HomeCity Government NewsFirefighter Lets ‘the Cat Out of the Bag’ at Chamber Event

Firefighter Lets ‘the Cat Out of the Bag’ at Chamber Event

By Mitch Lehman

What started out as a good-natured, small town community event ended in awkward silence and whispered astonishment last Thursday afternoon when Engineer Nathan Foth – who had just been named San Marino’s ‘Firefighter Paramedic of the Year’ for 2015 – lashed out at City Manager John Schaefer’s treatment of Foth and his counterparts during terse contract negotiations that have reached impasse.

With Schaefer in the audience at the San Marino Chamber of Commerce’s 8th Annual Police and Fire Appreciation Luncheon, Foth took issue with the city’s plan to change standard fire department staffing procedures that would no longer require four employees to go out on every call where a fire truck is requested. Foth also questioned the manner in which the city manager addressed association representatives as well as perceived untruths uttered by Schaefer over the year-long negotiation process.

Foth, president of the San Marino Firefighters Association and a two-time recipient of the award, told The Tribune that the two sides have already agreed to a contract that gives no pay raises, but the three-person truck is a non-starter. He also claimed Schaefer became combative during negotiations, offering this exchange that Foth claimed took place on Sept. 15.

For the full story, see the print edition of the San Marino Tribune, or download the e-edition.

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