Lt. Bret Howland
April 14, 1961- April 22,
2008
Welcome!
Members of Sylvania Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 2243,
are the full-time Firefighter/ Paramedics and Firefighter/ EMT's employed
by the Sylvania Township Fire Department. We staff the 4 fire stations of
Sylvania, OH (the City and Township), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The IAFF stands for the International Association of
Fire Fighters, which is a National Union affiliated with the AFL-CIO-CLC,
representing publicly employed firefighters in the United States and
Canada.
Sylvania Firefighters Local 2243 works to promote a
harmonious and progressive work environment between the employer and
employees in order to better serve the citizens of Sylvania (City &
Township) whom we have sworn to protect.
"We're working to keep you from becoming a statistic,
because you are more than a number to us."
Your Sylvania Firefighters Thank You for your support
in passing the 1.25mil levy!
As we currently
stand, Sylvania Twp. Fire runs well below NFPA (National Fire Protection
Agency) standards in staffing and
personnel, and recent changes have threatened to make the situation worse.
Response times to emergencies have increased, and civilian/ firefighter safety
is compromised as a result of these cuts.
As of January 2006, Sylvania Fire Fighters had a reduction in
minimum firefighters on duty each day, and reduced the number of first
response apparatus from 6 to 5 apparatus on those days that minimum staffing
is present. These cuts were a direct result of the failure of a operating
levy in the Spring of 2005. Even though the Township and City of Sylvania
has continued to grow, Sylvania Fire has reduced its on-duty work force.
In January 2007, the township trustees implemented a plan
that included the layoff of 5 firefighter positions (which includes many
more positions left unfilled due to retirements in the past couple of
years), the elimination of the township's BLS transport unit, and a
reduction in daily staffing from 15 to only 14 per day. Your Sylvania
Firefighters find these actions unacceptable and are working hard for the
community to bring these personnel and services back into the community.
3 separate studies have been performed in the recent months
on the fire department. These studies show various information as it relates
to personnel, stations, and response times. Click the links below to read
each study in its entirety.
We would like to hear from you. Please contact us at
comments@iaff2243.org with comments, concerns, or questions.
