AFD: "A Glitch in the System"

OVER BUDGET AND UNDERSTAFFED

APD is no longer alone in having a staffing shortage that risks the lives of both its members and Albuquerque citizens.  AFD is now so under funded that Chief Dave Downey has authorized AFD apparatus to be run short staffed. Trucks, which should be staffed by four firefighters, are now running with three crewmembers.

This is happening because AFD is understaffed and underfunded and this administration refuses to do anything about it. 

During the worst economic times our country has known since the Great Depression, and in the city with the worst economy in the nation, the City of Albuquerque says it cannot hire firefighters! It appears there are unending funds to pay lawsuits but not enough money to staff AFD trucks.

The Albuquerque Fire Department’s entire training process and SOPs for fighting fires are built on running four man pumpers, not understaffed three-man units. The decision of Chief Downey to save money by running short-staffed units has put firefighter lives at risk and, worse than that, it jeopardizes the lives of Albuquerque residents. Each of the four persons on the truck have specific duties to do as it is and with three, they each have excessive duties.

The real responsibility of this staffing and budgetary crisis lies at the feet of Mayor Berry. He is responsible for leading Albuquerque into its current state of economic disaster, destruction of APD and now the dismantling of the Albuquerque Fire Department. I guess this is what Mayor Berry was referring to during this past election when he continually stated, “Albuquerque was about to turn the corner economically.” Except it was turning the corner away from recovery and INTO meltdown.

This morning orders came down from the top of the AFD administration that anyone who stated over the radio during an emergency response that they required an additional unit as a result of a short-staffed pumper would be disciplined. You read that correctly, if an AFD firefighter requests over the radio additional units do to a short-staffed pumper they will be disciplined!

AFD Deputy Chief of Operations Victor Padilla was recorded Sunday morning stating explicitly that the decision to short staff AFD apparatus was being done to save money and that AFD administration did not want this fact getting out. 

Chief Padilla repeatedly stated that he disagreed with this decision but that it came from the Mayor’s Office. Chief Padilla explained that Chief Downey could obey the Mayor or look for another job. Chief Padilla also stated that Chief Downy had made the decision to short staff units endangering lives in a reactionary fashion due to AFD members calling of sick this weekend. If that is true, Chief Downey needs to be dismissed. Sick leave has been used for over one hundred years in AFD and there has always been more sick time used on the weekends.

Endangering the lives of firefighters and Albuquerque residents to punish AFD members who did show up for work is totally unacceptable and conduct unbecoming, by definition!

"If this gets out....Fuck You." In his statement, Chief Padilla spoke sarcastically about the well being of AFD personal. He holds the very members of AFD he has sworn to protect in contempt. It is totally intolerable that any Chief in AFD behaves in such a manner. During Chief Padilla’s disgusting and outrageous presentation he used profanity and conducted himself in an unprofessional manner. Chief Padilla needs to be immediately removed from his position. His handling of this AFD crisis has made a bad condition even worse! The time for AFD to receive the same scrutiny as APD has had for mismanagement is long over due.

Days of Diego

A little over a week ago, The Albuquerque Journal did a front page story on AFD union boss Diego Arencón (Subscription). According to the Journal, Arencón pulls down $81,000 a year as a Firefighter First Class.

The increased salary was negotiated as part of union agreements adopted in 2008 and goes to whoever serves as president.

It's intended to motivate rank-and-file firefighters to try for the job, said Diego Arencón, the union president. He's held the position for the last 2 1/2 years.

"It's an incentive for the lower ranks to get involved," he said.

-ABQ Journal (Subscription)

The article implies that Arencón's super salary is part of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Albuquerque and the firefighter's union. The problem is that the CBA does not address the salary of the union president. Our Eyes tell us that Diego's enhanced pay is the result of a side agreement with Mayor Martin Chavez - an agreement that Chief Ortega refused to sign.

Our Eyes also tell us that Arencón makes a bit more than the $81,000 revealed by The Journal. Once longevity pay is added to the mix, Arencón pulls down right around $90,000 - a tidy little sum by any standards.

In addition, Diego is given a Monday through Friday 8 hour a day schedule. More importantly if you have a fire at your home or business while Mr. Arencón is on duty, you can be sure that the Firefighter First Class won't be there to fight it. Diego's days are spent exclusively working for the union.

But wait... it gets better!

The President of Local 244 also receives a stipend, all expense paid trips, and a union debit card. This is where it really gets fun because our Eyes got a look-see at Diego's debit card.

In addition to having a sweet double your paycheck deal from the city, in 2008 Arencón spent over $41,000 on his union debit card - over 42% on food alone. Yannis, Starbucks, Imbibe, The Q Bar, Flying Star, The Gold Street Cafe, Maloney's Tavern, McGraths - they're all on the union dime. Even Lowe's was listed as a food expense and that's just too weird to contemplate. There were even a few unexplained MasterCard reimbursements (view the report here - credit numbers redacted).

Some of the expenses were justified like dinners with The Almighty Alcalde, Imbibe-ing with Commissioner Archuletta or the Mayor's office assistants, and Sushi with Lawrence Torres. There were also a few expenses justified for various fire stations and individual union members. There was even a "labor relations expense" for "mediations" incurred at Jubilation Wine and Spirits for $55.56 (that's one way to lubricate negotiations).

Starbucks was by far Mr. Arencón's favorite caffeinated watering hole visiting the coffee outlet over 152 times. What's concerning about the repeated Starbucks expense, or the bar tabs at Imbibe or the over $4,300 in credit card reimbursements, is the overwhelming lack of expense justification.

A review of the expenditures makes Mr. Arencón look like he's living and partying on the union's debit card - which means that his $91,000 taxpayer funded salary is subsidized by a union stipend and as much as $41,000 in union debit card purchases. That's over $132,000 in potential income. And remember, anything that's not directly attributable to union business could be considered income by the IRS.

Look... as a taxpayer we have a real problem with Martin Chavez buying a union president by doubling his taxpayer funded salary for union only work. This may sound funny, but we kind of expect firefighters to well... fight fires. It may be legitimate to allow the union president to have time to do union business, but we certainly shouldn't be paying him more than other firefighters to do it - that should be the responsibility of the union.

On the union side... What the hell?!! Over $41,000 on the union debit card?! Most disturbingly, there's little justification for many of the expenditures.

IAFF Local 244 members elect their board and their president. We haven't seen the organization's bylaws, but we'd bet that spending by the board has at least a few restrictions. More importantly, anyone who spends union dues for any reason has the responsibility to its members to justify each and every expense. You know... dates, times, who, what, when, and where.

We'd bet that days of Diego's sweet mayoral deal are about to evaporate like a number of Marty's Minions' city jobs. But it's up to the members of IAFF Local 244 to hold their leaders accountable and to demand justification for spending their dues.