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May 9--Columbus spent $27 million to construct a maintenance building with more than 150,000 square feet of the latest technology for repairing the city's cars, trucks, boats, tractors and motorcycles.

But the local firefighters union is upset about what the building doesn't have.

The original plans called for living quarters to house a firefighter with training in the basic maintenance of fire equipment. But the building, on Groves Road on the East Side, opened in March with no living quarters, and the firefighter/mechanic duties were transferred to the fleet-management staff.

Jack Reall, president of the union, said the firefighter/mechanic position had existed for decades and was crucial in providing emergency mobile repairs no matter when fire vehicles broke down.

"We don't intend on giving it up without an ugly fight," he wrote in an e-mail to a City Council aide.

The fight has taken the form of a labor grievance filed by International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67 that is awaiting arbitration.

It's the latest salvo in a continuing battle over the condition of the city's fire vehicles and efforts to keep them rolling. Firefighters have complained for months about frequent breakdowns of aging, high-mileage vehicles, the performance of which is critical to public safety.

In response, the city expects to spend about $14 million over 2 1/2 years to replace about 40 percent of the front-line fire engines, ladder trucks and medic vehicles.

Administration officials say the union's most recent complaints about maintenance problems are largely fueled by the elimination of the maintenance position, which was held by three firefighters. Although they lost their maintenance designation, they didn't lose their jobs.

"It makes more firefighters available to fight fires, which is what the city hired them to do," said Dan Giangardella, a deputy director of public safety and former fleet-management administrator.

Fleet management became a 24-hour operation in January, he said, which also eliminated the need for a firefighter/mechanic to be available around the clock.

Warren Cox, an assistant fire chief, said it is too early to tell whether fleet management can deal with the emergency repairs of fire equipment as quickly and effectively as the firefighter/mechanics.

But he is convinced that the opening of the Groves Road building will mean improved maintenance of fire vehicles.

"The ability to work on our trucks now versus a couple months ago has improved tenfold," Cox said.

Before the new building opened, fire vehicles were repaired at a garage on Greenlawn Avenue. It was so small that only two ladder trucks could fit inside, and neither could be raised more than a few feet.

The new building, which consolidated five city garages, is equipped with 77 service bays and the latest lift equipment. The roof is so high that aerial ladders can be inspected indoors.

At a dedication ceremony last week, Mayor Michael B. Coleman emphasized that the staff of 78 mechanics and supervisors recently earned the Blue Seal Certificate from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

But Reall insists that the changes haven't resulted in improved maintenance.

"Regardless of the statistics they throw out, our membership is not satisfied with the service the Fire Division is getting," he said.

jfutty@dispatch.com

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