In his op-ed, Samuel Johnson, the former BCFD spokesman, suggests a coming together between the fire union and fire administration to change the work schedule. The Baltimore Firefighters Local 734 has made every attempt to work with the current fire administration to advance public safety in our city on matters of interest much smaller than this. To our dismay, we have run in to opposition on even the smallest issues such as old dilapidated fire trucks, fire stations with mold and asbestos and even an utterly ridiculous 20-month standoff on the type of uniforms firefighters should be wearing. Local 734 has been, and always will be, willing to come to the table and do what it can for Baltimore. However, it is hard to work together when all decisions are made behind closed doors in a vacuum.