Union: Fort Wayne Fire Chief Must Go
FORT WAYNE, Ind — The head of Fort Wayne’s firefighters union says confidence in Fire Chief Eric Lahey has all but disappeared. Union president Jeremy Bush says a January survey of 300 firefighters found that 95 percent have no confidence in Lahey’s leadership.
“It’s not a small number, it’s obviously an overwhelming number,” Bush said. “And it’s not just about one detail, one contract issue, or one policy disagreement. We’re dealing with issues that have systemically led to understaffing in our department.”
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Chief Lahey spoke for more than 20 minutes defending his leadership and laying out the current state of the department. But leaders with Fort Wayne Metro Firefighters 124 have called for his resignation, citing staffing shortages and overworked crews.
“This month alone, we have over 275 shifts that firefighters have to work just to keep rigs in service,” Bush said. “And instead of recognizing these firefighters for the sacrifices they’re making and taking responsibility for the understaffing, the chief continues to point the finger at firefighters.”
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Bush said Chief Lahey has been named in five federal lawsuits filed during his time in charge and claims firefighters believe he retaliated against them afterward. He also said firefighters no longer trust Lahey to protect them when they’re injured on duty.
“We have firefighters who were burned in a house fire and had to sit in the back of an ambulance for more than half an hour before being taken to the hospital in a pickup truck,” Bush said. “We had a firefighter who was resuscitated at the scene of a fire—brought back to life—after a heart-related incident, and the city denied his claim.”
Bush said that while the injury was eventually covered, the city still refuses to classify it as duty-related. He also pointed to a $60,000 investigation led by Lahey that targeted the wrong firefighter, calling it a clear waste of taxpayer money.
“His management—his understaffing of our department—has cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” Bush added.
