Kissimmee firefighter union hoping to rally public's support ahead of next contract talks
Meeting held on Kissimmee Fire response time
The union representing firefighters in Kissimmee is hoping to get the public's support ahead of its next contract negotiation meeting. The union held a community event at Cariño's Cafe and invited the public to come and ask them questions about the problems plaguing the department.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The union representing firefighters in Kissimmee is hoping to get the public's support ahead of its next contract negotiation meeting.
"I've been a firefighter for nine years in Kissimmee, and this is the first time we've ever done anything like this," Kissimmee Professional Firefighters Local 4208 president Stephen Gonnella told a crowd Thursday afternoon. "We've been kind of hitting the wall. We don't know what else to do, so we're coming to you guys."
The union held a community event at Cariño's Café and invited the public to come and ask them questions about the problems plaguing the department.
"I know that you guys saw a news story a couple of weeks back that ran on FOX 35, and that news story talked about our delayed responses. Those delayed responses, they, of course, affect us, but ultimately, they affect you guys," Gonnella said.
Because of staffing issues, the average response time, the union says, is around 11 minutes, and that could worsen if they continue to lose more firefighters.
"We're losing members daily that are testing for other neighboring departments that offer better pay, better benefits, better time off," Luis Peña, the union's public information officer, said.
To be competitive, the union is asking the city for a 15% increase in pay, but Gonnella says the city is only willing to give them a 5% raise.
"We don't have to be the best in the world, but we don't want to be the worst. We want to be somewhere in the middle," he said.
They hope events like the one held on Thursday will make the residents they serve more aware.
"Normally, when you are in a community, you are trusting that everything is taken care of, so it's kind of scary when you learn that they are losing people, and they need, you know, someone to replace the others," resident Virginia Rodriguez said.
The next contract negotiation meeting is happening on Aug. 3.
FOX 35 News reached out to the city for comment about the negotiations and their terms but has not yet received a response. A city commissioner who attended Thursday's event declined an on-camera interview because they are at an impasse.