The new president of Local 1889 of the International Association of Fire Fighters hopes to improve the relationship between the union and the Mehlville Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

Besides establishing a better relationship with the district’s Board of Directors, Local 1889 President Nick Fahs wants to improve employee morale.

Since Fahs’ election as union president last month, Local 1889 and the Board of Directors have settled a nearly three-year-old legal dispute over changes to the district’s pension plan. Relations between union employees and the Board of Directors have been strained since shortly after the April 2005 election of reform candidates Aaron Hilmer, who serves as board chairman, and Bonnie Stegman, who serves as treasurer.

Hilmer and Stegman campaigned on eliminating fiscal waste and rolling back a 33-cent tax-rate increase approved by district voters in November 2004. Secretary Ed Ryan, who was elected in April 2007, ran on that same reform platform.

Since his election, Fahs told the Call he has been working to improve the union’s relationship with the Board of Directors.

“… It’s already started.” he said. “I’m sure Mr. Hilmer wouldn’t mind me saying it. When we had the discussions about settling the pension lawsuit, we had some very free-flowing conversations and as much as I was anxious to talk to him, he was very receptive. I hope we can just keep building. We both know it’s not about either one of us. It’s about the person that calls 911.”

Past Local 1889 President Bob Strinni last year told the Call that morale among the district’s employees was “horrible.”

Asked if morale has improved, Fahs said, “To be honest with you — and I’m going to be totally honest with you — no. But I’m going to work on that and I don’t think it necessarily takes big things here to make morale change. I think it takes little baby steps and Mr. Hilmer and I, we’ve had a couple of conversations already, and I’m going to convince him — I will convince Aaron that he could do little things here that would greatly improve morale. I think most of the — everybody here wants it to be better.

“And I mean this with no disrespect to Mr. Hilmer or the new board, but I have often said that right, wrong or indifferent — and I know a lot of things have happened here in the past — but a lot of it has to do with respect. And they aren’t looking for a raise and they’re not looking for maybe anything tangible, but I just feel they don’t think that Mr. Hilmer cares about them.

“I’m not saying this with disrespect to Mr. Hilmer. I think he can fix that and I’m going to try and give him the road or the venue or the avenue to say: There’s little things you can do if they just feel like they’re appreciated, it will go miles … It can be an action or a word, but I can tell you I am going to give that man the respect that the chairman of this fire board deserves. And maybe that’s the first step.”

While employees have not always agreed with the board’s decisions, Fahs said they never have wavered in their desire to provide the best possible service for residents.

As an example, he cited the board’s decision to approve a disability-benefit contract with Standard Insurance that eliminated disability benefits from the district’s pension plan.

“… Nobody here was happy with the disability plan and it did improve just a little bit … When that decision happened and as upset as the people were here because it was a lesser plan than before, the next night, we had a house fire off of Butler Hill (Road). Not one person would not go in that house. We complained and we talked and we weren’t happy, but at the end of the day when someone hits that last 1 on 911, we are coming,” he said.

The union’s legal challenges to the Standard Insurance disability-benefit contract were unsuccessful, but the recent settlement of the pension litigation resulted in those disability benefits being upgraded to a higher payout level.

The to o board’s 2005 decision to hire solely firefighter/paramedics has presented some challenges, Fahs said.

“… The average time on the ambulance experience-wise has shortened from the new board versus when the other board was here. But it goes all the way back to we are doing everything we can do to train everybody at a lightning pace in comparison to what it was …,” he said. “Maybe the experience level in the Mehlville Fire District, the two people combined might have four or five years experience here, where before they might have had 20 to 25 years.

“But they’re good people. We’re trying our best to make sure our EMS, our lieutenants and our acting lieutenants and the people that train these people are working diligently to do that.”

Fahs praised the efforts of veteran employees to mentor the newly hired fire medics.

“… The senior people that work here never have taken an attitude I will not talk to that new guy. I will not go over that with him because ultimately those two people going out there that have might have five years on, they still represent me and they represent everybody in this fire district so they need to be professional and they need to be proficient,” he said.

“I think our No. 1 job is to make sure that when they go out that door that they’re good at their job. So experience matters, but we adapt to everything and we can certainly adapt to the changes that the fire board made …”

The union president said he won’t always agree with the board’s decisions, but he will be respectful when he disagrees.

“… I guess maybe the harshest thing I’m going to say about the board is if I could just maybe get the board to stand up and say: Residents of this fire district, when you call 911, good people are coming to your house. They’re not mean. They’re not bullies …,” he said. “Periodically, it just seems like our bosses want to paint us as something that we’re not. My job is to say we’re good people. Certainly we have issues and we have our conflicts with the board and I’m not always going to agree with the board and they’re not going to agree with me. The difference is I will be respectful when I disagree …

“Everybody that works here will lay their life down for someone else … So when you represent people who will do that regardless of what our relationship is with the board or one director in particular or all of them, there is no finer group of people here and I just want everybody to know: Don’t hesitate to call us. We’re coming as fast as we can and when they get there, whether they have two months on here or 32 years, you’re going to get the best service that we can give you. This is a great fire district. It’s a great community. I’m proud of them,” Fahs said of district employees.