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By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | 4:45 p.m.
Despite a charge from the president of the firefighters union that it was an attempt to “dismantle” the fire department, a new study of the city’s fire department was approved Wednesday by the Las Vegas City Council.
On a 5-1 vote, with one abstention, the council approved a 90-day study that will be done by the International City/County Management Association’s Center for Public Safety Management.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian voted against the measure, and Ward 3 Councilman Bob Coffin abstained after raising questions about whether the study was needed and because the organization, ICMA, didn’t send anyone to answer any questions about it.
According to Karen Coyne, the city’s chief public safety officer, the $155,000 study, which includes $10,000 travel expenses for the consultants, would provide the city with unbiased information on the department’s performance.
“For the record, this is absolutely not an attempt to do anything other than to maintain our commitment to this community, this organization, to be better tomorrow than we are today,” Coyne said.
The study will look at a number of issues, including training, salaries, overtime and 24-hour shifts.
Tarkanian, however, said she felt “very uneasy” about the timing of the study being conducted while the city is at an impasse in its contract negotiations with the firefighters union. She also didn’t understand why the study was needed.
The vote came after Dean Fletcher, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1285, told council members that any information they wanted is already available. He indicated the city was attempting to use the ICMA study to gain leverage against firefighters in negotiations.
Fletcher charged that ICMA was basically the “union” for city managers around the country and that Betsy Fretwell, Las Vegas’ city manager, has written articles for its publication.
“These studies are being done throughout the United States to dismantle fire departments, for no other reason,” Fletcher told the council. “I want to make it clear to you as a council, it’s the City of Las Vegas that declared impasse and walked away from the table, not your firefighters.”
He said firefighters are ready to go back and resume negotiations. “It’s up to you whether you want to come back to the table,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher said the city declared impasse with firefighters on May 31.
“It sure seems like a quick turnaround to request a study,” he said.
Fletcher said the ICMA report will be a “redundant study.”
“We’re paying for information that we already have, that you already have and that the city manager already has,” he said.
Before Fletcher spoke, Ward 6 Councilman Steve Ross said the cost of the study is “pennies” compared to the city’s general fund budget.
Ross said he was originally against the study but it could be used by the city staff and the union.
Hilarious. The union fights a study of the department. That makes sense.
"We're paying for information that we already have, that you already have and that the city manager already has," he said.
(who collected them)
i surely hope this new audit finds that those figures were skewed and submitted bearing charges to be brought forth too.
these firefighters need to be rounded up on federal rico charges
these unions need to be busted...period
firefighting never should of been a get rich quick career to begin with
I could give a rat's behind what the fire union thinks. I can't wait until the public votes down the firefighter tax for the county. Think the firefighters will get it then?
How many rosters are the bat cmdr's making out today? You know, sick-time, overtime, vacation time. Probably takes up the whole day doing just that.
Alls I know is in city or county they were caught thieving from the system and because of the union contract two of the thieves were given thier jobs back with back pay. If I was a FF I'd be embarassed about what happened. If I was with the union , I'd have found a way to get rid of the two thieves. The Fire Department is many years away from getting any respect from the public and should be checked constantly.
Go get that study. For small cost, we can have someone else explain to the FFs that we don't need all of them on every night when there aren't so many fires--and they are within call-in mileage. I support the City's efforts to become efficient and cost effective. OK, it's one small step...let's get some more of this going. I've been around long enough to figure the first things to cut are going to be numbers of employees, then as retirement benefits are corrected a few will be re-employed. It is possible there will be modest cuts in hourly pay rates but there should be NO COLA'S and NO STEPS for many years. And, we need to consider new job categories and job descriptions for every new hire.
Where you at Tundra? Not gonna help those consultants either? make them pay for investigating you? Tundra where you at?
SOMETHING needs to be done not only with the city, but county firefighters as well. The taxpayers won't, and should not have to pay such outrageous compensation for such rank and file jobs.
Dismantling the union and reducing average compensation AT LEAST 30% would be a minimum start to reigning in these pack of grifters AND their theiving union.
Hope you FF's enjoyed your little sick/vacation/o.t. scams while they lasted because the party is over.
NO NEW TAXES
stopthebs: not opposed to your solutions. However, if we can get "everyone" to agree that we need only a skeleton crew on at night or perhaps every third fire station staffed.... If outside consultants tell the politicians that they SHOULD or could cut day-time staffing.... If outside consultants could explain the NLV has far fewer high-rise buildings and doesn't need the same level of "expertise" and can therefore pay much less....
What we need are drastic salary reductions. Layoffs only exacerbate the economic situation in Las Vegas. The question is, how do you go about reducing everyone's salary?