Brian Gidney, president of the Piedmont Firefighters Association and a 20‑year department veteran, used the public comment period to press the City Council to take stronger action on firefighter retention and recruitment.

Gidney told the council that while the one‑year labor agreement on the consent calendar “does provide a base wage increase, union members are not celebrating” because it “falls short of what is needed.” He said the department remained short by two positions and could face further vacancies. Gidney said the union presented two proposals to address retention — retiree health care and longevity pay — but that city negotiators rejected them. “The council is not interested in discussing retiree medical insurance,” he quoted the council negotiator as saying.

Gidney asked the council to increase investment in firefighter compensation and benefits to retain staff and attract recruits. He also said one member recently left for another department and that seven members were eligible to retire immediately, which he said increased urgency around retention incentives.

The council did not act on Gidney’s requests during the meeting; the comment was received as public input during approval of the consent calendar, which the council approved unanimously that evening. Gidney said the union remains open to solutions but that, from the union’s perspective, the current one‑year agreement “makes no progress to ensure a high quality workforce.”

Ending: Gidney’s remarks put retention and retiree health benefits back on the council’s public record. Any formal changes to compensation, retiree benefits or bargaining‑unit language would require future negotiations and an agreement brought back to council for approval.