To the Editor:

[The following letter is an open letter sent to the Board of Finance by the president of the Wilton firefighters union.]

As I said to you last year during the budget process, Local 2233 would like to thank you and the Board of Finance for your dedication and commitment to the residents and to the betterment of the Town of Wilton. We owe you and the Board gratitude for recognizing the safety risks and showing the courage to add the new firefighters to the budget in the face of significant monetary headwinds.

As the new budget year is upon us, I feel compelled to stress the need for the BOF and the [Board of Selectmen] to complete the work you started last year. I am on one of the shifts that was fortunate enough to be increased with a new firefighter. I can speak firsthand about the exponential tangible benefits that the additional firefighter provides. We are more efficient and effective with seven firefighters as compared to six. On the days when I am on shift, the residents and the Town are safer as are the firefighters on shift that day.

Conversely on the other days when the shifts with only six firefighters are on duty, the residents and firefighters are at a meaningful disadvantage. The safety concerns you tried to address last year still exists for those shifts, and the Town and its residents are less protected on those days. I submit that an operational model with unequal shifts is a random and arbitrary approach to safety and managing risks.

The residents voted for two additional firefighters resulting in two seven-firefighter shifts. Due to difficult monetary realities, the additional firefighters were hired on a staggered basis. To that end, one firefighter was hired for the full year, and a second firefighter hiring was deferred until mid-year. We appreciate a similar staggered hiring may be needed; however, additional firefighters must be hired to equal the shifts.

I would note that no fire department operates with unequal numbered shifts. A resident should not have to leave it to fate that an unfortunate emergency would occur on a day when there are seven firefighters on duty as opposed to six.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and/or the Board to discuss this very important matter.

Thank you!

Gary Mandel
President
Local 2233, IAFF
Wilton Fire Fighters