By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
The City of Burlington Common Council held a closed-session meeting Sept. 30 to discuss options with the Burlington Area Rescue Squad contract.
Mayor Bob Miller and City Administrator Kevin Lahner confirmed that negotiations with the rescue squad have been ongoing, but that nothing had been decided Tuesday night.
“Nothing I can report,” Miller said following the meeting, which came out of closed session and then adjourned.
The meeting was posted Monday. However, when asked Tuesday about the meeting, BARS Chief Brian Zwiebel seemed unaware that the meeting had been scheduled.
Miller said he assumed the rescue squad knew because the meeting had been posted, but didn’t know if they had been specifically informed.
The contract is of particular importance this year, as the city is in the process of implementing changes suggested in a cooperative effort study last summer. However, in the past year, tensions have risen between Howard and Zwiebel.
The two have both publicly acknowledged there are challenges in lining up the two departments, with each organization deflecting the blame as to why.
Perry Howard, who came on board as the city’s first full-time fire chief last year, was at Tuesday night’s meeting, as was Police Chief Peter Nimmer.
However, rescue was not invited to the meeting as it was simply a briefing of the council on the situation – not formal negotiations.
“There are several options on the table,” said Miller. “It’s a matter of sitting down and picking which direction the council wants to go.”
Miller wouldn’t discuss details, however, on what is changing.
“I can’t discuss it at this time,” Miller said. He did say the rescue squad is aware of the options on the table, but didn’t have a feel for what the group’s response to those options would be.
“I have not talked to any member of the rescue squad at this point,” Miller said.
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I encourage the City of Burlington heads to make an informed decision. One that is of the most benefit for the quality of care the citizens and visitors of Burlington deserve. Not what’s best for Burlington Rescue. Hats off to Burlington Rescue for many years of unselfish service. Time has come to upgrade. I hope to never have to use the service, but I’m willing to pay a little more for a better guarantee. Thanks BARS, but it’s time to hand over the torch.
Well put DJ
Maybe part of an informed decision is actually bringing people to the table instead of everything behind closed doors. I trust the insights of Brian and their great service and integrated members of the community here than the recent overpaid incompetent ‘heads’ that have invaded the past few years. This city is being run into the ground – and that’s why people are leaving.
An informed decision to make forward progress to provide optimal care for the community will come from a person with experience in multiple departments with a lot of education and who has worked at a higher level of care. Unfortunately Brian has none of these qualifications and would have kept the rescue squad as is if this wasn’t set in motion from somebody else. I’m glad you trust Brian. But unfortunately that doesn’t mean the best decision for the community will be made. It take experience and diversity to do so. Not the same thing forever. That’s why there are problems with the operational structure of the three services. The feud is ambarrassing and belittles the service provided to the community and makes people lose trust in callin 911. Put the egos away and look at what the rest of the state is doing to provide for their citizens. Change is necessary. Not making everyone feel good and apart of everything. This isn’t high school it’s reality.
DJ & JJ, the members on Burlington Rescue Squad have just as much to offer as far as experience as any paid personnel would. Obviously you have no clue regarding the amount of training one must go thru to be a “volunteer”. Is the “best decision” for the city to keep things behind closed doors? Keep the people involved (such as the rescue folks) in the dark as to what the plans are?
Has anyone looked into the past of this so called new Chief on the fire department?
You really need to get your facts together before you belittle the Chief of Rescue and talk about him as though you know all that is going on.
Do the citizens of Burlington want a full time PAID department? Do the citizens of Burlington want to foot the bill for new rescue equipment?
Do you reaize that running a rescue squad could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year?
The Rescue Squad is not broke so why try to fix it….these folks give “service above self”…leaving during dinner, family events, and in the middle of the night to help out other citizens…for what??? Because it makes them feel good! They are giving to the community…for no monetary gain, no profit, no financial reason what so ever….The citizens of our great city have a right to know that there are foxes in the hen house and they had best open their eyes and ears before it’s too late.
I agree with you MJ….thanks for your support of the squad.
No one is questioning the skills of the members of the rescue squad. It is the leadership, lack or progression and operational procedures of the rescue squad being question. The fact Burlington has such great volunteers is awesome and the reason there is protective services in the city. But for the opinion of a volunteer rescue Chief to be better and more knowledgeable than that of a Chief from multiple experiences that had much more frequency of calls and ran at a paramedic level rather than our intermediate level is wrong. Volunteers are great and in no way inferior to paid personnel. But it is a secondary job/passion for volunteers compared to primary job and passion for career members. I know all the training and toil of being a volunteer. It is a great service and a hard one as well. I started my career volunteering as most career firefighters do. But when I got to a career level I had a lot of catching up to do and learning. Their is more efficiency at a career level due to the even more training and time on the job spent. The City of Burlington is blessed to have career members. They are the backbone of the organization and help in every aspect. The volunteers do a great service and the diversity and cooperation of the two form a great department. The City doesn’t want to get rid of that the same as the rescue squad. But there are things that needed change. The face that a city with 11,000 people and has in total 1300 emergencies fire/ems a year is a reason to improve care. There are places with barely half of that and they took the initiative to improve their services and staff and ambulance. It is absurd for Burlington to overlook that. There are even cities the same size and comparable to Burlington with Full Time Departments in Wisconsin. The first responder program is a necessity and provides better care to its citizens. For the rescue squad to give the fire department such a hard time about fuel expenditures and other minute things is absurd and wrong. For the price of fuel the city got response to their home with fire personnel, some even paramedic level working at a first responder level, within 5 or less minutes when it takes on average that long for the ambulance to leave the fire station. There have even been times all the rescue personnel have gone to the call in their own cars and have had to drive back to the fire station to get the ambulance, Times not enough personnel are available to go on the call, or times to many personnel go to one call leaving an empty ambulance at the station in case of a second call. These are changes that should not be in question and should be embraced. Feelings are so hurt over these changes. Why? Own up to mistakes and move forward. That is how progression occurs and a better service. This is in no way to bring down the rescue squad but to bring public awareness. It is not fair for the rescue squad and its supporters to sit behind the value of their service while the community without experience on how such a service operates knows no better. Things do need to be fixed and there is nothing wrong with that.
The Chief on the other hand, though may not be liked, is doing a great job progressing the fire department and has passed the same background checks that any full time personnel for a municipality is forced to undergo. His experiences and certifications/educations are dually noted. If you are looking for he said/she said dirt, Awesome. That is not only sad but at the same time everyone has dirt that could be brought up to make them look bad if you look hard enough. He is far more knowledgeable about what needs to be done going forward where Brian may be more knowledgeable about what has been done in the past. Progression is the goal not regression.
The city won’t need to flip the bill for rescue equipment. The rescue squad will still be there. The city repeatedly states they don’t want to take them over and want to work with them. It would be beneficial to the citizens though if they did. They 250,000$ yearly revenue that the patients in the city pay would be enough to pay for full time ambulance personnel to mix with the trained fire and rescue squad personnel to provide 24/7 full time ambulance and fire service. But the city sees value in the rescue squad.
The city is not leaving them in the dark. These are negotiations between a contractor and contractee. The city has every right to have close door meetings and plan what they want for the city. It is their responsibility. Not the rescue squad’s. The rescue squad is contracted to execute the plan. The same as if you were building a house and contracted someone to build it for you. Following the plan being formed of course it will be give to the rescue squad and discussed. Same as any negotiations.
Just because their are volunteers who give up so much for their community on these organizations doesn’t protect them for being held accountable for not changing and progressing. Stop the pitty party and do what is best for the community! I know I want someone coming to help me that has a good attitude and will be there within minutes. Enough with the drama and agree on bettering the community. Look at the FACTS. Ask other communities on their protective services. Ask people that work in other protective services. Get to know why these changes are happening. No reason to fight good things.