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City, firefighters union respond to mass resignation at Greater Cincinnati fire department
NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio (WKRC) - Nearly three-quarters of the North College Hill Fire Department called it quits on Friday, announcing that they will be resigning as of March 17.
Members of the North College Hill Fire Department said they have reached a "breaking point." The people planning to leave the department include top-level management such as all of the chief officers, the majority of lieutenants, and senior firefighters.
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(WKRC)
Then, on Saturday, both the city and North College Hill Fire Fighters Local 5279 issued a response.
"The members of Local 5279 have taken an oath to safeguard the citizens of North College Hill. Despite confronting limited resources and staffing, our members strive to provide the best possible services to the community." said Local 5279 in a release on Saturday. "However, the ongoing situation has put our members' safety at risk due to inadequate staffing."
According to the release, the station responds to over 3,100 emergency calls annually. It said that in normal situations, there are six staff members on duty at any given time, but due to the current circumstances, they're projecting that only two or three members will be on duty.
The statement said that this will "significally impact our response times and strain neighboring departments."
But, Local 5279 said that regardless of the situation, the remaining members will "remain strongly committed to safeguarding lives and protecting property."
The city of North College Hill also released a statement on Saturday.
"The city of North College Hill is actively working to address the situation caused by the resignation of 14 part-time and one full-time firefighter. We're implementing interim measures to maintain essential fire and emergency services and coordinating with neighboring fire departments to provide coverage and support during this transition period," said the city of North College Hill. "We understand the concerns that this news may raise, and we want to reassure you that we are taking every step necessary to minimize any disruptions in service. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this time."
(WKRC)
The city finished the statement by saying that it's "grateful to our neighboring community partners who have reached out to offer their help and support."
Another statement was made by the city on Saturday, it said that as of 6 p.m. Fire Chief Brian Fels was placed on paid administrative leave until his resignation on March 17. He's no longer permitted to enter city property or to reach out to employees of the city through normal city communications.
The city also advised staff not to communicate with him while working on city time.
"An Acting Fire Chief will be named early next week. In the interim, Police Chief Ryan Schrand will be Acting as Public Safety Director over both Police and Fire until an Acting Fire Chief is named," said the city in the release. "We appreciate your continued service to the City and look forward to collaborating with you to move forward."
According to those resigning, the situation started due to the "hostile actions from the city administrator and HR clerk going unchecked."
In total,the department is losing 170 year's worth of combined service.