County fires back at firefighters

Clark County officials shot back Wednesday at firefighters' six-week advertising campaign that denounces the county for dismantling heavy rescue and hazardous-materials teams.

The county issued a blow-by-blow written rebuttal challenging the union's contention that disbanding the two teams and diverting their duties to the city of Las Vegas could imperil the public.

The rebuttal prompted the union to send out a sharp counterpoint.

And by the afternoon, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, a target of the union, joined the fray, charging that the union was trying to derail his gubernatorial campaign.

The county and the firefighters union are locked in tense bargaining that some sources say is headed for arbitration. The county wants to cut labor costs in the slumping economy while the union seeks to give up as little as possible.

Union officials have trumpeted their criticisms and singled out Reid, a Democrat, as the chief culprit in a full-page newspaper ad, a recent TV ad and a website called therealreidplan.com.

They contend that transferring the county's duties to the city's heavy rescue and hazardous-materials units leaves local governments ill-prepared to handle a terrorist attack, a large-scale disaster or rescues from high-rise buildings, floodwaters and car wrecks.

County spokesman Erik Pappa called it a misinformation campaign that uses scare tactics to frighten residents.

"They've been continuing to misrepresent reality," Pappa said. "It's misleading and it's irresponsible.

"We think people should have the facts."

Slashing these teams and making other personnel changes will create a relief staff of several dozen firefighters who can fill in for absent co-workers at regular pay rather than time and a half, county officials say. The changes are expected to save $5.5 million in overtime.

Ryan Beaman, president of the local firefighters union, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Reid said it was obvious the firefighters were taking aim at him because of his gubernatorial bid. He and the other commissioners had nothing to do with eliminating the specialty teams, he said.

The fire chief recommended the personnel changes to County Manager Virginia Valentine, who implemented them, Reid said.

"They're trying to intimidate me because I'm running for governor," Reid said. "I'm not going to be intimidated. We're going to protect public safety and reduce the overtime budget."

Today and Friday, firefighters will go door to door in Reid's district and tell residents about the county's plans to cut back on rescue services, according to a union news release.

The union contends the teams don't respond to minor fender benders but to emergencies that call for the hydraulic rescue tools and other specialized tools and training.

"It is important to note that Clark County is the largest fire department in the nation currently without a heavy rescue or hazardous materials unit," wrote Thomas Touchstone, vice president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1908. "These teams were put into place for a reason."

In the rebuttal, Pappa said most regular fire crews are equipped with the tools needed to rescue accident victims pinned inside cars.

Heavy rescue teams are turned back 70 percent of the time while en route to accident scenes because they're not needed, Pappa said. Most that do arrive don't stay longer than 10 minutes because their aid isn't required, he said.

The crew members don't want to lose the specialty pay that comes with these jobs, Pappa said. They also rack up some of the heftiest overtime in the Fire Department, he added.

Three union officials -- including Eddie Beaman, father of Ryan Beaman -- were members of the heavy rescue unit, records indicate.

In 2009, Eddie Beaman was paid $222,457 as a captain. Capt. Harold Wyatt earned $138,704 in 2009, and Engineer Ronald Atiyeh made $185,240.

As long as public safety isn't compromised, county Commissioner Susan Brager said, she will support reducing firefighter labor costs.

"If we're not putting people in danger, we need to put cost-saving measures in place," she said Wednesday.

If the union wants to restore the teams, then Ryan Beaman needs to come up with a plan that offers some give and take with the county, Commissioner Tom Collins said

"He needs to put his ego down and negotiate," Collins said

Reid said firefighters are making his gubernatorial race an issue to deflect from the real problem of their compensation.

Political observers from both major parties say that not only are the attacks against Reid unlikely to be effective, they might even help Reid, whose statewide polling numbers show he trails Republican Brian Sandoval by a double-digit margin.

With many firefighters in Clark County earning six-figure compensation despite a deep recession that is forcing families and local governments to cut back, more voters are likely to agree with Reid's stance that cutbacks are in order, political observers say.

"If anything, it makes (Reid) look stronger," said Ronni Council, a Las Vegas-based Democratic political consultant. "He stuck to his guns. Nobody lost any jobs. They cut the budget, and he is taking a stand."

Republican political consultant Ryan Erwin agreed.

Erwin said the value of an endorsement by firefighters -- and conversely the danger they pose as political opponents -- has diminished with the recession and the perception that firefighter unions are unwilling to make sacrifices to balance shrinking budgets.

What's more, Erwin said, the door-knocking effort the firefighters are set to conduct probably won't sway many voters with the election still more than 90 days away.

"I just can't imagine that is going to be a defining piece of whether or not he wins," Erwin said.

Ken Fernandez, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the firefighters might be just the solution Reid needs to gain ground on Sandoval.

"If he is willing to go cut these popular programs or go up against popular groups, that may give him legitimacy," Fernandez said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@
reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519. Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.