“Nobody’s talking about public safety” - Councilman Doug Rigoni

“ The plan is to eventually establish a regional public safety department” - City Manager John Marquart

There has been a lot of focus recently on sharing of resources and services between the communities in southern Dickinson County. The Iron Mountain Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 554, is not opposed to the concept of regional sharing of resources and services. We are, however, opposed to any arrangement which results in a reduction in the life safety and property protection for the City of Iron Mountain below the level that was provided prior to September 1, 2004, when the City of Iron Mountain laid off four firefighters and reduced staffing to two- or three-man crews. Public Safety - the common name for a consolidated police and fire department - will not provide that level of service, nor will it provide the cost savings that are being given by elected - and appointed - officials as the main reason for such an arrangement.

The Facts About “Public Safety”, Part 1

Why Do Cities Consider Consolidating Police and Fire Services?

1. To achieve a higher standard of service at lower cost; long-range economy.
2. To improve fire protection.
3. To reduce fire response time.
4. To create a greater number of trained professional firefighters.
5. To reduce “nonproductive time of firefighters”.
6. To create a greater number of trained professional police.
7. Cost reduction
8. Improve manpower use.
9. Reduce firefighter workweek
10. To get even with firefighters for union activities.
11. Improve morale
[---Sources: International City Management Association; International Fire Chief Magazine ---]

Sources which will be quoted in this series of articles will show how the objectives above are not well met by implementing a public safety department.

What is the City of Iron Mountain’s Current Fire Protection Situation?

1. The City currently employs 9 full-time professional firefighters, a full-time fire chief, and 8 cross-trained police patrolmen.
2. If there are no personnel on vacation or other leave, the fire department is staffed with 3 firefighters, 24 hours a day. The fire chief works 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and comes in from off duty for fires and major incidents. When no patrolmen are on vacation or other leave, there are 2 cross-trained patrol officers on patrol duty in the police department most of the time.
3. If there are one or more full-time firefighters on leave, the Fire Chief fills the role of the third firefighter until 2:30 p.m.
4. Responses to fires in Iron Mountain include the 2 or 3 full-time firefighters on duty in Engine 1, the Fire Chief if available, and one or both cross-trained patrolmen, if available. Areas of Iron Mountain which had previously been identified as “2 truck runs” because of their distance from firefighting water now get only one truck on the initial response, due to current staffing.
5. Prior to the layoffs in September 2004, the fire department had 13 full-time firefighters. 4-man crews were maintained. One crew had 5 men - that 5th man was rotated among the shifts as needed to circumvent overtime whenever possible. 4-man crews permitted the following (which are no longer possible under the current staffing arrangement):
Immediate entry capability upon arrival
The ability to bring 2 engines to a fire if needed
Public fire safety education
Flow testing of all hydrants in the city
MIOSHA required inspections of ladders
Fire inspections when needed


More to come.........