Mission Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas is clearly upset that Mike Silva and others at the Mission Fire Department are starting a petition to call an election to approve collective bargaining for the fire fighters.

Mission Fire Fighters Association President Mike Silva started the petition this week.

According to Silva, approximately 700 signatures of registered Mission voters will be required to call a city election in May, 2010 for the citizens to vote on the issue. Texas law bars police and fire departments from collective bargaining unless it is specifically approved by the local voters.

Mission City Manager Julio Cerda said that both the Mission Police and Fire Departments are already under civil service, which provides for a rigid set of rules protecting the rights of fire fighters and police officers.

“We don’t need collective bargaining to discuss issues. We meet twice a month, sometimes three times a month to discuss issues and concerns. Many issues are resolved within days,” said Cerda.

Mayor Salinas feels that Silva and some of the fire fighters – not all – are unappreciative of all that the city has done for them. This year alone, the city council approved a $4,000 pay raise for starting fire fighters, making them among the highest paid fire fighters in the Valley.

“In 1998, when I took office the fire fighters made $20,093 [starting pay], now they make $37,000. [We have] increased them almost $17,000. And they are very ungrateful. That’s why I get upset. There’s no way in the world I’m going to hold any bad feelings for those guys, because they do a good job, but they also have to give us credit for what we’ve done for them,” said Salinas.

Fire Chief Ricardo Saldana said, some of the fire fighters are upset because the police officers got more money than they did.

In September, Mission City Council approved a $3,000 pay raise for police officers. Their starting pay is now $40,000. Starting police officers received an eight percent pay increase, compared to a 12 percent increase for fire fighters. The city manager said it is common practice to pay police personnel a little higher salary than fire fighters.

Mayor Salinas said he told Silva that the police officers should receive higher pay than fire fighters.

“There’s no comparison,” Salinas said. “These guys have a gun and are out on the road every day putting their lives on the line. The firemen also take risks, but they have an easier job.”

However, Silva said it’s not about the pay, it’s about the safety of the fire fighters. The union president said some of the equipment is faulty and two of the pumper trucks are outdated and do not conform to standards.

According to a letter Silva provided, he lodged a complaint earlier this year concerning the age and condition of the fire fighters’ self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBAs. This was the only complaint filed with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection concerning faulty equipment, according to Silva.

The fire chief said that the council recently authorized the purchase of new SCBA units. And concerning the department’s equipment overall, Saldana said, “Our equipment is very well maintained and conforms to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and Texas Commission on Fire Protection requirements.”

Concerning the two 1996 model pumper trucks that Silva wants the city to replace, claiming they are outdated and not fit for service, Chief Saldana said the National Fire Protection Association allows a fire apparatus to be in service for 15 years in a front line capacity. The same code allows fire trucks up to 25 years in a reserve status, if the unit is well maintained and in good operable condition.

Mayor Salinas pointed out a whole series of broader-based community needs the city has been able meet in the past 11 years, including a new police station, a fire station in Sharyland, a new city hall building, a new central fire station, a major expansion of the library, a new chamber of commerce building and a host of other city improvements. These illustrate the way the city has been able to balance a host of needs for a growing city while maintaining a sound financial footing.

Meanwhile, Chief Saldana pointed out a lengthy list of improvements the city has approved to the fire department over the past 10-11 years. In addition to the construction of the Sharyland Fire Station and the new, state-of-the-art Central Fire Station, the city recently constructed a new fire substation #4 on Inspiration Rd. Construction will soon begin on Fire Substation #5 in Sharyland Plantation, the fastest-growing area of the city.

Major fire equipment purchases include the 1999 purchase of the city’s first 100-foot aerial truck, the 2001 purchase of a new pumper truck, the 2005 purchase of a 61-foot ladder truck and the 2009 purchase of another new pumper truck. Fire trucks cost between $400,000 and $600,000.

Since 1997 the department has added 53 fire fighters, an assistant fire marshal and three fire inspectors, Saldana said. And fire fighters have received at least a three percent pay increase every year since 1997, except for the 2007-08 fiscal year when all city employee salaries were frozen.

Saldana said, “We have the best incentive package in the Rio Grande Valley. McAllen use our incentive package as a model for their department.”

“I would like to keep a positive focus,” the fire chief said. “The last thing I want is for the fire department to be at odds with the administration.”

Silva provided the Progress Times with a list of items he feels the city needs to address. Most of the items on his list relate to improvements wanted at Fire Station #2. This is the city’s oldest fire station, which will likely eventually be phased out, but the building, built in the early 1980s has needed maintenance. About half of the 28 items listed by Silva have been addressed, including purchasing new recliners, a new stove, new lockers, painting, roof repairs and plumbing repairs. Other items remain on the wish list, including new bay door remotes, new kitchen cabinets, new microwave and a new generator. Silva also said the city has tried but has not been able to get rid of the rats in the building.

Silva has another list of items he submitted to Chief Saldana last year dealing more with perceived equipment and personnel needs. This list includes replacement of the two older pumper engines and updating the SCBA gear. He also requested an additional ladder truck, replacement of personal protective clothing, dress uniforms, a fully-staffed aerial device, improved health insurance, increased retirement benefits, yearly physical exams, and an additional fire investigator. He also requests that the city implement an EMS system to be operated by the fire department, two new fire stations, improved hazardous materials team equipment and training and a bigger operational budget.

Some of these items currently are being or already have been addressed by the city, such as the new fire station being constructed in Sharyland Plantation, but most have not.