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Bryan firefighters warn of safety and morale crisis; council ratifies meet-and-confer agreement
Summary
After firefighter leaders and union officials testified about unsafe apparatus, staffing shortages and alleged retaliation, the Bryan City Council unanimously ratified a meet-and-confer agreement and directed staff to form a committee to study staffing and schedule changes.
Several union leaders and local firefighters told the Bryan City Council on Nov. 11 that unsafe equipment, deteriorating stations and staffing shortfalls are jeopardizing public safety and firefighter retention.
"Apparatus are unsafe. Stations are deteriorating. Staffing is stretched thin," John Riddle, president of the Texas State Association of Firefighters, told the council during public comment. Daniel Buford, president of the Bryan Firefighters Association, cited an independent department survey of 141 of 155 firefighters that he said found "87% of our frontline apparatus are unsafe or unreliable," "73% say our station safety issues go unresolved," "66% say retaliation is…
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