SAN CLEMENTE : Firefighters Union Vows No Service Cut

A week after the San Clemente Firemen’s Assn. gave Fire Chief Jim M. Knight a vote of “no confidence,” union President Jim Dahl pledged Thursday that the union’s differences with Knight will not affect the level of fire service in the city.

Last week, the 28-member association gave Knight a vote of “no confidence” in his ability to lead the department, which has 51 employees and three fire stations. On Thursday, Dahl refused to discuss what led to the vote, saying only that association members have agreed to work out the problems privately with city officials.

The association has been publicly criticized by City Manager Michael W. Parness and members of the City Council for taking the vote against Knight, whose job they say is not in jeopardy.

Instead of responding to the criticism from city officials directly, association members held a lengthy meeting on Wednesday night and drafted a brief press release commenting on the matter.

“We are committed not to publicly enumerate the problems without first working though the city manager’s office,” the statement read. “We want to reassure the citizens of San Clemente that despite our differences with the Fire Department administration, our commitment has always been and will continue to be delivery of the highest level of fire protection, emergency medical services and public education.”

Parness and Knight, who said they were not aware of the severity of the problem with the firefighters, have pledged to meet with association members to try to work out their differences.