Two personnel will be allowed to respond in engine or other apparatus, down from three; town hall set for Saturday at Neil Creek Station No. 4 outside Ashland

By Buffy Pollock, Rogue Valley Times

Jackson County Fire District 5 officials and union members reached an agreement Tuesday for reduced staffing minimums on fire engines and other apparatus to better distribute service coverage during an ongoing staffing struggle.

District officials vowed Tuesday that the staffing change would be short-lived — hopefully only until the end of 2025, if FD5 has the opportunity to overcome financial instability and rebuild its ranks.

Brady Graham, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2596, said at a meeting Tuesday night at Fire District 5 Station No. 5 outside Talent that a boost in confidence in district leadership enabled members to OK the temporary change.

The district has weathered a series of storms that began last February when Graham stood during a board meeting to declare a loss in confidence in Chief Charles Hanley.

He alleged there was unacceptable treatment of employees by top-level brass, as well as a staffing crisis that threatened the safety of firefighters and the public.

The past year was marked by investigations, the termination of Hanley, board resignations and reappointments, financial woes and criminal investigations.

A third-party investigation last year revealed Hanley permitted and contributed to a culture of alleged sexual harassment and misconduct that included lewd behavior from district brass, Hanley screaming at an employee and the chief changing test scores during a promotion process.

Last summer, district officials began to pursue a contract for administrative support from surrounding districts. Jackson County Fire 3 took over leadership of District 5 on Jan. 1, providing administrative and other services.

Station No. 4 near Emigrant Lake outside Ashland has been frequently browned out — not staffed — for much of the past year, providing a bone of contention for FD5 patrons and highlighting the staffing crisis.

The biggest change approved Tuesday through a Memorandum of Understanding OK’d by the union is to allow a minimum of two firefighters on any engine or other apparatus during a call.

The previous minimum was three personnel, which meant if five people were on a shift, only one engine or other apparatus could respond. Under the new agreement, if five people are on shift, three firefighters could staff one station and two could staff another.

“There will be a minimum of five personnel on duty per day,” Hussey told the Rogue Valley Times, adding, “When we’re less than five, we would call someone back (to the station).

“When we’re at five, we’d staff one engine of three (firefighters) and one with two. Anytime we have more than five, it would allow us to provide staffing of two (firefighters) on each of three engines” at stations 3, 4 and 5.

The new staffing rules are set to go into effect Saturday, March 15.

Graham said the union felt a sense of confidence in the new leadership and trusted Hussey to look out for employees.

A recent loss of eight employees, funded through a nonrenewable “SAFER” grant, through FEMA, had made the staffing struggle even harder.

“The selling factor in this was for us to make a kind of massive concession on our side to speed up the rebuilding process, and hopefully we can get back to appropriate staffing sooner than if we were just to nickel and dime things and to draw it out longer,” Graham said Tuesday. “It definitely stings. … It hurts safety. It hurts everything. But it’s better than losing your job, and so it’s an appropriate sacrifice for us right now.”

Hussey said he felt optimistic about changes made since Jan. 1.

“I’m feeling really good about the progress that’s been made, the relationships that are being built, and I recognize the workforce needs to learn to trust administration,” he said. “We’re putting our best foot forward and I feel like between the (union) and the administration, there’s unity in a path forward.”

Hussey announced the staffing agreement to the board and audience members during the Tuesday meeting and provided financial updates and other information.

A town hall is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Station 4, 40 Neil Creek Road, off South Pacific Highway, where district officials will give the community an update on FD5 operations.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.