- Over 130 people showed up to hear from the local fire union on the status of a year-long push for better pay.
- County Commissioner Bill Proctor formed a committee to organize concerns to bring to the city.
- Watch the video to hear from one firefighter who says the negotiations are going on too long:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Eleven firefighters have left the Tallahassee Fire Department. The local fire union said it’s due to low pay and long hours.
Neighbors gathered at the Bruce J Host Northeast Branch to hear from firefighters on their year-long push for better pay.
Matt O'Brien has worked as a firefighter and paramedic for 13 years and now works as a suppression lieutenant.
"I joined this job mainly because I am looking to help people, that's kind of the main draw," O'Brien said.
He is one of the more than 130 who gathered at this standing-room-only town hall Thursday. The fire union and county commissioner Bill Proctor put on the event.
They discussed how negotiations are impacting the department and neighbors.
"It's frustrating, it's tiresome," O'Brien said. "If you were to do a straw poll in our department, I'd say most of us work a second job."
The push for higher pay by the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters has been ongoing for a year.
We have been covering it since the beginning.
Current starting pay for firefighters is about 44 thousand.
The current offer on the table from the city: a more than $1,700 raise for starting fire fighters, a just over $800 raise for engineers and no raise for ranks such as lieutenants, like O'Brien.
They are also reducing pension contribution and giving a bonus of at least 500 dollars to every employee.
I asked the city for their side of the story.
Fire Chief Gene Sanders told me in a statement quote: "During the course of negotiations, the priority has been on Firefighters, with the City providing multiple proposals for compensation increases that are now up to 8.6% within the rank of Firefighter, which is far above an average offer."
But many think it is not, like Melinda Lanigan.
Her husband served as a Tallahassee Firefighter for 27 years.
She said she came out to the town hall to raise public awareness on the firefighter's push for better pay after recent resignations.
"We don't need three people walking out in a week," Lanigan said. "We need an agreement and we need it now."
She joined a committee formed by Commissioner Proctor at the meeting to gather neighbors and firefighters concerns to present to the city.
With all of the chairs filled in the room by people like Lanigan, O'Brien said it's great to see community support.
"When we go out on our calls, we always get thank you so much and now it's becoming so great to see that in return, people coming out and supporting us," O'Brien said.
A hearing with a special magistrate that will give a recommendation on how to move forward is happening next Wednesday.
Following that, Proctor is hosting a rally outside of city hall to push for an agreement.
