Members of the volunteer fire company at Station 1 in Salisbury crammed into the chambers of the Wicomico County Council.
During the special session they heard Corey Polidore with the volunteer fire company describe the frustration his members felt in its negotiations with the city to resolve staffing differences.
He said, “Due to issues that occurred that went unaddressed for a year, two years now, the meeting with the city and the city fire chief – things just never seemed to get addressed.”
Polidore said the city turned down an offer to resolve their differences through mediation.
Subsequently, the city announced that the volunteer fire company was separating from the Salisbury Fire Department.
One key issue was the selection of a deputy fire chief which the company wanted a greater say in allowing them to offer up names for consideration.
Polidore emphasized the position would still have been in the change of command reporting to the chief.
The firefighter also laid out plans for the purchase of equipment and the leasing of property in the county to carry out firefighting duties in the county.
