Firefighters condemn split from Salisbury after dispute

A large group of Salisbury firefighters denounced plans Thursday by a volunteer company to split suddenly from the city fire department over disputes about funding and other issues.

“It’s an insane use of my tax money,” Eric Cramer, a Salisbury firefighter, said during a special meeting Thursday with the Wicomico County Council to discuss recent events at Station 1, the city fire station where the all-volunteer Company 1 announced it would separate itself from the city.

Other Salisbury firefighters voiced similar opinions that the Company 1 volunteers were not acting in the best interest of city and county residents.

“It looks a lot like their egos, and not their concern for their communities,” said Erik Johnson, a 13-year member of the department.

But the Company 1 volunteers are in the process of finding a new building and equipment, with plans to take over a part of Wicomico County currently served by the city fire department, said Company 1 member Cory Polidore.

“We want to keep the county territory we’ve had since 1986,” he said.

Company 1 President David Elliott and Vice President Charles Foskey announced Feb. 22 the volunteers would separate from the Salisbury Fire Department, which operates three stations with both paid staff and volunteers, effective July 1. The next day, Mayor Jake Day said he was terminating the city’s association with the firefighters immediately.

“Things went downhill very fast that evening and the next day,” Polidore said.

‘All of this could have been avoided’

The same night they announced their plans to separate, seven members drove to Station 1, removed equipment and loaded it into their personal vehicles, according to Mayor Jake Day. City police officers arrived on the scene and told the firefighters to return the equipment to the building. They did so, and the city declined to press charges, he said.

Salisbury Fire Chief Rick Hoppes, who attended Thursday’s meeting, said both sides needed time “to sort out who owns what” before anything was removed.

“The middle of the night was not that time,” he said.

Polidore said members of the company decided to separate from the city over disputes about finances and the appointment of a deputy chief. When the city refused to take part in formal mediation, firefighters voted to separate from the department as of July 1.

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“All of this could have been avoided” with mediation, Polidore said.

But Hoppes said the city only refused “to do it with lawyers,” and that volunteers “had every opportunity” to meet one-on-one with him, the mayor or City Council members.

“To say the city refused to meet with them is disingenuous,” he said.

The Daily Times has requested copies of the correspondence between Company 1 and the city under the Maryland Public Information Act. The city had not responded to the request as of Thursday.

Moving forward

Since last week, the company is working toward finding a location for a new station and plans to acquire two fire engines, a tanker truck and two ambulances, Polidore said. The company has set an annual budget of $567,000.

The volunteers first must secure a territory, which would be determined by the Wicomico County Fire Chiefs Association. They are seeking the area of the county outside city limits which is now covered by the city’s Station 1 on Beaglin Park Drive.

The fire chiefs are expected to discuss the volunteers’ request at their next meeting, Polidore said. The group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

There have been questions about whether the fire service agreement between the city and county, which had been under negotiation for months, would be affected if the firefighters are given a territory in the county,

Every year, the county awards funds to each volunteer fire company, including the three in Salisbury. The city also has been negotiating with the county for a larger appropriation for fire and ambulance services it provides outside city limits.

Day said the dispute with the volunteers shouldn't have an impact on the agreement, which could be signed as early as next week.

"The fire service agreement has the power to put this all to bed," he said.

With the animosity between the Salisbury Fire Department and the volunteers, County Council President John Cannon wondered if Company 1 members would be able to work with the city as part of a mutual aid agreement between area fire departments.

Council members also have had a lot of emails from constituents expressing concerns about safety as well as whether their property insurance rates would increase, Cannon said.

Councilman Larry Dodd, a former firefighter at Station 1, said he was surprised at what happened with the volunteers there, and questioned whether residents of the district he represents would still be guaranteed fire and ambulance services.

“It does hurt me, and I wish you wouldn’t do this,” Dodd said.

Polidore said the fire company intends to provide the same service it always had.

“We’re ready to keep giving back,” he told Dodd.

The volunteer group now has about 40 members, including 14 new recruits. Only two people have left since the split last week, he said.

But Day said 12 former members of Company 1 agreed to transfer to the other two volunteer fire companies in the city and were sworn in on Wednesday night.

"There was an enormous crowd of volunteer firefighters there," he said.

On Twitter @LizHolland5