Liliane Parbot-Johnson Television cameras are set up at Veterans Park Community Center, Wednesday, Aug. 19, as members of the community and firefighters take their seats before the start of the meeting of the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District.

Many residents were very vocal and even emotional Wednesday when they addressed the board of directors of the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District, during its regular meeting last week in the meeting room of Veterans Park Community Center.

Just the day before, Fire Chief Don Adams had convoked broadcast and print media to announce cuts in order to meet the next budget at the end of September.

As soon as he learned that Adams had laid off 35 firefighters and three staff members, Walt Stevens of Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters & Paramedics, L-1826, IAFF, Inc., announced in a prepared statement sent Wednesday morning to various media:

“The Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters & Paramedics will be attending the Lehigh Acres Fire & Rescue Commission meeting on Aug. 19, 2009, looking for answers.”

Stevens was the first one to come to the microphone during the board meeting. He recalled that the union attended a special meeting July 14, and the commissioners had voted 4-1 to maintain all employment until Sept. 30:

“It was agreed with by the union and the board that we would continue to work with them in saving as many jobs with concessions and alternative funding sources … We are asking this board to follow this agreement … We can argue a motion was made, a motion was not made. I can tell you a motion was not made; there was a statement from the chief.

“This action (layoff) is wrong, and it needs to be fixed because the employees were told they would have until Sept. 30,” he continued. “They were led to believe by this board and the chief’s comments that they had until Sept. 30. I am asking this board to honor what was said in July.”

In his address to the board, Stevens also repeated what he had written in his statement of the morning.

“This has come as a complete breakdown to the relationship of working together,” he said. “The Southwest Florida Professional Firefighters & Paramedics had no knowledge that Chief Adams was moving forward with this action against the board’s direction.”

The board of directors consists of Chairman Jeff Berndt and Commissioners David Adams, Joel Guzman, Julie Barrett and Ralph Hemingway.

In addition to the layoff of the 38 employees effective two weeks after the announcement, Station 105 at 636 S. Thomas Sherwin Ave., at the corner of Bell and Milwaukee boulevards, is to close its fire and rescue operation. It will remain opened for administration work.

The one engine and one ambulance will no longer be in service. Station 104 is also losing an ambulance.

According to Commissioner Adams, the layoffs have been expected since April.

Resident Linda Cart brought up an item she saw on the district budget, under accounts payable. She questioned “my taxpayer money,” $50 of it, going to a florist. She called for more “responsibility” regarding expenses.

Another resident told the board, “If you can’t run it (district) without asking people for more money, you are doing something wrong.” He also said he was paying double taxes on the EMS.

Yet another man said, “Politics is all about compromise. I hope you can get together and find a solution.”

Kathleen Hanna said she formerly worked with the department, both her husband and son are firefighters and her son is among those being laid off. She said a fire department needs “trust, honesty and reliability,” adding, “I don’t know how you can sleep at night. My son and husband risk their lives …” She posed for a moment, overwhelmed by emotion before continuing, “My husband’s life is more at risk because he does not have men and women to support him, because people are not willing to pay 27 cents a day.”

Hanna was referring to the maximum assessment residents may be asked to pay to maintain the same level of service. According to Richard Pringle, attorney for the district and general counsel, in order to meet the budget, residents may be asked to pay an assessment up to $100 for the year to provide revenue. If approved, the money needed will be divided by the number of parcels in Lehigh Acres, about 130,000 parcels.

“It could be $35, $50, whatever would be approved by the fire board,” Pringle said.

The budget will be presented at the next meeting, Aug. 27. At that time, the board expects to discuss the possibility of applying to SunTrust Bank for a credit line.

In other business, the board passed a motion for the chairman meet – along with Chief Adams and staff members – with the Lee County Commission chairman and his staff. The purpose is to discuss funding for the purpose of improving roundabouts at a couple of stations. These roundabouts are junction roads in a circular shape, which impedes the passing of fire engines. Hemingway made the motion and Guzman seconded it.

In closing the meeting, Berndt said, replying to an allegation made earlier:

“No game is being played. We need to continue to pursue different sources of revenue, so these folks (laid off) can be brought back … I would like the folks of Lehigh Acres to make that decision regarding the level or service they want.”