Mayor Carolyn Kirk seemed clearly frustrated by the vote. Firefighters' union president Barry Aptt said he, too, was "disappointed" after the department's rank and file shot down a deal carved out between Kirk and Chief Barry McKay, and the union's leadership.
The agreement would have provided enough money to cover overtime costs to keep more stations open more of the time through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. And it could have done so by shifting money from the city's stabilization account and Fire Department training funds to cover those costs.
But — despite the recommendations of Aptt and fellow union officer Phil Bouchie — a majority of the voting firefighters decided they just weren't going to go along with $25,000 of their money for training to essentially match the $26,801 the mayor was ready to seek from the stabilization fund.
For Gloucester residents and taxpayers, that's not just "disappointing" or frustrating — it's downright infuriating. And in the wake of that vote, Kirk and McKay should feel free to press forward with the best plan they can muster to protect the city's residents and their property over the next six-plus weeks, without spending any more money the city cannot afford.
McKay has conceded the move will essentially mean that the Magnolia, Bay View and West Gloucester substations will be closed even more than they've been over the last eight months. There will also likely be more times that only the Central Fire Station will be open.
The Fire Department will also no longer be able to call in firefighters on overtime to staff the second ambulance when the first ambulance is "diverted" to Beverly Hospital, rather than going to Addison Gilbert. To address that need, police Lt. Joseph Aiello issued a memo Monday telling dispatchers to "consider" sending at least one medically trained police officer to medical calls that now spark an ambulance response.
All of this, of course, represents a major step backward in terms of residents' safety and security. And that's a shame. But this time, there's no question who's at fault for putting all of us more at risk. It's the 20 or so firefighters who voted down this agreement — 20 or so firefighters who are paid by taxpayers to protect us, but have now shown they really don't care about the city's interests, only their own. That's something Kirk and McKay should keep in mind as the city continues to address and hopefully restructure the way in which it handles Gloucester's public safety needs.
This isn't a renewed crisis we can blame on the union per se. Union leaders Aptt and Bouchie, after all, had worked with Kirk and McKay to bring this deal to the membership and urged its approval. And it's important to note the union includes 76 members.
Unfortunately, only 30 or so turned out to vote on the agreement last Friday night. And Aptt said the vote was roughly 2-1 against the agreement, and against his own recommendation. That means it was 20 who basically submarined this important agreement: 20 or so firefighters not only went against the agreement and their own leadership, they took a stand against Gloucester residents, the very residents and taxpayers who pay their salaries.
Aptt said he essentially blames himself for not doing a better job of selling the agreement to the union membership. He shouldn't. For he also noted that a number of those who opposed allowing their training money to be shifted to the overtime account said they believe they "can't trust the city ... can't trust the chief." Quite frankly, there's no dealing with an attitude like that. If that's what these firefighters believe, they should leave the department and go work for a chief and city or town they can trust, for they're not wanted here. Their stand in this case has damaged the trust residents may now have in them as well; that's not fair to their own department colleagues who do share a genuine concern for community safety.
Firefighters don't make a ton of money. But they — like other public-sector employees — receive benefit packages far more generous than those enjoyed by the private-sector workers who pay their salaries. So in voting to keep their training funds — while expecting the city to kick in even more to the depleted overtime account — these 20 or so firefighters showed a stunning lack of respect for the city and its taxpayers.
We'd like to see the chief and union leadership go back to the rank and file, ask for reconsideration of this agreement, and give these firefighters the chance to show their city, their department and own union leaders — and, most importantly, Gloucester residents — the respect they deserve.
But failing that, as the city moves forward, firefighters shouldn't be surprised if residents place their full trust in the hands of the mayor and Chief McKay to take whatever steps they need to do the right thing and put the citizens' interest first.
That's at lot more than some 20 firefighters did last Friday night.
