2009-01-06 5-B Submittal~~~
~..~aGANIZF`•
~~,. 0
,~
`m ~
.~ N
f,
~ xe
~:-
~~'L-C~
~ 1AN Laos
Alameda Fire Fighters Local 689
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS
635 PACIFIC AVENUE ALAMEDA, CA 94501 • TELEPHONE (510) 522-9109
Madame Mayorand Members of the City Council,
It is my duty as an elected employee representative, to inform you of manipulation and
information alteration that is occurring before your very eyes. The report on Fire Department Resource
Allocation that was published vn the City website and part of tonight's Council Agenda Item 5_g that was
Submitted by the Fire Chief Dave Kapler iS in no uncertain terms, adulterated. The DISCUSSION section
of the report, specifically Response Time Data and Response Time Impacts of Potential Brownouts read
as though "bailer-plate" language from the ICMA book entitled "Managing the Fire Service" was applied
and guesses were used as the basis forthe discussion,
It is the belief ofthis association that the City Manager and staff are not allowing the fire Chief
to do his job. At the December 16, 2408 Council Meeting where Counciimember Matarresse had
requested reports from both the Police and Fire Chiefs aver a week ahead of time, those Chiefs and
their staff were told not to be in attendance at the meeting so Councils questions could not be
answered. The Mayor even commented that she was disappointed that the Chiefs weren't there.
As a result of that Council Meeting, we are here tonight, and there is a report in front ofyou
talking about response times and the impacts of brownouts on response times. we have information
from the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center that information was requested
by the Alameda Fire Department on or about 23 DEC 20D8 about AFD response times to first alarm
assignments. I~Je also know that the amount of work required to be performed by dispatch employees
was to much to be done "under the table",and that permission would have to be granted tv work on
this project from AICaFD Chief lord, and that Chief lord was off until the 5t" of aanuary.
We also believe that ICMA has played a larger rare in this report than you and the public are
being led to believe. We know that they have been contacted specifically in response to the proposed
Fire and Emergency Medical Services Minimum Protection ballot initiative submitted for impartial title
and summary on 27 DEC 2DD8. In their analysis of the data provided to them, they have already
identified inconsistencies and missing information. llllith references to a similar yet very different
initiative in Pontiac Michigan, ICMA has been advised by City of Alameda "staff' that the ballot initiative
makes their study, that much mere important. Did I mention that the presentation by ICMA on these
"public safety" studies that they conduct is titled "How tv get your Chiefs to say the Right Thing"?
Submitted by Domenick Weaver at
the 01-06-09 Council Meeting
Re: Agenda Item ~-B
Affiliated with AFL-CIO • CLC Alameda County • California Professional Firefighters
Alameda Fire Fighters Local 689
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS
635 PACIFIC AVENUE ALAMEDA, CA 94501 TELEPHONE (510) 522-9109
There is an agenda being pushed forth and eitheryou asa Council knowabout it, oryou don't.
For aver four years this Association has been trying to communicate to you the need for adequate
staffing for both the health and safety of the community and firefighters, but also far the fiscal
responsibility needed in the City, even before this dramatic global economic downturn, Qur words were
dismissed and now you are faced with reducing a service level that puts your community in harms way.
We have warned that the short staffing was not only causing injury to firefighters, but fiscally
irresponsible. Our warnings fell on deaf ears. So 6 positions were frozen, eliminated from budget, and
now when facing further financial challenges, there is nothing left to cut.
With the budget cuts and cost saving measures needed, the Fire Chief and City Management
came up with un~funding two sworn office positions and a civilian analyst position. Programs like Water
Rescue, Hazardous Materials, and Technical Rescue are unfunded except for grant money. Then,
needing more, and consistent with an agenda of gutting public safety, went straight to street level
service cuts "recommending" the "brownout" of a Fire Company as needed.
Every Chief in the AFD far the last 11 years has said that 27 firefighters on duty daily is the
minimum required to appropriately cover the City of Alameda. That represents 1 firefighter for every
2936 citizens. Why now, with demand for service at record levels, would it be ~K to drop to 24?The
impacts will be mare than minimal. Chief Kapler estimates that 24~-5Q~ calls may be impacted by
"brownouts".There is no way to predict when, where, and what kind of call it will be that will suffer
because of "brownoutsn. This is playing Russian Roulette with the health and safety of the citizens,
visitors and firefighters in Alameda.
You all owe it to the Citizens and Business owners in Alameda to decide on the "proposed
brownouts".You cannot let this decision of service level be silently contained in budget bureaucracy. It
is your job to make sure transparency and accountability is here in City Government.You hired a Fire
Chief and he is not being allowed to be effective by the City Manager. He js being edited, censored, and
is virtually under the thumb of the City Manager and her agenda. There is a lot of finger pointing going
an between Staff and Council. I will not reveal my sources for information, and you must do your own
investigations. If you choose at this junction, not to act, you place yaurseh-es in jeopardy of not serving
this community consistent with the oaths you took upon gaining office.
Domenick vVeaver, President
Alameda Firefighters IAF1= local 6S9
Affiliated with AFE-CID • CLC Alameda County • California Professional Firefighters