Mayor Tucker, Chief Lahey: The FWFD is committed to safety, fixing ongoing issues

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Wednesday, Mayor Sharon Tucker and Fire Chief Eric Lahey held a press conference to reiterate the commitment by the City Administration and Fort Wayne Fire Department (FWFD) to ensure the safety and well-being of all Fort Wayne residents.

City leaders today also highlighted data points that demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the brave women and men who make up the FWFD.

The City released the following:

Average response times to emergencies (EMS and fire runs):
2023 – 3:19
2024 – 3:20
2025 year to date – 3:18

Rigs out of service:

From May 2024-May 2025, the FWFD had a total of 50 apparatus placed out of service. However, that hasn’t had a negative impact on providing care to the public and the safety of the community hasn’t been compromised. Only seven of those have been since the last academy class graduated in October 2024. Every one of those rigs could have remained in service if the contractual provision in the current collective bargaining agreement requiring four firefighters on each rig was not in place. They could have been placed in service with three, which was a common practice up until about four years ago and is a common practice with most fire departments.

Staffing:

Staffing levels continue to be a key focus as well with challenges associated with retirements and only being able to conduct one academy class per year. Plans are in place to have staffing for 370 firefighters in 2025 which would be a record for the FWFD. There are currently 350 firefighters.

“It’s vital that the public has all of the information possible to know how seriously we take the safety of individuals, families, and businesses in our community,” said Mayor Tucker. “Public safety continues to be a top priority as we invest resources in people, equipment, and technology to provide life-saving care. We also recognize that moving forward we must have a more productive and workable collective bargaining agreement.”

“I’m proud to lead the FWFD as we work each day to provide outstanding essential services,” said Chief Lahey. “By working together, we can make a lasting and meaningful difference in every situation that we encounter as firefighters. I’m looking forward to the future as we strive to make progress on a collective bargaining agreement that will position our department in the best way possible with a unified front to communicate and work as a united department.”

Mayor Tucker is continuing her efforts in partnership with City Council, the FWFD, and Fort Wayne Metro Firefighters IAFF Local 124 to balance public safety needs while also making sure that taxpayer dollars are being utilized in the most responsible manner possible.

The City Administration, FWFD leadership, and Fort Wayne Metro Firefighters IAFF Local 124 are involved in mediation to work out a new contract. A sticking point is sick time for non-duty related injuries. The current contract calls for up to 365 days of full pay for a firefighter injured outside of official work duties. A proposal has been presented to change the amount of non-duty-related paid sick time off to a period of six to nine months.

Another point of contention is the union president’s pay. The union is asking the City to pay for half of the president’s salary. The City, last year, placed the burden of the union president’s salary on the union members, this was in exchange for a $4,000 increase to the base pay requested during a non-negotiation year and on top of a 5% increase already negotiated for each year on a multi-year contract.

Mayor Tucker supports Chief Lahey and the work he has done as the leader of the FWFD. It’s Mayor Tucker’s hope and desire to reach a resolution on the union contract in a way that protects firefighters and taxpayers as good stewards of public resources. In addition, Mayor Tucker wants to see better relationships formed between fire leadership and the union. Mayor Tucker has met with IAFF Local 124 on multiple occasions to listen to their concerns and will continue to be open to future meetings to move forward in a collaborative and constructive manner.