Criticism spread like wildfire through the Austin community when residents learned it no longer had round-the-clock staffing from its fire department.

Citizens can worry no more — well, at least for the time being.

Answering the public’s plea, Austin City Council approved Monday reverting back to staffing its fire department 24 hours a day.

After receiving “numerous phone calls from constituents,” Mayor Tom Stiehm formed a Fire Department Committee during a work session Monday, appointing council members Dick Pacholl, Jeff Austin and Steve King to the advisory committee.

“These are people that know the issues,” Stiehm said.

“I have yet to get my first call where people say, ‘Congratulations on getting rid of the 24-hour coverage,’” the mayor explained. “Right now, the public is overwhelmingly in favor of 24-hour coverage.”

The committee, Stiehm carefully explained, would not negotiate contracts outside of contract approval, which is standard city council procedure.

Stiehm said the new, permanent committee would “streamline things” among the council, chief and firefighters’ union.

“We want people to either come to these meetings or call your council members,” Stiehm said to the audience.

Council members and staff expressed confusion over why the fire chief was given orders to change staffing at the fire department in the first place.

On Jan. 1, the fire department shifts changed to 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with no firefighters on duty between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. The commander would work an 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift.

“Are our firefighters comfortable with that?” John Martin asked Troy Tigner, president of the firefighters’ union.

Tigner said they want “someone who makes the decision and sticks with it,” and that the “best thing for the community” is 24-hour, seven-day-a-week staffing.

He said that waiting a couple weeks to revert back to round-the-clock staffing is “not my best-case scenario.”

One citizen, Mona Lukes, expressed concern to the council about the issue.

“The community does not want this,” she said of the staffing cutback.

“I don’t think the citizens want to take the risk of no coverage,” council member Steve King said, and moved that the fire department revert back to the 24-hour staffing as soon as possible while the new committee gathers information to make a recommendation to the council. Marian Clennon, another new council member, seconded the motion.

The council voted 6-1 to revert back to 24-hour coverage as soon as possible until the committee brings back its recommendation to the council. Martin voted against it.

The council argued that nothing is officially binding because it was a work session.

“They should by law have to revert back to 24-hour coverage,” Martin said, explaining that since no vote was ever taken by the council, the staffing change should have never occurred.

Council member Brian McAlister concurred.

“I tend to agree with John Martin, as there was never an official vote at council to change to eight hours,” he said.

Chief Dan Wilson, who has publicly voiced his support of eliminating 24-hour staffing, warned the council “you may expose yourself to overtime.”

After the meeting, Stiehm said he does not believe there is a reason to eliminate 24-hour coverage — it does not save money or jobs, and he scoffed at the idea of a staffing change merely to “improve efficiency” among firefighters.

Wilson explained he was “directed to change the schedule effective Jan. 1,” but would not reveal who gave him the directive.

Stiehm confirmed that “city administrator (Jim Hurm)” gave Wilson the order.

“He felt he was acting on the vote at the last meeting,” Stiehm said.

Stiehm said he believes the council may have voted on it without realizing it at the last closed negotiations meeting; he said he thought they were voting on the 2008 firefighters contract. He said he is still not sure exactly what they voted on.

There is still no 2008 contract.

“By Wednesday we better have our 24-hour coverage,” Stiehm said.

Hurm said Tuesday that he can’t comment on what occurred at the last negotiations meeting because it was a closed session, but that “it was pretty obvious … we made the change as of Jan. 1.”

He said the fire department will get back to the 24-hour schedule “as soon as is practical.”