Fire chief says mayor went too far

Kern says hospitals can’t replace fire crews.

By Scott Smith

Kokomo Fire Chief Scott Kern said Wednesday’s layoffs of 12 firefighters could jeopardize safety at fire scenes, putting the chief in direct contradiction with Mayor Greg Goodnight.

Despite dire warnings from firefighters, the Kokomo Board of Public Works & Safety Wednesday effectively terminated the employment of the 12 least-senior firefighters on the department.

But the board vote came only after Kokomo Firefighters Local 396 acting president Jeremy Shaw warned that “It’s going to be on this board when something happens.”

Thursday, Kern sided with the union against Goodnight’s layoffs.

“We’re going to get to the point where, especially with these layoffs, we can’t adequately cover everything we need to cover,” Kern said. “It is about numbers, and it is about response times and everything else.

“You can come to a point where you have to draw a line,” he said.

Rumors were rife Thursday that Kern would resign his position in protest. Asked if he would continue as fire chief, Kern gave an ambiguous response.

“Currently, as of 2:11 p.m. [Thursday], I am still fire chief,” Kern said.

Shaw wouldn’t comment on what the union’s next move might be, but said his membership plans “to get our message out” in coming days.

The basic message is that by reducing the fire department to 100 active firefighters, Goodnight is impacting the way the department fights fires.

Both Kern and Shaw Thursday said paramedics sent by both Kokomo hospitals to fire scenes won’t be an adequate substitute for Kokomo Fire Department Emergency Medical Services.

That’s because firefighters manning either of the two Fire EMS ambulances were trained to perform specific duties at the fire scene, Kern said.

Those duties included pulling the electric meter (to cut off power to the burning structure), making sure gas lines are shut off, acting as an on-scene safety officer and assisting with ventilating the burning structure, Kern explained.

“The hospitals have adamantly denied they’ll assist on any level whatsoever on a fire scene,” Kern said Thursday.

Under proposed terms of an agreement with the city, both hospitals will now handle all calls for ambulances within the city. The hospitals will also send ambulances to fire scenes, to provide medical assistance and/or medical transport to any firefighters or victims in need of assistance.

Under that agreement, the fire department must release the hospital ambulance before it can leave the fire scene, either by deciding any possibility of injury has ended, or because firefighters have arrived in one of the city ambulances to relieve the hospital ambulance.

Kern said the problem lies in the fact that the firefighting duties performed by Fire EMS personnel at fire scenes must now be performed by other firefighters.

“By taking 12 guys away from us, that is going to hinder these operations,” Shaw said Thursday. “We’re going to have to figure out how to do everything with the people who already have assigned duties.”

Wednesday, Goodnight dismissed any concerns, saying the same number of firefighters will be manning each truck going to fire scenes, and said the firefighters laid off were equal in number to the firefighters assigned to either Fire EMS or unnecessary front office duties.

“This does in no way, shape or form jeopardize public safety,” Goodnight said Wednesday. “When we laid off two firefighters [early in 2008], they said it would ‘jeopardize public safety.’ When we laid off two at a later date, they said the same thing.

“When we didn’t replace some firefighters who’d retired, they said the same thing. When we switched to the hospitals providing ALS runs instead of us providing BLS runs, they said the same thing. This is their only answer to anything.”

Kern said residents should be concerned.

“If we can’t get to the citizens safely, then we can’t keep them safe,” he said.

• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com

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