PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Portsmouth Professional Firefighters & Paramedics, Local 539 President Kurt Detrick said some of the firefighters in his city are upset, feel ignored, and frustrated.
News 3 obtained a copy of a letter that outlines why Detrick said they took a vote of no confidence against Fire Chief Nestor Mangubat back in March.
News 3 ran a story in May about issues that Detrick said are still very much a problem.
“We've been sounding this alarm because it is a matter of public safety and public concern,” said Detrick.
He said the City of Portsmouth and many other cities are in need of more paramedics. He said right now there are about ten openings. He also said medic units are sometimes not staffed with a paramedic.
He said this prevents the citizens from not receiving the right level of care.
“It's not safe for us essentially, for our members. It's not safe for the community,” said Detrick.
He claims paramedics get hired, trained, and leave because they aren’t getting paid enough. He says paramedics are vital to calls.
“What they're able to do and get the ball rolling ahead of time is what could be the difference between life and death,” said Detrick.
Detrick claims there is overall bad communication, problems with adequate pay, and overreaching disciplinary action by management. He said those and other problems caused the Portsmouth Firefighter Union made up of about 200 members to take a vote of no confidence against their chief.
The letter was sent to City Manager Tonya Chapman in July.
Below is a copy of the letter:
Ms. Tonya Chapman
Portsmouth City Manager
Subject: Vote of No Confidence of Fire Chief Mangubat
In March of this year, the membership of IAFF Local 539 requested to conduct a vote of no confidence on Fire Chief Nestor Mangubat. Local 539 represents 90% of the full-time employees of the Portsmouth Fire Department and has represented them proudly since 1937. A vote was taken of the general membership and was returned 89.17% NO CONFIDENCE. This was not a vote or motion taken lightly by the women and men of the Portsmouth Professional Firefighters Union. However, over the tenure of Chief Mangubat, we have seen a dramatic decline in not only morale within the department, but also in the service delivery to the citizens of Portsmouth. Some of the major concerns raised by the membership are:
• Reduction of ALS Paramedic level staffing on ambulances
• Misleading city council at the May 10th budget hearing on our current paramedic staffing
• Failing to respond to the Emergency Room after a firefighter was shot while on duty
• Failing to maintain effective communication with the employees of the Portsmouth Fire Department
• Overreaching disciplinary action that resulted in the termination of two employees, both of which had their terminations overturned by the city grievance panel
• Failure to maintain adequate fire and EMS apparatus to meet the growing needs of service delivery
• Failing to maintain effective EMS Paramedic staffing and competitive pay within the region
• No additional full-time Medic unit being added to the daily staffing despite an increased call volume of 23%. Our Union has been addressing this issue for years with no progress
• Over reliance on mutual aid from surrounding jurisdictions to meet our daily call volume
• Inconsistent application of the department and city disciplinary policy
• Failure to maintain adequate station facilities
After taking the no confidence vote, we began Labor/Management meetings with Chief Mangubat and fire admin hoping to reestablish a productive working relationship and restore trust. Regrettably, we have seen no change in the Chief’s leadership behaviors or decision making, resulting in a further breakdown of confidence and broken agreements. After the resounding no confidence vote in March, and the subsequent Labor/Management meetings during the FY2023 budget process, the result of this vote of no confidence was unanimously voted to be released at our general membership meeting on July 18th, 2022. IAFF Local 539 requests that City Management remove Chief Mangubat from his position as Fire Chief from the Portsmouth Fire Department. Union leadership urges City Management to stand up for the citizens of this city and appoint a new leader who will advocate for the department and community and collaborate in both words and actions
Please let me know if I can provide any additional information,
Respectfully,
Kurt Detrick
President, IAFF Local 539
“It starts out of frustration. I believe members don't feel like their concerns are being heard,” said Detrick.
Friday City Manager Tonya Chapman provided a statement to News 3:
Public Safety is the number one priority for the City of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services Department (PFRES). PFRES and the Department of Human Resources have worked diligently to fill the vacancies within the fire department. The department is allocated a complement of 19 full-time EMS Paramedic positions with five current vacancies. We anticipate four EMS Paramedic vacancies to be filled next month as these applicants are completing the final stages of pre-employment screenings.
There are 10 firefighter recruits currently in the academy and they will graduate on Thursday, September 15th. We anticipate beginning another fire academy with 17 firefighter recruits next month.
The ambulance average response time to a call for service is 7.21 minutes. The national average is greater than eight minutes. We have not encountered any specific incidents or service delays as it relates to calls for service.
As the City Manager of Portsmouth, I place Public Safety as our #1 priority for the City of Portsmouth.
News 3 spoke to the chief briefly over the phone who said he would be of assistance in helping the public relations team for the city answer any questions.
Reporter Brendan Ponton filed a FOIA request that revealed a letter sent to the union president from the former city manager in May:
Kurt,
I am concerned about the demeaning social media posts by the Portsmouth Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Local 539 are posting about me and city leadership in reference to public safety. I have always held Public Safety as a high priority and my door remains open to listen to all of your concerns. If you recall, I reached out to you at the start of the budget process to obtain your input. Most recently, I have approved fund allocations for Public Safety and Frontline bonuses for employees. For the Fire Department specifically, I allocated two million dollars from Federal ARPA funds to purchase a fire engine and an aerial ladder truck to which City Council approved. I have also authorized funding for two new ambulances during my time as City Manager. I have met with you and members of Local 539 on many occasions to discuss staffing, pay, benefits, and any other needs which you may have communicated.
This budget includes funding to address pay compression, which will be implemented in phases. Recognizing it will take more than one year to resolve, I am committed to ensuring our public safety and city employees as a whole are competitively compensated as funding allows.
Over the past few weeks, you and members of the Local 539 have attended council meetings to speak publicly on these topics bringing into question my leadership as City Manager. Prior to the FY23 budget presentation, I felt we were making progress with identifying key priorities. Be advised, the misinformation delivered to City Council and the aforementioned social media posts are not indicative of collaboration. I am writing this message to inform you, as the President of Local 539, that your misinformation delivered to the City Council and your demeaning public scare tactics in the social media posts are counter to the role of public safety ambassadors. I am disappointed in your actions by using cyberbully tactics to achieve your self-serving objectives. I will not tolerate this behavior. It is my perception that you are manifesting public scare tactics to satisfy your wants. Your actions have shattered my trust that you are not demonstrating the best interests of the citizens.
Looking ahead, I am open to direct communication even when we may differ on the solution. However, as city employees, we should always exhibit behavior that is respectful to one another.
Sincerely,
Ms. Angel Jones
City Manager
News 3 reached out to the city council about the issues but did not receive any response from them.
