Fire chief explains SAFER grant and current department staffing levels.

From the Editor: The Observer has received questions from Cleveland Heights residents about staffing levels of the city's fire department and the city's rejection of federal stimulus funding for the fire department – questions raised, in part, by recent information distributed by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 402/Cleveland Heights. The union's perspective is presented separately in this issue as a letter to the editor. The Observer asked the City of Cleveland Heights to explain its position on current staffing and on the federal grant. The city's response follows:

By Kevin Mohr

Due to challenging economic conditions, virtually every local government has been forced to make difficult decisions regarding expenditures and staffing. Cleveland Heights is no exception.

Since 2005, our city has had to look at every program and service it offers to determine where cuts could be made. Throughout this process, our priority has been maintaining the safety of our residents.

In February 2009, the city formulated a multipart plan to address budget concerns. Successful implementation of the plan required the cooperation of the city’s union and nonunion employees. All unions-except the firefighters’-agreed to freeze wages for one year or, in the case of the service union, three. For their part, nonunion employees have had no raises in three years and were required to take 10 unpaid furlough days in 2009. More than 100 positions have been eliminated.

Because of its budgetary hardships, and the sacrifices of other unions and employees, the city made it clear to the firefighters’ union, and to me, that any benefits awarded through an arbitration process would need to be paid for out of the fire department budget. Such a requirement would, most certainly, result in firefighter layoffs.

In March 2009, I urged firefighters to cooperate with the city in order to avoid job losses among CHFD employees. Unfortunately, the union filed for arbitration shortly thereafter. When the union lost its appeal in the first round of arbitration, it had the opportunity to reconsider its pursuit of an award that would predictably result in firefighter layoffs.

In early 2010, a conciliator awarded a salary increase to the union. Consequently, three firefighters were laid off. The union has stated that it had originally been willing to accept a contract with no pay raise, but the conditions attached to that offer included a work-week reduction from 50 to 48 hours and minimum staffing guarantees. A two-hour-per-week reduction in work hours would have been equivalent to a four-percent pay raise. The offer was not realistic.

There has been much misinformation about a federal grant known as SAFER. The grant could have been used by the city to hire three firefighters. Restrictions applied, however. The grant dollars could only be used for hiring and could not have been used toward underwriting the cost of the arbitration award. Also, as a SAFER grantee, the city would have been prohibited from laying off firefighters during the grant period. Therefore, faced with the need to pay for the conciliator’s award and knowing that the grant could not be used toward those costs, the city had to go ahead with the firefighter layoffs and could not accept the grant.

Adjustments to CHFD operations have been made to accommodate the conciliator’s award while maintaining our emergency response capabilities. Our minimum daily staffing remains at 16 members. We have not changed the number of vehicles in service, vehicle staffing or the assignment of those vehicles at the two fire stations.

We will continue to respond to calls in a timely manner, without disturbing the balance of mutual aid and automatic aid provided to our neighboring cities. Cleveland Heights remains one of fewer than five fire departments of the 50-plus in Cuyahoga County that meets and will continue to meet the initial full alarm assignment capability staffing levels set out in the National Fire Protection Association’s 1710 Standards.

The City of Cleveland Heights Fire Department will never compromise safety.

Kevin Mohr is chief of the Cleveland Heights Division of Fire/EMS.