The Jamestown Fire Department P-J file photo

The Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association Local 137 believes that the Jamestown City Council’s rejection of a contract agreement with the union will continue to jeopardize EMS responses.

On Thursday, union President Ben McLaughlin released a statement on the council voting down a new four-year agreement earlier this week.

“We are very disappointed that on Jan. 31, the Jamestown City Council rejected our tentative agreement,” McLaughlin said. “This agreement would have provided an additional ambulance and firefighters trained to provide the citizens of Jamestown high-quality fire and emergency medical services.”

McLaughlin said public safety officials in Jamestown continue to respond to an alarming number of calls.

“Over the past two years, Jamestown firefighters have worked with the community and the city administration to find solutions to the pending EMS crisis, while also being good stewards of taxpayer resources,” he said. “Unfortunately, because of the rejection of the tentative agreement, the issue remains. Over the last 10 years, ambulance transports have increased from 116 in 2011 to 1,130 in 2021. This is over a 1,000% increase. Additionally, the overall calls for emergency service are up 78%.”

McLaughlin said city officials are taking advantage of surrounding volunteer fire departments and are abusing mutual aid agreements.

The safety of our citizens is the top priority of Jamestown firefighters and it is time that the city takes responsibility and invests in our citizen’s safety,” he said. “Jamestown professional firefighters are committed to providing our residents with high-quality fire and rescue services, but the resources we have available are not enough to meet the growing needs of our community and this trend is not sustainable. Our citizens deserve to know that when they call 911, they will receive an adequate and effective response from Jamestown firefighters.”

On Monday, the council voted down a new contract agreement that would have provided a 2.5% retroactive pay increase for 2021, 2.5% increases in pay for 2022 and 2023 and a 2.75% pay increase in 2024. The pay raises would have cost the city an additional $1,187,710 over the four-year life of the contract. In addition, the proposed contract called for the hiring of four new firefighters at a cost of $668,458, with $167,234 of that coming in 2022. The contract would have also ended lifetime health insurance for firefighters.

During the meeting, Jeff Russell, At-Large councilman, said he was concerned about the possibility of hiring four new firefighters just to lay them off when the contract ends.

“While we appreciate the council’s serious consideration of preventing layoffs in the future, providing adequate EMS response is an essential service that requires immediate action and should be a top priority of our city,” McLaughlin said. “Your Jamestown professional firefighters will continue to advocate for your safety, the safety of our members and the ability to provide Jamestown citizens the fire and EMS services they deserve.”

The council’s vote on the contract was 2-5, with Brent Sheldon, Ward 1 councilman; Marie Carrubba, Ward 4 councilwoman; Andrew Faulkner, Ward 6 councilman; Randy Daversa, At-Large Councilman; and Jeff Russell, At-Large councilman; voting down the new contract while Anthony Dolce, council president, and Regina Brackman, Ward 3 councilwoman, voted for the agreement. Kim Ecklund, At-Large councilwoman, recused herself from the vote because her husband is a retired firefighter.

After the meeting, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said he was “deeply disappointed” in the council for voting down the new contract with the firefighters. He said there is a “huge legacy costs” for the city to pay for lifetime insurance for retirees. He also said with the new firefighters a second EMS ambulance would have been put into operation, which would have generated an additional $200,000 to $400,000 in revenue for the city. He added that the council voting down the new contract will “most likely” lead to arbitration between the union and city officials.