OUR VIEW | Entitlement in the firehouse

It’s rarely a good sign when a department head and his or her boss are not in alignment in their public comments. 

Such was the case the past two weeks when Longboat Key Fire Department Chief Paul Dezzi told the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key the town’s firefighter union contract was inhibiting the department’s ability to hire qualified and committed firefighters.

And then Town Manager Dave Bullock refuted the claim.

Bullock will address this difference of opinion as he sees fit — and as he should. Every leader knows he must have his team leaders rowing in sync and in the same direction.

 But this difference of opinion still brings to the fore the dilemma the town has with its high compensation levels for firefighters.

 Look at the accompanying box showing the firefighter-paramedic salaries paid in some of Florida’s municipalities. When you see them, it’s difficult to think the town would have difficulty hiring qualified firefighter-paramedics.

While the comparison of Longboat Key’s salaries are not exactly apples to apples, the comparison is still valid: Longboat Key’s firefighter pay — as is that for the region — ranks near the top statewide. And far above the average in the United States. 

There are good and not-so-good consequences to that.

Thanks to fire union pressure and municipal capitulation, union negotiators have been effective creating an atmosphere of fear (or is it intimidation?): If you want the best, you must offer the best and highest compensation.

For two decades, that was the Longboat policy and strategy, largely to avoid turnover. There’s no doubt that policy has paid off; Longboat Key has benefited from competent and committed public-safety professionals.

But the unions have used their uncompetitive control of the firefighter market to pit one city against another. And this has led, to an extent, to the high compensation and it becoming an entitlement. 

Town Manager Bullock began changing that atmosphere during the last union negotiations three years ago. And he is going to run into resistance for more change this coming September. The union is already talking about seeking higher pay for certain classes of its members — “or else you’re going to see a mass exodus,” said union Vice President Keith Tanner.

We hope Bullock does not cave to the threatened extortion. What needs to change in Longboat’s Fire Department is an entire mindset. If you want the highest pay, it should not be based on longevity. It must be earned — every day.