Salem Fire District Articles [Salem, OH]

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 2/27/2005...

Candidates interviewed for fire district task force
By RYAN GILLIS, Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - Councilman Greg Oesch and Perry Township Trustee Cliff Mix met Saturday to interview those candidates who hope to serve with them on the task force commissioned to investigate the feasibility of a joint fire district.
In a public setting, the two men interviewed six candidates applying from the city and two applying from the township. One other township application was read aloud, although the candidate was unable to attend.

Oesch and Mix expect to name their selections to the fill the three remaining task force seats on Monday. One candidate will be named for the city, one will be named for the township and the fifth seat will be chosen by the other four members.

Although Oesch has previously stated firefighters, the chiefs and their families would not be considered for the task force, two Salem firefighters, a Perry firefighter and the wife of a Salem firefighter were all interviewed.

Capt. Jeffrey L. Hughes, East Euclid Street, who has spent nearly 15 years as a Salem firefighter said he offered not only his experience but also his connections with other departments as resources to benefit the task force.

While he believes the Salem and Perry chiefs should be the first firefighters consulted by the task force, Hughes said he too would serve as a consultant if not appointed to the task force.

However, Hughes has no doubt he could be objective if appointed to the board. "I'm not against a joint fire district if it's done correctly," he said.

Lt. Jimmie Lee Smith, West Fourth Street, has served on the Salem Fire Department for about 10 years but has been active with other fire departments since 1981.

Smith also has experience with the operations of a number of other fire departments and training which includes courses at both the state and national fire academies.

Although her husband is a Salem firefighter, Benton Road resident Stephanie Ritchie does not believe her judgment on the issues would be skewed. "Contrary to belief, I think all by myself," she joked. "We don't exchange ideas very often."

Ritchie began researching fire districts after city officials announced they were investigating the possibility of forming a joint fire district with the township. While she has seen fire districts work well in some areas, Ritchie stressed there are many facts to examine.

Perry Firefighter Jason Julian, Allen Drive, was unable to participate in Saturday's interviews, because he was attending training in arson investigation in Ashland. Mix read Julian's letter of interest, listing service with the department since 1997 and acting as volunteer organization's treasurer and past trustee.

Frank Zamarelli, Hickory Lane, is a lifelong Salem resident and 17-year businessman. His interest in serving the community prompted to volunteer his services to the committee.

Zamarelli hoped to use his background in business and fiscal management to assist the task force in providing the best possible recommendation.

Jack Reid, Highland Avenue, is a former General Motors employee who has watched the fire district discussion unfold by watching the televised city council meetings.

Reid said he supported the fire district and council's attempt to reduce costs by pursuing the option. "I'm in favor of maintaining my lifestyle as it has been. That means maintaining my wallet, and I think we'll get a good solution to this with a fire district," he said.

Samuel A. McKinney, Bentley Drive, retired last year from the National Guard after 30 years of service, where he had served as commander, staff officer, senior flight instructor and test pilot. He believes in giving something back to the community and volunteer with the Make a Wish Foundation, Shriners and his church choir.

While admitting he was not familiar with all the specifics of the fire district discussion, McKinney said his first concern was for the safety of Salem's residents.

Phillip Suarez, Manor Drive, the township's third applicant, asked Oesch and Mix for a better explanation of the task force's purpose and how the body would operate.

Oesch expects the committee to meet three to four times a week between now and March 15, the deadline set by council for an update from the task force. If the committee is not able to complete its work by that deadline, council members expect at least to receive an estimated completion date.

The task force may also be required to travel overnight to investigate how other fire districts in the state operate, and candidates were asked if their schedules allowed for such trips.

Task force members will be responsible for establishing a working model for the fire district which will allow council and trustees to determine if a fire district is a viable option or if the plan should be abandoned.

The task force will explore issues such as cost, personnel configuration, response times, equipment and the fire district's management structure.

Dennis M. Perry, Fair Street, admitted he would not be available about 12 hours a day five days a week because of work obligations, but he asked to serve as a consultant if that conflict prevented him from being appointed to the board.

Perry has served on local volunteer departments in the past and believes the task force must look not only at the immediate future but also 10 years down the road.

He said the committee faces "some tough decisions," adding, "I know you guys will do the best you can, and God be with all of you."

rgillis@mojonews.com

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Fire district task force to be selected
Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Mon, Feb 28, 2005

Interviews are open, but no public comment is allowed.

SALEM — Three fire district task force members will be chosen from nine applicants after two rounds of interviews conducted by Councilman Greg Oesch and Perry Township Trustee Cliff Mix.

The task force must then decide if combining the Salem and Perry Township fire districts would be feasible.

Six of the applicants — Dennis M. Perry, Frank A. Zamarelli, John F. Reid, Samuel A. McKinney, Jeffrey L. Hughes and Jimmie Lee Smith — live in Salem. Three — Jason Jullian, Phillip Suarez and Stephanie Ritchie — live in Perry Township.

Of the three open positions, one will be filled by a Salem resident, one by a Perry Township resident and the other by an at-large choice at the discretion of Oesch and Mix, who are the Salem and Perry Township representatives on the panel.

Oesch said new task force members should be announced Monday.

Please refrain from booing

He said the interviews will be conducted in an open forum at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. inside Salem City Council chambers.

"We will not tolerate any booing or hissing from the audience," Oesch said. "The public can be there, but we are not taking input from the audience.

"We're going to explain [to the applicants] what this is going to be involving and whether they're going to be able to commit enough time to it."

Oesch said neither firefighters nor their spouses will be considered.

"The only people they will pick are the people with the same ideas as them," Salem Fire Chief Walt Greenamyer said. "They don't want any opposing opinions."

The task force is meant to act as an exploratory committee to determine if a joint fire district is feasible for the community. The council expects answers from the task force no later than March 15.

If one fire district is created, council has pledged not to annex a northwest portion of Perry Township for at least 12 years.

Aim is saving money

The idea of combining Salem and Perry Township departments into one district is being prompted by funding concerns, Oesch said.

"This is not a situation of people not doing their jobs. We have got to cut expenses," he said.

Salem would save $600,000 annually if the district becomes reality, he said.

But Greenamyer feels safety is more important.

"There are other fire districts, but they were never created to save money," he said. "They were developed to enhance response times."

Greenamyer said Salem firefighters can be anywhere in Salem within four minutes.

Oesch said public safety will not be affected.

"We're going to still be manning the station 24/7," he said.

Mike Burns, president of Salem firefighters union, said the city should keep what is already considered a "trained" firefighting force.

"Salem has light industry, heavy industry, a hospital with 300 to 400 beds, several nursing homes and a high-rise facility for the elderly," he said. "You need one [fire department] that can respond to a variety of threats we face every day. You need full-time, trained people.

"Motivation behind the fire district is critical. Our city council's motivation is to save money, not to enhance public safety. To get savings, you sacrifice capabilities."

More than meets the eye?

Burns suggested an ulterior motive.

"A few months ago, I made the comment that this was union busting," he said. "Our last three contracts have gone into fact-finding and arbitration. We can't strike. It's against state law. We've gone through arbitration, but we've won every time. I think the city is tired of losing. I think they're saying, 'If we can't beat them, let's get rid of them.'"

If the solo district becomes reality, all current full-time firefighters would lose their jobs, but would be encouraged to apply to the new district.

"Some people have become physically ill over this," Burns said of his co-workers. "Stress, anxiety can make you physically ill. One of our guys got married, had a baby and bought a house. Now he's told he may have to start over again?"

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Form the Morning Jounral Web Site on 3/2/2005...

Task force will meet, choose fifth member
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - The task force being established to investigate the
feasibility of Salem forming a joint fire district with Perry Township will be meeting for the first time tonight in council chambers.

Speaking after Tuesday's council meeting, Greg Oesch, council's designate to the task force, said the committee, which also includes Trustee Cliff Mix, city resident Frank Zamarelli and township resident Phillip Suarez, will meet tonight to choose the task force's fifth member.

If that person is present, Oesch said the task force could choose a chairman and clerk and begin laying out an agenda for examining the issues of manpower, financing and other operational details of the proposed fire district.

The task force will report its findings back to council, which will use the information to determine whether or not the fire district would be worth pursuing.

Speaking at Tuesday's meeting, Councilman Walt Bezeredi said he was glad to see the task force taking shape, and he endorsed the decision to appoint Zamarelli, a businessman, and Suarez, a banker, to the committee.

"In my mind, I think a business background and objectivity are a big key to this," he said.

In other business, council agreed to provide city services to the proposed annexation of nearly 83.5 acres of Perry Township property to the city's northwest, owned by the Brooks Farms LLC.

At a meeting of the rules and ordinance committee prior to council, Service Director Joe Julian said the property owner had filed for annexation on Feb. 22, and the city was required to file the paperwork with county commissioners agreeing to provide services within 20 days of that date.

Raymond Bricker, manager of the limited liability corporation, had planned to file the annexation last year using a method not requiring the approval of county commissioners in which the city and township both agree to sign off on the annexation.

However, that deal fell through when city officials rejected a provision in the agreement allowing the township to keep the real estate taxes generated by the land for a 12-year period. Trustees would not support the agreement once the provision was removed.

Although council and trustees recently reached an agreement placing a freeze on annexations while the fire district task force conducts its investigation, Councilman Steve Andres said the Brooks Farm property was the one exception to the agreement because it was in the process of being filed when the agreement was reached.

He said trustees had approved that one exemption in the annexation freeze.

Council also passed an ordinance Tuesday allowing the utilities commission to begin the bidding process for the tanks and pumps needed to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant in order to meet an Environmental Protection Agency requirement.

Although it is appealing the decision which regulates phosphorus levels in treated wastewater to one milligram per liter, the commission has started the process of upgrading the plant to remove phosphorus as a good faith gesture during the appeals process.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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Fire district group in place
Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Wed, Mar 2, 2005

SALEM — The last member of a fire district task force to decide the future and potential merger of the Salem and Perry Township fire districts was approved Wednesday night.

John Reid, a retired General Motors employee who lives in Salem, was voted as the fifth member of the task force, which also consists of Salem Councilman Greg Oesch, Perry Township Trustee Cliff Mix, city resident Frank A. Zamarelli and township resident Phillip Suarez. Those members were announced earlier this week.

The task force will explore whether it makes sense to merge both services, which will save money, but will cost some firefighters their jobs.

Oesch was elected chairman of the task force, and Susan Johnston, Perry Township clerk, was voted to serve as clerk.

The first meeting of the task force as a whole is at 7 tonight at Salem City Council chambers, where it will review reports on equipment, examine the Ohio Revised Code for guidelines, look at policies and procedures of each entity and plan a couple of fact-finding trips. Tonight's discussion is open to the public.

The group is expected to make a recommendation or present its findings to city council March 15.

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From the Morning Journal on 3/4/2005...

Fire task force sees few full-time spots
BY RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - The proposed joint fire district could be manned by as many as 40
trained firefighters, only two or three of those will be full-time employees.

At the first meeting of the task force commissioned to develop a working plan for the joint fire district, Chairman Greg Oesch said he would recommend at least two full-time positions, a chief and a fire inspector, and possibly a third administrator to assist when those individuals are not available.

Oesch said council had envisioned a department serving the fire district consisting of 35 to 40 men. However, the exact number and how those men would be paid has yet to be determined by the task force.

One possibility is that firefighting personnel be paid as part-time employees of the fire district. Another is that they would be paid each time they respond to an emergency.

Currently, the Salem Fire Department is staffed by 16 full-time employees. Members of the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department are paid each time they respond to an emergency.

The board which would be established to govern the fire district would also be assisted by a paid, appointed clerk. Oesch said some research needs to be done to determine how the clerk is paid, suggesting the salary could be set based on the budget established for the fire district.

While the task force was established to develop a working model and examine the feasibility of the joint fire district, Oesch said the final decision on how the department is manned and how those employees are paid will be determined by the fire district board.

Task force members placed a high priority on determining the personnel structure and costs, followed by the district's insurance and other fixed costs.

The city has pledged $400,000 annually toward the fire district's operation and an additional $200,000 for the first three years to cover start-up costs. Those township's current fire levies would also fund annual operations.

Those levies include two continuous levies generating a combined $44,000 annually and a five-year safety levy which is divided between the township's police and fire departments. Perry Clerk Susan Johnston, who also serves as the task force secretary, said the fire department's share of that levy is about $58,000 annually.

Johnston added that levy is currently in the first year of collection since approval.

The fire district board has the authority to place tax levies before voters if the money contributed by both entities is insufficient to cover the new department's costs. They do not, however, have the ability to impose taxes.

Oesch also said the goal of the task force was to develop a working plan that did not require funding from additional levies. "We are going to work with the dollars that are available," he said.

One question for the task force to consider is establishing the fire district department as its own entity or integrating it with the two existing fire departments. Oesch said council has envisioned the fire district department as a totally new entity.

"It will become an entity of its own, and I think the intention right now of city council is that everybody will be able to apply for jobs, but there will be no integration," he said.

The task force also reviewed inventory lists from the city and township departments. Members have proposed an arrangement where equipment, including vehicles and turn-out equipment, and facilities will be leased to the fire district for a small fee.

The task force will meet Sunday to tour the buildings and examine the equipment of both departments. Committee member Frank Zamarelli will be calling the chiefs of both the Cardinal Fire District, located in Canfield, and the Western Reserve Fire District, in Poland, to arrange tours.

John Reid will begin research into Insurance Services Offices (ISO) ratings, which are used to determine insurance rates for property owners. Phillip Suarez suggested it would benefit the committee to know what the fire district's ISO rating would be before presenting the plan to council and trustees.

The lower the number the better for ISO ratings, and currently, the city's ISO rating is 5, while the township's is 6. Oesch said the Cardinal Fire District's ISO rating is 4.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 3/6/2006...

Fire station tours provide no clearcut answers for task force
By KRISTY FOSTER, Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - The decision on whether or not to create a joint fire district between the city of Salem and Perry Township did not appear to get any easier after a tour of both departments Sunday.

The members of the newly created task force asked questions at the Salem Fire Department and both fire stations belonging to Perry Township.

The group inquired about insurance service office (ISO ratings) and what equipment each department had as well as how the man power situation at each department is handled.

The tour began at the Salem Fire Department where Captain Jeff Hughes showed the men around and explained what equipment was available for emergencies and how it is used.

Members of the Task Force learned that there are two engines with ladders, one that can carry four men and one that can carry six men and a pumper as well as a pickup truck for rescues.

One of the truck hauls 750 gallons of water, another carries 1,000 gallons of water and the third trucks 400 gallons of water to a fire.

Other tools carried on the firetrucks include ropes, axes, additional hoses and other miscellaneous rescue tools.

Each truck is equipped with some type of medical set-up and generators so that the firefighters can generate their own electricity for lights and don't have to rely on the electricity. The Salem Fire Department also has a thermal imaging camera.

Hughes told the men that one benefit of having a full time department is the maintenance that is kept up on the equipment.

He said that the equipment receives daily, weekly, monthly, every six months and yearly checks on various pieces of equipment. For example, the air packs are checked daily by the truck's driver for leaks. So that if a fire occurs, the air packs are ready.

Hughes added that the Salem Street Department's mechanic is certified to repair and maintain emergency vehicles and does what the members of the department are capable of doing.

One of the task force members inquired about whether or not there are parts of the city that have water pressure problems and are bad enough to cause concern in the event of a fire.

Hughes told the group that North Ellsworth and North Union and parts of the northern side of town are the worst areas for water pressure and attributed it to the older pipes being corroded over the years.

Hughes and Fireman Shawn Messler said that it could be tough for some of the city firefighters at times to get enough water pressure to fulfill the two hour pressure test required by the ISO rating. However, they said it was not bad enough for the city to receive a 10.

Another question brought up at the meeting was whether or not the Salem firefighters are required for the medical helicopters to land at the Salem Community Hospital.

Hughes and Messler said that the officers are not required but are a courtesy to the medical helicopters.

"We are there to protect the building and the people around there. It's a courtesy to the helicopter flights," Hughes said.

He added that if the officers are there waiting for a medical helicopter and a call comes in for an emergency situation then the emergency call takes priority over the medical helicopter.

The fire department handles between 800 and 900 calls per year including the medical helicopters and alarm drops.

Their average response time is 3.91 minutes which Hughes said makes the damage done to a structure limited because a fire does not have time to spread.

He added that some outlying fire departments can have as long as a 10-20 minute response time which could mean total devastation for a structure.

The Perry Township Fire Department appears to be run differently that the Salem Fire Department but not less committed to keeping the public safe.

Assistant Perry Township Fire Chief Phil Panezott and Firefighters John Zimmann and Tony Constantino gave the tours at both the north and south station and appeared to be very knowledgeable about the workings of the department.

The Perry Township Fire Department has two fire engines, a pumper, a grass fire truck and a rescue vehicle. The largest tank on one of engines carries 1,000 gallons of water and the other carries 500 gallons.

The rescue vehicle and the pumper are transferred between the two stations each month. The pumper can pump 1,200 gallons of water per minute.

When asked by the task force members about the condition of the equipment Panezott said the equipment is in good shape and it received regularly scheduled maintenance.

The Perry Township Department carries axes, flashlights, various hoses, air packs and first aid kits.

Panezott said that there are three Emergency Medical Technicians trained on the department and everyone receives first aide and CPR training.

The trucks also carry attic ladders, extension ladders and 30 feet ladders to reach areas that they can't from the ground.

The department also has a Cascade System which is used to refill air packs.

The trucks also carry a foam type of substance in a container on the trucks which is used to soak up hazardous materials such as spilled diesel fuel.

The department did not have the exact number of calls handled per year but estimated there are over 300 calls a year and each has an average of 9.4 firefighters responding to the call.

The members of the task force also inquired about the township's ISO rating which is a six, one point higher than the city, and if it could reach a ten.

The group was assured that with the equipment that the township has available, the ISO rating could not reach a 10.

They said it's not just the equipment but the mutual aid agreements the township has with surrounding departments and the availability to pump water out of dry hydrants and truck it to the emergency situation.

Zimmann said that there are mutual aide agreements with many departments including Green Township, Ellsworth, Hanover, Berlin and others and that their help is called upon when a structure breaks out or the department is called when they have a fire and need additional help in hauling water to the scene.

kfoster@mojonews.com

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 3/8/2005...

Ink not yet dry on task force deal
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - The fire district task force has been studying the feasibility of a Salem-Perry Township fire district for about a week now, but township trustees are still waiting to hear from their legal counsel before signing the agreement which created the task force.

At a work session meeting Tuesday, trustees said they were still waiting to discuss the agreement with Assistant County Prosecutor Andrew Beech, who had raised some concerns about ambiguities in the document.

Once signed, the document, which spells out the terms by which both entities agree to discuss the fire district, becomes a legal document, according to Chairman Jerry Wolford.

The agreement includes a 12-year freeze on annexations from Perry Township, if the fire district is formed.

However, trustees did not want the unsigned agreement to stand in the way of creating the task force, which is looking at what the fire district would cost to operate and how it would be staffed, among other things.

"This thing has been bantered around now for nine months or better now," Wolford said of the joint fire district proposal. "It's time to do something one way or the other."

Wolford said the document, a revision of the earlier agreement made between city and township representatives last August, was developed over the course of two public meetings, which reassured trustees that the city had no plans to alter the deal.

Trustee Larry Parker said since the city and township have had "an agreement in principle," there was no reason to delay the task force's work. "It was just a matter of getting (the agreement) in the proper legal form to be acceptable to both sides," Parker said.

While trustees are still waiting to sign the agreement, Parker said they did not expect their questions to create a "major roadblock" for the task force's investigation.

Trustees are hoping to discuss the agreement with Beech before their next regular meeting on Monday.

In other business, trustees discussed possible alternatives to their current health insurance coverage after rates increased about 4 percent over last year's rates. The township now pays nearly $7,700 a month to provide health insurance to 12 employees.

Robert Hodgson, of the township's insurance agency Acordia of Ohio, provided trustees with quotes from several other insurance companies, but none of those provided any savings over the current carrier, Anthem.

Hodgson said many health insurance policies have increased an average of 14 percent over the past year, adding the slight increase seen by the township was good considering three of those people covered by the policy had moved up to the next age bracket.

Hodgson also provided trustees with three alternatives under the Anthem plan. Each could save the township roughly $400 a month but would mean changes in coverage such as changes in the prescription drug plan or increases in the employee deductible.

Trustees took no action on the insurance issue Tuesday.

Salem firefighter Mike Burns attended the meeting and asked trustees if it would be possible for the township to form an insurance cooperative with the city as a way of saving money for both entities.

Burns suggested the city and township could benefit from reduced premiums if the employees from both were combined to take advantage of discounts for larger groups.

"That was one of the things we discussed in the city, because there are like 80 employees, but if they had 100, the premium would actually be cheaper per person," Burns said.

Clerk Susan Johnston said entities need to have "a common interest" before they can form such a cooperative partnership. She said the possibility has been investigated in the past but was not possible.

"We couldn't do it with the city at that point because they're a city, and we're a township. We're not equal," Johnston said.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 3/9/2005

Salem hospital has stake in talks
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - While the fate of the proposed joint fire district should not rest on the district's ability to provide stand-by service to Salem Community Hospital, the hospital's chief executive officer said any plan to provide alternative fire protection in Salem must take the hospital's special needs in mind.

In an e-mail letter to fire district task force member Frank Zamarelli, the hospital's Howard Rohleder said the hospital appreciates the free stand-by for helicopter flights now provided by the city, but he said SCH would do what it must to meet the safety obligations for those flights if the service no longer can be provided by the city.

Rohleder said the joint fire district proposal should not "rise or fall" on the ability to provide helicopter stand-bys.

However, Rohleder stressed that those developing the proposed fire district must consider the possibility that the new fire department may be called on in the future to fight a fire at the hospital.

"We have a four-story building with sick people who are hard to evacuate ..." he wrote. "All I ask is that whoever provides fire services has the manpower, response time, training and equipment to fight a fire at the hospital."

Rohleder volunteered to provide the necessary orientation to the hospital building but said there must be "a commitment" to address the facility's high-risk population.

While some have tried to bring SCH into the fire district discussion, Rohleder said the hospital has tried to stay out of the debate from its beginning, and he urged members of the commission not to rely on secondhand information concerning the hospital's needs.

"I conveyed to council members long ago that only I speak for the hospital and that my position is that the city needs the opportunity to look at all angles," Rohleder wrote.

Task force member John Reid had a similar discussion with Rohleder earlier in the day which he said was similar in tone and content to the letter.

Zamarelli believes the hospital is prepared to initiate those steps needed to continue the emergency helicopter service if the safety stand-bys no longer can be provided by the city or the fire district's fire department.

"They're prepared to do whatever they would have to do to make that protection available to their patients and their property," Zamarelli said.

However, he added the task force or fire district board should notify the hospital as soon as it becomes apparent those services no longer would be available.

Members also voted Wednesday to table three sets of questions dealing with various details of the proposed fire district's operations. They said many of the questions pertained to issues which must be resolved by the future board established to oversee the fire district.

Reid said it was not the purpose of the task force to establish policy.

"We are a fact-finding committee. Period," "Reid said, adding later, "We have no power or position to answer these questions."

Reid said, however, that the questions should be made a part of the "package" presented to city and township officials at the conclusion of the task force's investigation.

Zamarelli added he did not know the answers to many of the questions and said he did not even know where to begin looking for the answers to some of them.

The questions were submitted by Salem firefighters Mike Burns and Jimmie Lee Smith and by City Council candidate Justin Palmer, who circulated the petitions which led to two voter-approved ballot issues preventing council from joining the fire district without voter approval.

Smith was one of nine candidates who applied for a seat on the task force.

The task force will meet at 2:30 p.m. today to tour the Cardinal Fire District in Canfield. Another meeting will be held immediately following members' return to Salem.

Zamarelli also is making arrangements to tour the fire district in Hudson, and with the deadline approaching for the task force's first report to Council and trustees, Reid suggested one or two members of the task force could tour other fire districts without the other members.

With the approval of other members, Reid and Cliff Mix hope to tour fire districts in Poland and Newton Falls.

Reid said he did not believe any decision about the proposed fire district's finances should be made until members have talked to other fire district officials about their finances.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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Fire task force notes savings
Published: Fri, Mar 18, 2005 in the Youngstown Vindicator

The task force plans to meet Tuesday to refine its figures for a council meeting.

SALEM — The city could save $600,000 by abolishing its fire department and joining Perry Township in a fire district, a task force considering the possible move reported Thursday.

But firefighters, calling it a union-busting move, said they were prepared to challenge the district in court, if it is approved by city council. The council is scheduled to take up the matter at 5 p.m. Wednesday in city hall.

"We can cut our $1.2 million annual fire budget in half and save $600,000 per year by forming the district," said Gregg Oesch, a councilman who heads the Fire District Task Force. "We need to save money because we are facing a shortfall and having trouble meeting our payroll."

Oesch said the savings would come from laying off the city's 16 full-time firefighters and replacing them with part-timers and volunteers.

Refining its figures

The task force will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in city hall to refine its figures in preparation for the council meeting, he added.

"Forming the district will involve union busting, discrimination and law breaking," objected Mike Burns, president of local 283 of the International Association of Firefighters, speaking for the firefighters who would lose their jobs.

Burns, among about a dozen firefighters and residents attending the meeting in city hall, pointed out city residents approved ordinances barring the formation of the fire district and the disbanding of the city fire department by a 62-percent margin in November's election.

However, Oesch said that under state law the council can overturn these ordinances and form the district.

If that is done, Burns vowed the union and the firefighters will take the council and the city to court to seek to preserve the fire department.

Oesch said the idea of forming the fire district has been discussed for more than five years, leading Burns to question whether council members had violated the state's freedom of information law by considering it privately over the years.

Burns also questioned how the task force was able to come up with a detailed budget for the proposed district for presentation Thursday without discussing it first in public.

Proposed district plan

Under the proposed district plan, the full-time firefighters would be replaced by part-time firefighters, earning $9 per hour, who would man the Salem and Perry firehouses, said Jack Reid, of Salem, a task force member.

Oesch said a firefighter would be on duty at each firehouse around the clock, but he added he was not certain how many part-timers would be needed to achieve that.

Volunteer firefighters would be paid $8 per hour to help the part-time professionals fight the fires, Reid said.

The district would also employ a fire chief, paid $50,000 per year, and a part-time assistant chief and fire inspector, paid $45,000 annually, according to the proposed budget.

Overall, the city would contribute about $600,000 and the township $42,000 annually to pay for the district.

"It looks like it will work, giving us a lot more access to a quick response to fires," Perry's task force representative, Cliff Mix, said, expressing approval of the district plan.

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 3/18/2005...

Task force: Fire district may be feasible
By RYAN GILLIS, Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - The formation of a Salem-Perry Township joint fire district is financially feasible if the city continues to contribute the $200,000 allocated for start-up costs past the first three years of operation.

That was the conclusion reached Thursday by the task force commissioned to examine the issue.

Based on numbers presented by both the Salem and Perry Township fire departments and information received during visits to operating fire districts serving Poland and Canfield, task force members have determined about $580,000 would be needed for the fire district's first year.

For revenue, the fire district would receive an annual $400,000 from the city and $42,000 from the township. An additional $58,000 is assured for at least the next four years from a five-year township safety levy in its first year of collection.

The safety levy can only be used for equipment and similar purchases, not for personnel costs.

The city had also agreed to pay $200,000 annually for the first three years to assist with the cost of establishing the fire district, but without that $200,000, the task force has concluded the fire district will be operating in the red after three years.

According to figures compiled by the committee, the fire district would operate with a surplus of nearly $63,500 the first year, $82,500 the second year and $61,700 the third year. However, when the city's additional $200,000 is gone, the district runs a deficit of $127,000 the fourth year and a negative $146,000 the fifth year.

Chairman Greg Oesch said the task force's report to council and trustees next Wednesday will include the recommendation that the $200,000 remain after the first three years for a total annual contribution by the city of $600,000.

"It won't work otherwise," he said.

Cliff Mix agreed the fire district would only work if the city's $600,000 contribution were continued past the initial three years.

Even with the additional cost, Oesch said the city would continue to save about $600,000 a year over its current operating expenses for the fire department, which were budgeted at $1.2 million in 2004 and slightly lower in 2005.

Oesch said he had not yet spoken to his fellow city council members about the fire district's need for the additional money in order to gauge their opinion on the issue.

During its first year in operation, the fire district would spend nearly $420,000 in operating costs, the task force concluded. This figure includes a $50,000 salary for the chief and a $45,000 salary for the assistant chief/inspector, the department's only full-time employees.

The task force has also suggested these employees receive annual salary increases of 3 percent.

The proposed department would be served by a part-time secretary earning $11,200 annually, and the fire commission established to regulate the fire district would be served by a part-time clerk earning about $3,000 a year.

The task force has also proposed two of the three fire stations, the Salem station and the Perry North station be manned by one firefighter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That individual would be a part-time employee with a starting pay of $9 and hour. That hourly rate would increase 50 cents after the first year and 25 cents for the two following years.

In emergency situations, the fire district's personnel would be paid a flat $8 each time they respond to a call. Based on number received from the Salem and Perry departments, the task force estimated a response of 12 firefighters to about 600 calls a year, for a total of $57,600 a year.

Other personnel costs include hospitalization, payroll taxes, workers compensation, pension and life insurance benefits.

Oesch pointed out all the above figures were only recommendations by the task force. The five-member panel established to regulate and oversee the district would have the final say in setting these costs.

Non-personnel costs for the first year amounted to slightly over $160,000. This figure included $33,333 for training, which would continue through the second and third year before dropping to $5,000, and another $30,000 for start-up costs, including changing the names and decals on all the existing Salem and Perry vehicles and equipment.

Some of the other non-personnel expenses for year one include $20,000 for utilities at the stations, $15,000 for phones and radios, and another $15,000 for supplies.

An additional $25,000 from non-personnel costs would be placed into an escrow account with the township's $58,000 to be applied toward the purchase of new vehicles.

"These numbers that were generated are absolutely honest to the best of our ability," Jack Reid said after reading the expense list.

Reid believes a joint fire district would work if the board worked quickly to recruit the part-time and volunteer firefighters and began training them soon after. He also said the board would need to find the right people to serve as chief and assistant chief, heading the new department.

Following the meeting, Oesch acknowledged the city would incur additional expenses during the first year as a result of dissolving its current full-time, union-represented fire department. However, he said that was not a issued for the task force to consider.

Oesch added council has not yet discussed what cost might be involved in dissolving the fire department.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 3/23/2005...

Fire district budget readied for council review
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - On the eve of their report to city and township officials, the task force commissioned to investigate the feasibility of a joint fire district reviewed the budget it will be presenting and previewed a copy of the signed statement officials will receive.

Although task force members still believe the fire district would be financially possible only if the city's fixed contribution remains at $600,000, revised budget numbers, which included cash carryovers from previous years, showed the fire district avoiding deficit spending until its fifth year of operation.

That budget did not include the continuation of the provisional $200,000 council had suggested contributing for start-up costs the first three years of operation, in addition to the fixed contribution of $400,000.

If council did not also make the $200,000 a fixed contribution, the task force has estimated the fire district would be operating at a negative $75,360 in its fifth year. The budget reviewed last week, which did not include the previous years' carryovers, showed negative spending in the fourth and fifth years.

However, in its statement at tonight's special council meeting, the task force will recommend the $200,000 from the city be included in the contribution "for as long as this proposed fire district exists."

Chairman Greg Oesch also asked Phillip Suarez, who developed much of the proposed budget, to extend the budget out 12 years, seven more beyond the current numbers, and to include the $200,000 as a fixed contribution.

In addition to the proposed $600,000 from the city, the task force also would receive about $44,000 from two permanent township fire levies and about $58,000 for equipment purchases from a five-year safety levy, currently in its first year of collection.

The latest budget still shows the fire district receiving $642,000 in operating revenue its first year, with about $580,000 in expenses. None of the personnel numbers, such as the chief's proposed $50,000 salary or the assistant chief's $45,000 salary, has changed.

However, the numbers do reflect a first-year expense of about $3,000 year for the purchase of Uniform Accounting Network (UAN) software which was recommended for bookkeeping on one of the task force's visits to neighboring fire districts.

Suarez also was asked to include the cost of $1,800 a year with the district's expenses to pay the monthly salary received by members of the board established to oversee the fire district.

Oesch said the Ohio Revised Code allows members of the fire district board to make $30 a meeting, for one meeting a month. Council has proposed the fire board consist of five members.

The short statement, signed by all five task force members, which will be presented to council and trustees, makes mention of the committee's tours of fire districts in both Canfield and Poland and continues, "We feel, as a task force, combining the city of Salem Fire Department with Perry Township Fire Department is a workable possibility with our proposed budget."

Oesch also stressed during the meeting that the budget is only a working document, and council, trustees and the fire board are not bound to the numbers presented by the task force.

Ultimately, the fire board will have the final say in determining the number of full or part-time employees hired, how they will be paid, and how the fire stations will be manned.

Oesch did not know if council planned to take any action on the task force's recommendation at tonight's meeting.

"I have not really even talked to anybody about it," Oesch said, "Not even a one-on-one phone call with anybody."

rgillis@mojonews.com

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No action taken on proposed fire district
Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Thu, Mar 24, 2005

One firefighter suggested the city could end up in court over the issue.

SALEM — City council declined Wednesday to act on a tentative budget for a proposed fire district combining the Salem and Perry Township fire departments and cutting the city's $1.2 million budget for firefighting in half.

David Ventreso, council president, said council may not take up the matter until its regular meeting slated for 7 p.m. April 19 at city hall.

None of the 30 people at the meeting, including firefighters and their family members, spoke about the proposal before it conducted a brief discussion and adjourned.

After the meeting, a few city firefighters in uniform declined to speak when asked to comment on the district that would cost them their jobs.

Union action

However, Mike Burns, president of local 283 of the International Association of Firefighters reiterated his stand that the union would take the council to court if it disbanded the fire department in favor of the district.

He recalled city residents in November approved by wide margins ordinances barring the city from disbanding the department and forming the district.

"If the council circumvents the will of the people, we'll be in court," Burns said.

But, Greg Oesch, a council member who headed the five-member task force that recommended approval of the district Wednesday, said council under state law may repeal the ordinances and form the district.

Frank Coy, a resident echoing Burns' statement last week, called the district plan "a union busting move." The 15 paid firefighters, all full time, would be replaced with part-time employees, who would staff the fire station in Salem and a firehouse in Perry for $9 an hour. Volunteers would be paid $8 an hour when they responded to fires, in line with the district plan.

Burns also questioned whether response times to fires by the proposed district's part-time employees and volunteers would be adequate to save lives and reduce structural damage. "A fire can double in size every 60 seconds," he said.

The district would be headed by a fire chief, paid $50,000 per year, and an assistant chief doubling as a fire inspector, earning a $45,000 salary. Both would be full time.

"We still have some industry left in Salem. We felt we needed a full-time chief and an assistant to carry out a fire prevention program," Oesch said, responding to council questions.

He said the task force assembled a tentative 12-year spending plan for the district, based on its review of the Salem and Perry fire budgets. Salem would be required to contribute $600,000 and Perry $42,000 annually to operate the district, he said.

"The district is feasible. It can be done. It will result in a 50 percent savings in Salem, amounting to $600,000 per year," Oesch said.

Budget shortfall

The district plan resulted from an effort to save money to cope with the city's growing shortfall and payroll expenses, he explained.

The council member said the task force became convinced that the proposed Salem-Perry district is workable after its members visited the Cardinal Fire District, based in Canfield, and the Western Reserve Fire District, based in Poland.

In response to a question from council member Nancy Cope, Oesch said the budget contains an escrow account that would grow in year 12 to nearly $1 million for the purchase of a new firetruck.

Alma Apicella, another council member, asked if the district might entail building a second firehouse in Salem.

"The task force just briefly discussed the question of a second firehouse," Oesch said, adding it was not included in the budget. "If it were built, it would be on the city's east side."

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 4/6/2005...

Salem faces another fire deadline: contract
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - Council members met in executive session following Tuesday's regular council meeting to discuss contract negotiations with the fire department.

Although no action was anticipated, Councilman Greg Oesch said members would be speaking by telephone with attorneys from Roetzel & Andress about both the city's current contract with the department and its future contract.

The current firefighters' contract expires July 1.

Oesch said Tuesday's discussion would eliminate the need for a special meeting of council which had been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today, and council voted to cancel that meeting. The meeting was to discuss issues related to the proposed joint fire district.

While Oesch did not anticipate any action from council on the fire district in the coming weeks, he said council would need to act on its formation soon, if that is the path members choose to follow.

"I think we're going to have to come to a decision pretty quick," he said. "We have to know which way to proceed."

Oesch had requested Wednesday's special meeting, without knowing what the attorneys would say, in order to give all members an opportunity to participate, but after no action would be needed, Oesch requested Tuesday's executive session.

Councilwoman Alma Apicella was not present at Tuesday's meeting.

Prior to the executive session, Mike Burns, president of the firefighters' union, International Association of Firefighters Local 283, criticized the report and guideline budget produced by the task force commissioned to investigate the feasibility of forming the fire district with Perry Township.

Burns referred to comments made by Oesch that the Salem and Perry fire chiefs would be asked to testify before the committee, but he pointed out no one was asked to testify during the meetings at city hall. The committee did consult the chiefs of the Cardinal and Western Reserve fire districts.

Again Burns criticized the absence of professional firefighters on the committee, what he called "non professionals making professional decisions."

According to Burns, the budget produced by the task force contained several errors. He said the $58,000 generated by the township safety levy was included in capital improvements for 12 years, even though the levy expires in four years and there is no guarantee of renewal.

He also said the line item for the fire district's pension pickup for the Police and Fire Pension Fund for the chief and assistant chief was short by about $8,500. Also, he said no money was included for pensions for part-time employees under the Public Employees Retirement System.

Burns also pointed out the task force work was completed before the agreement creating the committee was officially signed by council and trustees. "Is that what they call putting the cart before the horse?" Burns asked.

Trustees have not yet signed the document because of questions with some of the agreement's language.

Law Director Brooke Zellers said he had a meeting Wednesday to discuss the agreement, but he said council and trustees had a binding oral agreement, made during a taped public meeting, which applied.

Burns received applause from those attending the meeting when he pointed out the results of a recent survey from the Boston Globe which showed the Salem Fire Department in the top 1 percent of Ohio's 1269 fire departments for response time.

"You could care less if it takes us a minute to get there or a half hour to get there," Burns said to council. "You should be selling that. That's economic development."

Later in the meeting, Councilman Steve Andres said, if the budget produced by the task force holds close to estimates, it would mean a savings of over $6 million for taxpayers over the fire district's first 10 years.

Councilman Walt Bezeredi said the "bias, slanted perspective and spin-doctoring" by members of the fire department trying to preserve their jobs could not be ignored. However, Bezeredi said the citizens who volunteered to serve on the task force did not hold a bias one way or the other about the issue.

"Those of us that work in the private sector, the 600-plus of us that have lost or are losing our jobs within the past year - we wish we had a forum where we could analyze, criticize and chastise our employers, but we do not," Bezeredi said.

Both Bezeredi and Andres would at the Crane Deming facility which will cease operations later this month.

Oesch said after the meeting he was not interested in a "bantering match" with fire district opponents who were interested in "trying to poke holes in everything we do."

Instead, Oesch said he was concerned with doing "the best thing for the taxpayers. That's who, ultimately, is the boss."

John Bricker, chief of the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department, was also critical of the task force's failure to discuss the impact the fire district would have on neighboring departments in Damascus and Green Township with those chiefs.

Bricker also said his department had a good working relationship with the city's current fire department. "Nothing beats experience, and these guys you have here have the experience," he said. "They know your community very well."

rgillis@mojonews.com

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 4/12/2005...

Fire district ruling outside bounds for civil service board
By RYAN GILLIS Journal Staff Writer

SALEM - Members of the civil service commission said Monday it is outside their responsibility to offer an opinion or legal advice on issues related to the proposed joint fire district, pointing out City Council has not yet taken action to abolish positions on the fire department.

The commission's comments came in response to a written request by Mike Mahouski, an inspector in the Salem Fire Department, for information on rules governing the dissolution of the fire department.

"I was under the impression that it could be done if there was a lack of work or a lack of funds, which there is neither," Mahouski wrote.

Commission members said the Ohio Civil Service and Collective Bargaining guidelines do not specifically address layoffs related to the formation of a fire district. However, the section of the book dealing with layoffs and displacements gives the "appointing authority" the power to determine if a lack of work or lack of funds exists.

That section also allows for the abolishment of positions for reasons of reorganization. The abolishment of positions also could be read as the abolishment of the entire department, said Commission Chairman Harry Dugan Jr.

Dugan added the code also gives city officials the right to hire someone outside the department or contract with a private employer to perform the work.

Clerk Gary Moffett discussed the letter with Law Director Brooke Zellers, who said council, as of now, has no "agenda" dealing with a fire district.

Dugan said the commission's purpose was to administer to the law, adding it would be difficult for the commission to offer guidance on the issue. He said the commission's work would include making sure the layoff procedures, if they occur, are handled properly and to hear any appeals.

As a formality, city officials would be required to submit the rationale for their decision in writing to the civil service commission, Dugan said. Even if they fail to submit those reasons, the layoffs can be upheld if the rationale exists.

Dugan understood the letter to be a request for "direction" which he said is not the commission's responsibility.

"Our charge is not to offer legal advice," Dugan said, adding later, "We would be, I believe, overstepping our bounds if we did that."

Commission members also said the discussion of their responsibilities should council dissolve the fire department is only conjecture at the present time since council has taken no action to do so.

"We really have no opinion at this point," Dugan said.

rgillis@mojonews.com

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From the WYTV Channel 33 Web Site on 4/25/2005...

Salem Firefighters Make Concessions
Columbiana County


Salem Firefighters story image In an effort to keep their department full-time, firefighters in the City of Salem are making concessions. The Firefighters Local Union 283 has proposed a three-year wage freeze to the city. The firefighters contract expires June 30th. City officials hope to have a response to the proposal Wednesday. Due to financial problems, Salem and Perry Township have considered merging fire departments.