“We have a major disruption and as of March 1, at 11:59 PM we are required to suspend operations,” was the message of a release attributed to Hiram Mayor Anne Haynam and Village Council President Chris Szell. The message continues, “We’ve reached out to Garrettsville-Freedom-Nelson Fire District as well as Community EMS regarding mutual aid agreements during our transition. The Fire District has committed to continued mutual aid in the short term.” For their part, a meeting with the Community EMS Board on Monday evening was set to determine the nature of an agreement between Community EMS and the Village of Hiram. The full release from March 1st can be viewed on the Hiram Village website (hiramohio.org).
But the issue has been heavily discussed online since early last week. A post was shared on Facebook via the Hiram Firefighters Association page on February 23rd.
It stated, “After careful discussion among our Hiram Firefighters Association members, we feel it is necessary to inform the public about ongoing concerns regarding our treatment by Village of Hiram Mayor Anne Haynam.”
The post continued, explaining that department concerns were ‘dismissed’ in two separate meetings with Village of Hiram Council President Chris Szell and Village of Hiram Mayor Anne Haynam. The post notes that concerns were characterized as ‘childish complaints’, which “left our members feeling unheard and undervalued.”
Further, it was noted that Fire Department employees have experienced two separate payroll periods in which employees were paid late, actions they note are in direct contradiction to public statements from the Village about supporting staff and improving recruitment and retention. The full text of the post can be viewed on the organization’s Facebook page.
Three days later, a letter of resignation from Hiram Fire Chief Bill Byers was posted. The effective date was Monday, March 2nd. In the text of the letter, Byers noted, “over the past two years, and more recently, the responsibilities of Fire Chief have been made ineffective, demeaning, and have created both a hostile and a toxic work environment.
This has made it impossible for me to effectively continue serving as Fire Chief and uphold the standards I believe the department and community deserve.” Byers officially retired; he served the community in the Fire Department for 21 years, serving as Chief for the last 15 years. The full letter can be read on the organization’s Facebook page.
An email shared via email and online from Mayor Haynam after receipt of Byers’ letter.
“The Village will shut down Fire/EMS services on 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 1st and remain closed until an interim chief is named. We apologize for the employment disruption but with Chief Byers and Assistant Chief resigning with only four days’ notice, we cannot fill the position this quickly and responsibly continue offering services.” Mayor Haynam notes that a longer-term mutual aid contract has been secured with Chief Friess at the Garrettsville Fire Department, with plans to do the same with Community EMS. Haynam encouraged staff to attend the working Council meeting on March 5 at 6:30 pm where discussions regarding Fire/EMS operations will continue, as they’ve done at the previous two council meetings.
In the same time period, an update for residents from Mayor Haynam & Council President Szell was shared via Hiram village website (hiramohio.org). “It begins, “In the past 48 hours there has been an unexpected development in our Fire/EMS department,” noting that the entire leadership team has resigned. In the online remarks, it was noted that, “it has become evident that Hiram Township is collaborating with the staff to take over our department and move it outside of the Village.” Currently, the Hiram Fire Department is funded through cooperationbetween the Village and Hiram Township. The message continues, “While the concept may be worth considering, the staff and/or the Township could have brought a proposal to Council.”
It was noted that Council President Szell and the Mayor met with staff in late August to discuss Department staffing and support and noted that Council approved up to three full-time positions in August of last year. It was noted that at the January and February Council meetings “we asked Chief Byers to provide new compensation proposals along with their budgetary implications; Council has made it clear that they will not approve additional pay increases without Chief Byers demonstrating the impact on the budget. Thus, a special working session of Council was scheduled for March 5th to allow Chief Byers more time to develop proposals and materials needed for Council.”
In light of the recent resignations, it was noted that the Village will ‘move forward in a thoughtful manner’. To that end, it was noted that staff surveys were distributed to insure input and additional proposals are being generated based on work with a consultant.
Shared on 2/27:
From Hiram Firefighters Association, including 2/26 email message from Mayor Haynam. According to the post, the email about the cessation of services was sent without any face-to-face conversation between the Mayor and any member of the Fire Department. It noted that firefighters are ready and willing to work, and that by closing the department, response times will increase. “When emergency services are farther away, every minute matters,” the post warns. “We are sharing this information to ensure our community is aware of what is happening,” the post concludes.
In an update on Village website on March 1st, Mayor Haynam noted, “As we continue to work through this challenging period, I want to assure you that we are working diligently to ensure the safety of our community, the continuity of the fire and EMS services, and the responsible stewardship of public funds. We have now had three days to work on this and it has been a challenge. Last night was the first that Chief Byers offered support and direction in terms of two lieutenants having qualifications to potentially run operations. We are still waiting for an updated roster.”
The post noted three key steps to achieve in order to resume services:
Interview two lieutenants and verify their credentials (scheduled for Monday March 2); name an interim chief & register them with the Village liability insurance carrier; have EMS medical oversight reinstated by Dr. Garlisi (removed on 2/27) and Daniel Ellenberger (remains unverified).
Meanwhile, the Mayor encourages those who require Fire or EMS assistance to continue to call 911 for emergencies. She notes that dispatch operators have been notified and calls will go directly to our mutual aid partners as of March 2nd.
Meanwhile, on Monday, March 2nd, two police cruisers, engines running but unoccupied, were parked in front of the fire truck bays blocking emergency access now that Fire and EMS operations have been officially suspended.
Village resident and former Council member Rev. Chris McCreight, who serves as the administrator of the Hiram Community Facebook Page posted thanks to all who have shared letters and information about the recent developments regarding the Fire and EMS issues. In his post, he urged people to remain civil and refrain from personal attacks as the situation is discussed and options are being considered. “Our community has a series of upcoming meetings to consider attending to listen and learn more about our issues, challenges, and potential solutions. Please be sure to share your concerns with appropriate officials through appropriate measures, and let’s figure this out together.”
On the evening of March 2 the Village of Hiram Mayor posted the following update on their Facebook page:
The Hiram Fire/EMS department will resume services starting at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, March 3rd. Day to day operations will be managed by the lieutenant with Lieutenant Louis Danku taking the lead. We would like to thank them for their leadership and the continued dedication of our Fire/EMS staff.
The next meeting to discuss this ongoing issue takes place on Thursday, March 5th at 6:30 pm in the Village Administrative Building, and residents are encouraged to attend.
