Firefighters union leader steps down

Troy Hagar feels content and successful.

He thinks it's time to relax.

The president of the Professional Firefighters of Spring Hill Local 2794 is stepping down Sunday with one year remaining in his term.

He also realized there would be few highlights remaining on the job with the economy still slumping, he said.

Hagar harkened back to last year's hot-button issue - Spring Hill Fire Rescue District's fight for independence.

Voters granted it by a wide margin.

"My entire time as president was pretty well-consumed with the independence issue," he said. "I guess you could put that down as my legacy."

No longer does the board of county commissioners have a final say in budgetary, payroll and personnel issues with the district.

It was something firefighters had wanted for decades. They previously had tried, but failed. It took a widespread effort from firefighters, who held signs on street corners and posted hundreds more throughout Spring Hill.

The union's action committee even paid for a plane to fly over Hernando County asking residents to vote for independence. The plane didn't fly until after Election Day, but Hagar didn't care because the fight had already been won.

"The legwork, the grunt work ... it was all there," he said. "We spent our committee funds. We had members and nonmembers alike getting involved - wives, kids, even a horse at one point. We took a lot of pride in what we accomplished at that time."

The district's employees had long had their benefits paid for by the district. A couple years ago the union agreed to pay a portion of their dental coverage. This year, they agreed to pay some of their health insurance.

"I was fine with the way things turned out this last time and I know it's going to still be tough," he said.

Hagar, a firefighter-paramedic, first began serving as president in early 2007.

Capt. Scott Edmiston is the vice president of the union. Hagar recommended he be elected president by the union's executive board. That decision will be made in a couple days, Hagar said.

The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, but the negotiating process starts in February, he said.

Now seemed to be the right time to step away, he thought.

"It's just time to turn the reins over to someone else," Hagar said. "I did this for personal reasons. I want to get a piece of my life back. It consumes a lot of extra time."