened, we know what the problems are," Greaney said.