For the fourth time in two years, the union representing Webster Groves firefighters filed a grievance against the city — this time for failing to provide the fire department with a second fire truck for six days.
“The city has gone without a second fire truck since Jan. 20,” John Youngblood, a representative of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2665, told the Webster-Kirkwood Times on Jan. 26 ahead of filing the grievance later that day. “Their pumper is out of service and they are not running another pumper apparatus, which is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement. They are supposed to maintain two fire apparatuses at all times. It’s a safety issue for not only the residents, but the firefighters.”
The city disagrees, saying it did not violate its agreement with the fire department, citing the council’s approval in June 2022 for the $1 million purchase of a new ladder truck, which has not yet arrived. City officials also said all three traditional approaches to apparatus shortages — borrowing a truck from a neighboring community, relying on mutual aid and renting a truck — were in place.
The issue originated when an 18-year-old engine with a history of mechanical issues at Webster Groves’ Fire Station 2, located at South Elm and East Rose avenues, was down for repairs on Dec. 17. A loaner was borrowed from the Shrewsbury Fire Department — a practice Webster Groves and surrounding municipalities have historically engaged in.
Two days later, the Webster Groves Fire Department was involved in an accident, putting the Shrewsbury truck out of service. That same day, Webster’s engine was returned from the mechanic and placed back into service.
Because insurance does not cover damages to a borrowed vehicle, the accident on Dec. 19 is going to be a costly expense for the city. City officials said the incident caused them to rethink the formerly standard practice of borrowing fire engines from other municipalities, which also left the city with fewer options when the newly fixed engine again failed on Jan. 20 and required additional repairs.
“Local 2665 is now complaining about a problem that they have in part created,” Webster Groves City Manager Marie Peoples said. “The fire department had an accident in a borrowed fire truck. As a result, when the city’s reserve engine had a catastrophic mechanical failure, the city was left with one fire truck. The borrowed engine that the city wrecked is still out of service, leaving that city without a reserve engine for seven weeks. It is unknown when the borrowed engine will be repaired. As a consequence, we have to rely upon the temporary purchase option or mutual aid.”
Peoples said although no one was injured in the Dec. 19 accident, the practice of borrowing apparatus has not only left Shrewsbury without a reserve engine for over a month, but is estimated to cost Webster between $17,000 and $25,000 in “out-of-pocket” expenses.
“Times have changed and handshake agreements must be replaced with formal policies to protect city employees and taxpayers,” Peoples said.
The city was able to negotiate an agreement with Sentinel, an emergency vehicle and equipment dealership, to provide temporary use of a truck for 60 days for less than $5 a day, according to city officials, allowing time for the reserve engine to be repaired and, they hope, for the new $1 million ladder truck the council approved last year to be delivered. The new truck is expected to arrive by the end of February.
Although the rental did not come with a fire pump, hose or ladder, city officials said all necessary equipment from Webster’s fire department was loaded onto the truck when it arrived on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 26.
Still, dozens of residents are questioning why the station was without a truck for nearly a week, which they say put firefighters and residents in south Webster at risk.
When the issue came to light on social media, dialogue between residents, current and former firefighters, and a handful of elected officials was heated.
“Unacceptable,” “outrageous,” “completely inexcusable” and “massive failure of leadership” were some of the words residents and first responders used to blast the city’s actions.
“The city shirked its responsibility to its people and got called out for it,” said south Webster resident and North St. Louis County firefighter Brian Grossenheider, who authored the original Facebook post on the issue, which has since generated more than 200 comments.
Confirming that the rental truck had arrived at Fire Station 2 on Jan. 26, Webster Groves Mayor Laura Arnold told constituents she understood their frustration and said: “We will make sure a plan is in place so this never happens again.”
Webster Groves City Council Member David Franklin added that the safety of the community is always the city’s number one priority, noting that when mechanical issues arise, “they certainly are not the fault of our firefighters, city staff or city leadership.”
But critics were not appeased.
“We need that fire engine on the south side at all times for many reasons,” resident Linda Tatum said, noting it is the quickest response for that area for the safety of southside residents and the protection of homes, schools and people.
“It was important enough for enough of us to vote for new building and upgrade of equipment,” Tatum added, referencing the $5-million bond issue 82% of voters in Webster Groves backed in April of 2019 to replace the city’s 65-year-old firehouse with a much larger, state-of-the-art facility. The grand opening for that facility was held in October 2022.
“The City Dropped The Ball”
Grossenheider called into question the administration’s accountability after the city shared an update through The Friday Page, its weekly newsletter, on Jan. 27, to “correct some misinformation about fire vehicles and insurance.”
The update from the city said, in part, that “while the practice of borrowing trucks is common, the practice was not supported by city insurance coverage because the engine did not belong to the city. This was not a failure of planning nor was it an effort to save money. Just as individuals cannot purchase coverage for vehicles that do not belong to them, neither can the city.”
Grossenheider said the city’s response is, quite simply, evasive.
“I can tell you with conviction that the city dropped the ball in a profound way and is now in full damage control mode. They did something extremely irresponsible and dangerous, were exposed for it, and are now attempting to avoid accountability,” Grossenheider told the Times.
“For almost a week, Edgar Road Elementary, Clark Elementary and Hixson Middle School had a pickup truck, which carries no fire pump, hose, water or ladders, as their primary fire response vehicle while students and staff were present,” he added. “My own kids go to Edgar Road. Having a pickup truck replace a fire engine for a week shows that you aren’t taking fire seriously. I don’t appreciate the city gambling with my family’s safety.”
The city maintains that the safety of residents and first responders remained top priority, with the fire department fully staffed and with complete emergency medical services and mutual aid agreements in place during that time. The city’s other engine at Fire Station 1, located at 6 S. Elm Ave, was also in service during that time.
“The city still had one engine and mutual aid agreements with all our neighboring communities,” City Manager Peoples said. “We serve as mutual aid for those cities as well. During the time the city only had one engine, the fire department had the needed resources to respond to resident needs and was able to provide mutual aid to another city.”
But for Aaron Cranmer, a former Webster Groves firefighter who is now a firefighter in north St. Louis County, the city’s response did not adequately account for the risk that was present while down one fire truck.
“The mutual aid fire suppression companies that the city is relying on to protect these schools and the community on the south side are all dispatched by a completely different dispatch agency than what the city of Webster Groves is dispatched by,” Cranmer said. “This creates a delay in dispatch due to the call having to be transferred from the dispatch agencies, in turn, making the citizens wait longer before they get the apparatus they called for.”
After multiple public online exchanges with council members, Grossenheider told Council Member Emily Hixson Shepherd he wants elected officials to advocate for citizens, rather than “run interference for the city manager when she makes unprecedented decisions that endanger us.”
Grossenheider said the safety of residents was endangered again on the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 2, when both of the city’s two ambulances were broken down.
Fire Fighters Local 2665 representative Youngblood confirmed that.
“The city’s ambulance crew is currently driving around in a pickup truck. I’m not sure what equipment they have with them, but they have no ability to transport anybody. If someone needs to be transported (to a hospital), they are going to have to call for mutual aid,” Youngblood told the Times on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 2. “Time is critical in the case of a medical emergency such as a stroke or heart attack. This is unacceptable.”
Youngblood said the firefighters union was considering filing another grievance against the city for not having an ambulance in service, but later that same afternoon he was informed that the city decided to borrow an ambulance from the neighboring municipality of Shrewsbury. (The Times will continue to report on this as more information becomes available in regard to the ambulance issue.)
Loss Of Personnel
Youngblood said the Webster Groves Fire Department’s only four grievances against the city have all been filed since City Manager Peoples was hired in January 2021.
He claims department morale is low, and that finding qualified applicants for the fire department has been a challenge.
“Since her hiring, the Webster Groves fire department has lost roughly 33% of its fire department employees through early retirement and resignations,” Youngblood said.
He added that since Christmas, the department has lost a total of 24 years of experience through resignations — including shop steward Michael Peters, who had been with the department since 2006 and was named “Firefighter of The Year in 2017,” and Daniel Chudy, who joined the department in May 2015.
“At the same time, the city is receiving hardly any qualified applicants. Basically, the word has gotten out about the grievances and issues with the city administration and no one wants to apply with the department,” Youngblood added. “It’s unfortunate because we’ve tried to work with the city and I’ve talked with Dr. Peoples on multiple occasions.”
Peoples said that many cities are facing turnover and hiring challenges related to lingering impacts of the pandemic and the “Great Resignation,” but that there have not been difficulties in attracting candidates to the Webster Groves Fire Department.
“At this time, the fire department has only one vacancy,” she said on Tuesday, Jan. 31. “In addition to being an employer of choice, the Webster Groves Fire Department staffing is more diverse than it has been in previous years.”
Peoples said that while cost-saving measures have been put in place to reduce the overall general fund expenditures by $1 million, the fire department is the only department to significantly increase its budget during this time period.
“The city has approved fire department purchases for new personal protective equipment, a new ladder truck, a new rescue boat and the training budget has tripled,” Peoples continued. “These investments have been needed, but it is important to remember that the city has several other departments that it is fiscally responsible for as well.”