Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Clash Over New Response Protocols

Pittsburgh’s firefighters’ union is locked in a battle with the city’s public safety director over a new policy that could keep firefighters at some fire scenes for up to four hours after fires are put out.

According to an article on The Pittsburgh Channel website, the union claims the policy from Public Safety Director Michael Huss will keep them from protecting other city neighborhoods.

Joe King, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1, told the news website that the policy would keep a team of firefighters out of service while guarding against fires rekindling. The policy would deprive other city neighborhoods of the protection they deserve.

“Obviously, any policy that we draft here in the Public Safety Department, first and foremost, is [to protect] the public safety and the safety of our employees,” Huss, who was formerly the city’s fire chief, told the news website. “That’s foremost in our mind. So, we’re not going to draft a policy that’s going to jeopardize someone’s safety.”

Huss said firefighters would only be put on watch against rekindling in cases of fires in vacant buildings, where it’s not safe to send firefighters inside unstable structures to put out hot spots.