Thursday, October 1, 2026
The city’s professional firefighters challenged accusations by City Manager Charles Theofan that they had been bilking the system by abusing vacation and sick time, which Theofan cited as a main reason he did not renew a minimum staffing agreement last month.
At the Oct. 5 City Council meeting, Billy Piazza, president of IAFF Local 287, the union representing the city’s career firefighters, questioned Theofan’s statements at a council meeting on Sept. 7, when he said that union firefighters were working in “collusion”: Members called out sick or took vacation days so others could collect the overtime, which cost the city more than $400,000 last year.
The issue was one of the main reasons behind Theofan’s decision to cancel a five-year-old minimum staffing agreement that took effect on Sept. 1. Union officials said the decision could leave three or fewer firefighters on duty at Engine 3, their headquarters behind City Hall.
Engine 3 usually operates with four firefighters and one lieutenant, according to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement that expired on Aug. 31. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, at least five firefighters should be assigned to every shift, or tour.
As things stand now, if a firefighter calls out sick, takes a vacation day or is scheduled for training, three firefighters and a lieutenant would be considered sufficient staffing for a tour. Members of Engine 3 said that in those circumstances, the new policy requires them to wait for a secondary, volunteer firefighter to arrive at the scene of an emergency before entering a structure, a delay that could severely hamper rescue efforts and jeopardize firefighters’ and residents’ lives.
Theofan, who appointed himself fire commissioner earlier this year, defended the decision, saying that it was too costly to continue the minimum-staffing policy and that the city has more than 100 volunteer firefighters who regularly respond to emergency calls alongside the professional units.
