Though there are many unanswered questions surrounding Mayor Pavia's recently announced plan to reform the volunteer fire service, one thing was made clear at a meeting of the Board of Representatives Thursday evening: It will not, as rumored, result in layoffs for paid firefighters.
"I don't know how to say this more emphatically," said the mayor, addressing a roundtable of Reps. "Not a single Stamford Fire & Rescue employee will be laid off because of this plan."
Stamford is now divided into six volunteer districts, each with its own department, chief and operating standards. Pavia hopes unifying the volunteer units will eliminate such drawbacks of the current system as inconsistent service and unpredictable budgets. Pavia's recommendations would expand the Long Ridge district to include Turn of River, Springdale and Belltown. This would require the city to create a new taxing district to support and maintain the unified department. This would likely cost taxpayers little to nothing, but, as with the layoff rumors, many residents have heard differently.
"I've been getting all these calls," said Michael G. Raduazzo (R-18). "Constituents want to know, is this new plan going to cost me one hundred dollars? Three hundred dollars?"
Michael D. Larobina, director of Legal Affairs for the Board of Reps, says the plan's cost will be "significantly, significantly less," though he wasn't free to release hard numbers.
Larobina said he didn't expect the rumors to stop anytime soon, thanks to years of tension between the volunteer and paid departments.
"Logic, in this situation, hasn't really carried the day," he said.
City Rep. Joseph Coppola (R-15), a former volunteer chief of the Belltown Fire Department, said kkthe previous administration contributed to the conflict.
"The reason why there's so much hostility is because Malloy said, 'Do this, or else,' " said Coppola, referring to Dannel Malloy's attempt to equip volunteer firehouses with city engines.
"With this system, I think we [the volunteers and Stamford Fire & Rescue] can work together better than we have in the past, certainly in the last three years," he said.
Whatever happens, both sides should have ample time to adjust.
"We're going to be taking this very slowly, very deliberately, so we get it right," said BoR President and Deputy Mayor Randall M. Skigen (D-19).
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