PALM COAST — The City Council June 2 took the last step to finalize an agreement with Flagler Beach to help the coastal city’s understaffed fire department.
The board unanimously approved the agreement, which establishes that Palm Coast firefighters will help provide temporary response coverage in Flagler Beach for the next four weeks.
Firefighters will fill shifts every three days, starting sometime between June 4 or 7. Flagler Beach will pay Palm Coast a $54,000 fee, which accounts for overtime work, according to Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill.
Berryhill (who is also serving as interim city manager in the neighboring city) and Flagler Beach Acting Fire Chief Jennifer Fiveash have been working out the agreement for the last few weeks.
According to Berryhill, the city’s fire department “has the operational capacity to provide temporary, emergency coverage utilizing its C-Shift personnel and apparatus on an every-third-day rotation for a fixed four-week period without compromising public safety within Palm Coast.”
Why is Flagler Beach asking for help from Palm Coast firefighters?
The situation began more than a month ago, when several Flagler Beach Fire Department members resigned, some later citing a “loss of confidence” in then-Fire Chief Stephen Cox.
The problem worsened when City Manager Dale Martin fired Cox in the wake of those resignations, as well as citing a staff letter claiming the former chief contributed to a “hostile work environment” and criticizing “deficiencies in leadership.”
There are currently four positions open for the fire department, according to Martin.
With only five firefighters on staff, county crews have been able to provide coverage when needed, “but we have been struggling to get them to fill shifts, which have continued to burden our crews right now.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Help on the way for understaffed Flagler Beach Fire Department
Reporting by Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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