Anthony Lopinto meets with Dade City firefighters about jobs in a proposed merger of departments.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published August 16, 2003
DADE CITY - While the fate of the city's Fire Department remains a hot political issue, spurring a petition drive and plenty of talk, it's a matter of personal concern for the 17 firefighters.
Pasco County Fire Rescue Chief Anthony Lopinto on Friday said regardless of what finally happens, it was important for him to tell each firefighter that he is concerned about them and will personally look out for their interests, if the county is to take over the department.
Dade City commissioners on Tuesday voted to dissolve the department and contract with the county for fire protection. A critical part of City Manager Harold Sample's plan involves a county promise that all firefighters will have jobs with the Pasco County department.
Lopinto, in meetings with five or six firefighters at a time throughout the day, repeated that promise and said he tried to answer questions and quell rumors.
"We're going to do everything we can to make this as painless as possible for you," Lopinto told one group. "Everybody is trying to do everything that we can to be fair. You didn't do anything to cause this."
Lopinto told firefighters how he was a full-time member of the Hudson fire department when it was absorbed into the county system in 1977, so he has been through the transition. He said working with the larger department will offer opportunities for advancement and for specialization that might not be available in a smaller department.
City commissioners split 3-2 in the vote on dissolving the department. Sample told commissioners the city is facing a $1.4-million budget shortfall, and replacing the fire department with county service saves at least $856,000 a year.
With the vote so close, local resident Debra Williamson has launched a petition drive she hopes will sway at least one council member's vote by Thursday's special budget meeting. On Friday, she said the drive was meeting with great success, and she had placed petitions in several downtown businesses and the Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union at 12510 U.S. 301 S.
The special meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
But Lopinto said there is no time to wait. If the decision is reversed, he can stop working on the solution, but until then, he said he is proceeding as if it is a done deal.
To that end, Lopinto handed out job application forms that need to be turned in to the county's hiring office. He helped answer questions about orientation classes and rules on outside employment and said he wanted firefighters to call him with any questions or to ask about any rumors.
After presenting his vision, Lopinto asked one group for a show of hands from those who might be interested in working for the county. Every hand went up.
Leaving the meeting, firefighters said they appreciated getting some answers.
"I feel a little bit better," firefighter Paul Parker said. "Nobody had told us anything."
Lopinto said he is moving quickly to provide city protection by Oct. 1. That includes a meeting with County Administrator John Gallagher by Wednesday to present a framework.
Consolidating a department as established as Dade City's into a county system is a big job, he said.
"We're doing it in two months," he said. "Usually it takes two years. We've got a lot of work to do."
- Chase Squires covers Dade City news. He can be reached at 352 521-5757, ext. 27 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6108, then 27. His e-mail address is squires@sptimes.com
