Feb 5, 2025
OBSERVER file photo Members of the village Fire Department union note the staffing is down to 11 after a resignation last year.
The union serving Fredonia Fire Department employees has spoken out against the village Board of Trustees’ failure to hire a new firefighter last week.
“While hiring a new firefighter does cost money, it is a less expensive option than the continued overtime for the next two to three years that will be incurred without this hire,” concluded a Monday Facebook post by The Fredonia Professional Firefighters Local 2931.
The union noted the department has 12 full-time firefighters budgeted but is already down to 11 after a resignation in 2024. “Due to this unplanned vacancy, the fire department has been covering the same amount of hours with less firefighters to work them.”
Now, with an anticipated retirement in June, “we are on the path to having only 10 firefighters to work the same amount of hours that 12 firefighters are budgeted for,” the firefighters’ union stated. “While overtime costs have been increased due to the one vacancy, being down two full time firefighters will force our current staff to work even more hours causing more overtime and more strain on the remaining workforce.”
The Board of Trustees voted down the hiring of Bryce Fisher as a new firefighter at a meeting last week. The vote was 3-2, with Ben Brauchler, Jon Espersen and Michelle Twichell voting against the hire, and Nicole Siracuse and Paul Wandel supporting it.
The board approved a Revenue Anticipation Note at the same meeting and the trustees who voted against Fisher’s hire cited financial concerns as the reason.
“Obviously, our financial situation is tenuous at best at this point,” Espersen said. He said that it’s not in dispute that the loss of another firefighter is unfortunate, but the village might not be able to add salary in light of its financial woes.
Twichell had similar comments, stating that she loved the fire department, but due to the village’s urgency in watching its spending, a new firefighter ought to be considered during the next budget cycle.
Siracuse said not hiring Fisher “asks our remaining staff to do more with less.” She said, “I understand we can’t afford to hire this guy, but we can’t afford not to.” Otherwise, the fire department will be one resignation or retirement away from being unable to offer full service, she said.
Espersen replied, “We’re also one bad bond rating away from blowing our credit rating.”
He added, “Some members of the community were cracking on Dunkirk because of their financial situation. We are quickly approaching that point.”
Espersen later said he’d be fine with hiring Fisher if someone could show him how to reduce the village budget by $64,000 to cover the firefighter’s salary. No one offered to show him.
“I have no interest in notifying someone that they will have a family member not come home tonight because of our desire to keep tax rates at a nice level,” Siracuse said.
“We’re not talking about tax rates, we’re talking about the village not defaulting,” Espersen retorted.
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