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I am a resident of Manhattan Beach who volunteers with our local CERT (community emergency response team) under the direction of the MBFD for about 8 years now.
I completely support our MBFD and have sent several emails to our city council asking specific questions to our council members to understand the statements they are giving regarding their MBFD contract negotiations.
It is extremely frustrating the responses I am receiving from them - the standard response they send to everyone which does not provide enough detail to understand what they are actually offering.
I keep being told the questions I am asking such as, “if you are saying you want to add to our MBFD staffing, what does that staffing proposal look like? Are they wanting to take away FF/Paramedic positions and then fill them with FF/EMTs and increase the staffing that way?”
I am being told I can't know this information because it is information from closed sessions. However, unless we know the answers to these questions, then how can we either support or disagree with their proposal?
Too much of their response is vague and I am not sure if it's the City Council deliberately trying to keep us in the dark or if they just do not understand the proposal they have offered the MBFD.
Thank you, MBStrong, for bringing this issue to the wider Manhattan Beach community. We all need to rally to ensure our MBFD receive the support they have earned and deserve.
Best,
Kristy Jones
The Manhattan Beach Fire Department has suffered for many years under poor management.
Manhattan Beach Firefighters are good people who are committed to a high level of service to the Manhattan Beach Community. They deserve Fairness in negotiations, wages, and working conditions.
Randy Leaf
Manhattan Beach Police Captain, Retired in 2010 after 31 years with MBPD
The intent of “overtime” is for it to be the exception, NOT the rule of practice. ANY business or entity (that’s YOU, MB City Hall) that uses long-term overtime on a consistent, chronic basis to fill any positional deficits clearly demonstrates poor administration, a lack of concern for the physical, mental, and emotional welfare of both their employees (MBFD) and the customers they serve (MB residents), and (specifically in the matter facing our Fire Department at this time) demonstrates a willingly-chosen path of disregard for the fiscally draining outcome of their actions on the customers (the residents of our city) for years to come.
Anyone who has worked in a high-profile, demanding, chronic overtime environment (whether FD, PD, EMT, healthcare, etc.) can relate to the drain and toll this kind of activity takes on both the employee and their entire family. The questions must be asked, “Why would ANY city management, specifically our’s, chronically CHOOSE to abuse their firefighters thusly?” and “Is the actual hidden intent of this abusive treatment to hopefully force our firefighters to have to quit to survive; thereby leaving us (yet again) unprotected from ANOTHER power grab by LA County?”
Gotta wonder, “Who” is/are the one(s) benefitting from this action? Certainly not our firefighters nor the residents/taxpayers!
I remain a disgusted, exceedingly-disappointed 48-year homeowner.
To Retired Firefighter, Mr. Muth:
First, thank you for your many years of service in keeping MB residents and others safe! We owe our utmost respect to you and all first responders.
You have my vote for leading arbitration in the MBFD matter! Your letter was well written and thought-provoking.
MB residents must speak up and take a stand otherwise its city leaders will run amok! And destroy what has taken years to build.
Alice B.
MB since childhood resident
Our MBFD firefighter/paramedics provide an exemplary level of service to the residents of our community. With the vast majority of 911 calls being medical emergencies, the job they do so well is to save our lives. Now, more than ever, they need our support. Unfortunately, the City's shameful treatment of our MB firefighter/paramedics has been going on for several years. It all started about the time a prior Council wanted LA County to take over our MBFD.
In my career of public service to a city and its residents, I have represented city management and labor organizations. In LA, I sometimes witnessed a few management & labor relationships become strained and dysfunctional. And, I witnessed city management become vindictive and retaliatory. When this happens, the only way to mend such a relationship is for management and labor to agree to participate in mediation with a neutral. That's why I was dismayed to learn that our City refused to agree to our MB firefighter/paramedics’ request for mediation.
With the City declaring an impasse and refusing to participate in mediation, the City is effectively punishing our MB firefighter/paramedics. I hope our City reconsiders its position regarding participating in mediation.
If you support our MB firefighter/paramedics, please attend the next Council meeting on July 19, at 6:00. Or, please let our MB City Council know that you support our MB firefighter/paramedics by emailing Council at citycouncil@manhattanbeach.gov.
Mark Burton, Former MB Mayor
In response to the “Something’s Fishy in MB” letter by MB resident, Joe Arnao:
Wow! Amazing letter, so well articulated and so on point!!
Proud MB resident
I cannot come up with better words than what Joe wrote. The words are poignant and should upset your souls in knowing WE THE PEOPLE are fed up with City Council's inability to actually sit down with our firemen. I too smell "ID-politics" in promoting from outside the ranks. Most of the council members are demonstrating the inability to "listen to the majority" of the voters, as surely evident when Measure A was struck down (for now) by almost 70% of voters.
I too demand the immediate review of the items listed by Joe.
Rory O'Brien, a 71-year resident of Manhattan Beach
About MBStrong…
We are MB residents bringing common sense, not politics, to the conversation.