Two local firefighter’s unions made clear Tuesday that they do not support the Firefighter Safety Act because it “seems poised to unreasonably restrict” them from performing their duties.
The Baltimore Fire Fighters Association and the Baltimore Fire Officers Association in a six-page letter to the Baltimore City Council described their grievances with the bill, which regulates the way firefighters respond when a vacant building is on fire. Councilwoman Danielle McCray (D-District 2) crafted the bill after three firefighters were killed on Jan. 24 after part of a vacant house that was on fire collapsed on them.
A fourth firefighter—John McMaster—was buried amid the rubble but survived his injuries. “At the scene of a dwelling fire at 203-7 S. Stricker St., we tragically lost the lives of Lieutenant Kelsey Sadler, and Firefighter Kenneth Lacayo,” the letter states.