BRYAN, Texas (KRHD) — The Bryan Firefighters Association (BFA) is taking to social media to call on the community to attend this week's city council meeting.
This comes amid negotiations between the city and the BFA, but this call for attendance at the meeting comes as a public safety alert.
"Within the first minutes of shift this morning, TWO frontline fire engines are out of service. Our fleet maintenance team worked tirelessly to troubleshoot the issues, but the damage was done — and the impact on your neighborhood was real," the BFA said on Facebook.
Due to the multiple fire engines being out of service, the crews had to make changes to be able to still answer calls for help — but that meant:
- There were no radio communication with dispatch from the replacement engine
- No mobile data terminal for routing, call updates from dispatch, or critical safety information
- The fire crew was forced to rely only on handheld radios, which BFA says is a huge safety compromise when they are responding to emergencies where clear, reliable, and interoperable communication is essential
- Extra time was taken to swap engines to move the necessary equipment
Bryan City Council meets on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. for its first regular meeting, and will be getting legal advice regarding the Meet and Confer Agreement between the city and the Bryan Fire Association, International Association of Firefighters Local 1204, including but not limited to Article IX in executive session.
A dispute between the city and BFA has erupted on social media, which we reported on in November, raising concerns over equipment maintenance, a lack of reserve engine availability, and resident safety.