Lancaster (Pa.) Firefighters Union Draws Mayor’s Ire with Facebook Post

Lancaster, PA–“Are you safe? Today you have nine firefighters on duty to cover the entire city.”

The pointed post on Facebook by the union for Lancaster city firefighters was accompanied by a photograph of a closed Fremont Street fire station, one of three in the city.

It was the latest sign of the friction between the city and firefighters over a protracted contract dispute.

The firefighters’ contract expired at the end of 2011 and is now in arbitration. A two-day hearing is scheduled for the end of the month.

Mayor Richard Gray denied that the city had less than adequate protection in case of a fire and criticized the union for using “safety to upset people.”

Nine firefighters for the 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift Saturday was unusually low, he acknowledged, but happens from time to time. Often, there are 17.

“There shouldn’t be any problem with response time in the city,” the mayor said.

In case of a major fire, the city would sound a general alarm to call in more city firefighters and draw on volunteers from outside the city.

He said a decision was made to concentrate the nine firefighters in two fire stations and close the Fremont Street station for the day.

“Absolutely you are safe,” he said in response to the provocative Facebook post.

City Fire Chief Timothy Gregg said Saturday afternoon that the fire station would reopen at 5 p.m. Saturday and then stay open around the clock as usual.

“It’s only for the day,” that it’s shut down, added Gregg, who said homemade signs saying “Station Closed” and “In Case of Emergency Call 911” were inappropriate on the grass in front of the station.

Gregg said he took down the signs.

Tim Erb, president of Lancaster Professional Firefighters Association IAFF, Local 319, said the warnings were needed in case residents tried to go into the station to report a fire.

Erb said the post he put on Facebook remained up Saturday afternoon.

Responses to the post on the popular social network were one-sidedly critical of the city.

“Someone in Lancaster is going to die because Lancaster city no longer has an on-duty second-alarm response. It is only a matter of time,” one city resident wrote.

While saying there was ample protection at the ready, Gray criticized the union’s tactic on Facebook.

“It’s inappropriate that they would use safety in that manner to upset people and really concern people,” he said Saturday when contacted by a reporter.

Seventeen firefighters were scheduled for the shift but according to Gray, four were on vacation, one was on family leave, one was on long-term workers compensation stemming from an automobile accident, one was on short-term sick leave and one was on short-term leave for a military obligation.

Observed Gray, “We constantly have a problem under the current labor agreement with them not showing up for whatever reason.”

He said that is why the city is pushing for a change in how shifts are handled and 24-hour shifts that he says are common around the country.

“We’re paying between $10 million and $11 million for fire services and we can only get nine firefighters to come in with that kind of money?” Gray said.

Erb said he didn’t regret making the Facebook post.

“Safety is the main concern. When you have two pieces of apparatus in service (one truck and one engine) for the day – that’s pretty poor in terms of safety for the size of the city.

“The Facebook post was all about the city and to let people that follow us who live in the city be aware of the situation. They are unprotected.”

A general alarm in case of a major fire would take precious time for additional firefighters, he contended.