Tensions still high over first responders

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

To say that City of Burlington firefighters and Burlington Area Rescue Squad members were primed for a battle Tuesday night at the City Council meeting would be an understatement.

With the council chambers close to full with members from both groups and tensions high, it wasn’t necessarily surprising, then, when people started to exchange verbal barbs over the way preliminary planning for a first responder program has unfolded.

“That is not true,” Fire Chief Perry Howard said, raising his voice after Rescue Squad Captain Brian Zwiebel and fellow rescue squad member Troy Everson accused Howard of not getting the rescue squad information in a timely fashion.

“We fully support the first responder program,” Everson responded. “We don’t support the way you’ve tried to implement it.”

When the two started arguing, though, Mayor Bob Miller stepped in. And after a few questions were asked, Alderman Jon Schultz got to the heart of the matter.

“Can you work this out or not?” Schultz asked.

With both Zwiebel and Howard indicating the affirmative, the council went on later in the evening to unanimously approve the idea of a first responder program provided by City of Burlington firefighters with medical oversight from Aurora Health Care.

The vote put at least a temporary end to what has turned into a territory-marking contest of sorts between the two groups. Howard brought the proposal before the City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting last month, but didn’t inform rescue squad members it was on the agenda.

Instead, Howard met with the group the night after the council meeting. Rescue squad members were then surprised to find the item had already been before the council when it was reported in the newspaper.

Howard has argued it shouldn’t have been an issue, as discussion on the idea of a firefighter first responder program has been taking place since June. But members of the rescue squad – as evidenced by numerous comments before and then during Tuesday’s meeting – felt excluded from the discussion.

Zwiebel presented a letter to everyone on the council Tuesday night, one that outlined concerns that the rescue squad has with the first responder program. Included on that list was the point that, after the meeting with Howard, the rescue squad was surprised to see Howard had pushed the agenda through.

“We specifically asked for a place at the table,” Zwiebel read from the letter. “Imagine our surprise when the very next night we found out via the newspaper of Mr. Howard’s intentions to push this program through.

“Our place at the table was never granted.”

Zwiebel went on to say that communication had to improve, and the rescue squad also wanted the chance to explore some other options – ones that might end up costing less. The letter also specifically asked City Administrator Kevin Lahner to direct Howard to open up respectful communication with the rescue squad.

But with the council concerned about improving response times to scenes more than territory issues, Tuesday’s discussion quickly turned to chiding the two groups over their lack of cooperation rather than taking sides.

Alderman Tom Vos, who had formerly been on the rescue squad, said simply, “I think we all want the same thing.”

“If this is the starting point, we’re already in trouble,” he pointed out. “Everyone needs to get on the same page.”

Vos also said he has had members of the rescue squad in his living room over the past month for long conversations.

“I don’t want people coming over to my house and sitting in my living room,” Vos added. “We’re on the back side of this thing. You need to work this out.”

Schultz earlier had called the exchange between Howard and Everson “embarrassing.”

“If you’re on opposite sides of an issue, it’s really harsh,” he said.

Lahner added, “We’re committed to working things out.”