Connecticut Firehouse Involved In Security/Privacy Fight
Feb 19, 2008 3:51 PM
The union for paid firefighters has filed a grievance with Stamford, Conn., over the installation of security cameras at the volunteer Springdale Fire Co., saying it's an illegal invasion of privacy.
The Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association, which has 16 members working in the Springdale firehouse, told The Stamford Advocate that the security cameras will create a "big brother" environment and make paid firefighters uncomfortable.
Springdale Fire Chief Shawn Fahan says the security system is necessary to ensure the safety of paid and volunteer firefighters after a series of break-ins, thefts and tampering with firetrucks and equipment. The system would include 14 cameras to be placed in two kitchens, two lounge rooms, the garage and several hallways and exits, Fahan says.
The union says it was never notified of the surveillance system and learned about it only after a paid firefighter saw Fahan on a ladder in the firehouse and asked what he was doing, union President Brendan Keatley says. The union filed the grievance Jan. 29.
Fahan says the Springdale board of directors consulted with its attorney and has the legal right to install security cameras. According to The Stamford Advocate, he obtained permits and is waiting for approval from the board.
"I think they may be jumping the gun a little bit by filing a grievance when something hasn't even been installed. We still have time to notify them," Fahan says. "We're not being sneaky. All cameras are going to be in plain view of everyone."
But Keatley says cameras in communal areas are intrusive and could create a hostile work environment. When not responding to calls, firefighters spend most of their time in the station's day rooms, where they can watch TV, eat meals, nap and relax. Keatley says he also worries the footage could end up on the Internet.
"We're not working in a correctional facility. If you want to put cameras in a room where we spend the majority of our time, that's a problem," Keatley says. Fahan is "just trying to make us uncomfortable in the workplace."
Fahan says his department is liable for employee safety and must take action. There have been reports of stolen furniture, a damaged garage door and tampering with fuel lines on a volunteer fire engine.
"We're not pointing the finger at anybody. We don't know who's doing it, and that's why we have to put these cameras in so we can find out," he says.
Since last spring, the door to the engineer room, which houses mechanical tools and diesel fuel, was pried open and damaged three times, Fahan says. Nothing was stolen. Police investigated the third break-in, but have no leads, Fahan says.
Volunteers will turn on an engine and find the switches that control the sirens, lights and windshield wipers have been left on, or the doors have been opened, Fahan says. Last fall, volunteers reported reaching into a medical bag for a stethoscope only to find they had been damaged, Fahan says.
The incidents cost Springdale about $5,000 in damages and repairs, he says. His department reported the incidents to the city and Stamford Fire & Rescue but stopped after nothing was done.
Stamford Fire & Rescue Chief Robert McGrath says he understands Fahan's concerns but there should be boundaries. None of his department's five firehouses has security cameras, McGrath says.
"He can put up as many cameras as he wants. But to put them where they live is totally uncalled for. It may be legal in his mind, but it's certainly not right," McGrath says.
City attorney Thomas Cassone says it's not illegal to install security cameras in a workplace, but there's a fine line between public and private.
"I don't think there's a hard and fast rule, but there is a balancing between an employee's privacy interest, especially in the context of a firefighting job where you essentially live in the place of employment for part of your life," Cassone says.
Fahan says the digital security system would record footage that could be stored up to 36 days then automatically deleted, unless an administrator asked for it to be saved. The cameras would not be manned. The security system would cost about $10,000, Fahan says.
It is unclear whether taxpayers would pay for the system or volunteers will raise funds. That decision is made by the Springdale board of directors and board of finance, he says.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.
Today's New Product
|
B.I.G. Parking Control/Guard BoothManufactured for Louisiana State University, The Estate parking control/guard booth from B.I.G. Enterprises was built to strict hurricane codes due to Hurricane Katrina. The booth features a copper standing seam roof, gutters and downspouts. It comes factory-prepared for on-site installation of architectural brick and has extensive electrical, high-output HVAC, data and communication lines, shelves and cabinets. |
advertisement
This month in Access Control
- Opening Up About Door Closers
- An Enterprise Approach
- The Framework For Open Systems
- On A Higher Plane
- More from April's issue
advertisement
