r/Firefighting • u/RustyShackles69 Big Rescue Guy • 4d ago

General Discussion New union contract is disappointing/dangerous

Im not going to give too much info since who knows who's reading this and can track it back to me. I saw info on the changes to our contract, and to say my jaw dropped is an understatement. I can't for the life of me understand how the city can think its okay to try and count chiefs toward maning and use a nearby jurisdiction's 2 man apparatus as emergency staffing.

I get it. We work alot of ot, but another officer in a pickup doesn't help us on a fire scene in the same way as a 3rd or 4th on an engine.

Well survive we are cowboy company and have made small staffs work so far but the city is gaining population not losing people.

Also, shame on the old men running the union prioritizing the dollar bills paid over obvious nfpa safety concerns. I guess the city will wait til people die and they get sued to make changes.

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u/StanfordWrestler Retired 4d ago

When I worked for a small one station department where the city was thinking of cutting paid staffing from 3 to 2 man minimum, I went to a city council meeting (off-duty, not in uniform) and explained NFPA 2-in, 1-out rules for rescue. I told them that if your grandkids house is on fire and we show up in a two-man engine, we aren’t legally able to go interior and rescue your grandkid. Guess what? They voted to continue funding our three-man minimum.

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u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair 3d ago

…..So you lied to them?

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u/StanfordWrestler Retired 3d ago

It’s WA state law. I don’t know about your state.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=296-305-05002

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u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair 2d ago

We don’t have one. Never seen a state with a more restrictive law than the OSHA 2/2 standard. And that standard doesn’t apply in a rescue situation anyway.

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u/StanfordWrestler Retired 1d ago

In WA it does. Not that people wouldn’t break it but you could get fined by the state safety org.