SB 5 will hurt staffing, says Dayton firefighter

Republican says workers have already taken cuts and just want fairness.

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By Doug Page, Staff Writer 12:38 AM Thursday, September 22, 2011

DAYTON — David Wright, legislative agent for the Dayton firefighters local and a captain in the department, does not expect a mass exodus of firefighters should Senate Bill 5 be upheld by voters. But any loss of a longtime firefighter is a threat to safety, he said.

“The Top 3 safety issues are staffing, staffing and staffing,” he said. “You have to have the people, and they have to have the training and experience. When an experience firefighter leaves, you can’t tell me that doesn’t affect safety.”

Wright is especially upset that SB 5 removes minimum staffing from collective bargaining.

“That attacks our ability to determine how safe our department is,” he said.

The union’s current contract calls for four firefighters on every apparatus. If there aren’t enough bodies on a shift to do that, a firefighter is called in on overtime to cover.

Wright said the four-person crew is a safety issue. A three-person crew — what the city originally proposed — can put the firefighters and public at risk, according to Wright.

“If the first unit pulls up to a structure fire with three firefighters, you face a problem. If there is a person trapped inside, you can’t send two people in. The one person on the outside is not enough to pull out the other two if they get in trouble. And you can get in trouble quickly” he said.

Wright said he believes SB5 is based on the premise that collective bargaining doesn’t work. He points to the many concessions police and fire unions have made over the past several years as cities struggle with the recession. He said collective bargaining is a good way to find solutions through compromise.

“Collective bargaining is more important when you are cutting than when you are growing,” Wright said. “The lack of money is obvious to all of us.”

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