The 4,100 teacher layoffs Mayor Bloomberg has been threatening for months were scrapped last night in a budget deal with the City Council that also saved 20 fire companies.
But more than 1,000 other less fortunate city workers still faced pink slips as the $66 billion budget battle ended in a handshake deal before the July 1 deadline.
State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis Jr. said West Virginia volunteer fire departments are in deep financial trouble.
"We used to be able to say it would happen 'one of these days,' but now we're saying 'it's today' -- fire departments are in a crisis," Lewis said.
Last month, Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Chief John Smoot asked the Putnam County Commission to raise the county's annual fire fee.
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Lewis said fire stations across the state are being forced to deal with several problems at the same time - lack of funds and manpower, and higher workers' compensation and equipment costs. For example, Lewis said a firefighter's air pack cost $1,500 15 years ago, but today costs nearly $4,000.
Facing the worst budget deficit in decades, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed deep cuts to the city’s fire department. His plan would permanently close nearly 30 fire trucks and paramedic units, and would shrink the department by more than 300 firefighters. Fire officials who designed the plan promise that it would maintain public safety. Critics predict that it’ll lead to unnecessary deaths.
Fire Captain Jaime Moore said department personnel analyzed more than a million calls for help to craft a plan that would safely scale back the department. “We had to take a very good look at the way we operated," Moore said.
He said while Chief Milage Peaks would prefer to maintain the size of the department, he and other fire leaders found they could get away with some downsizing. "We have some areas where we have task forces where a single engine could handle the number of fire calls they’re getting.”
eKalb County officials say they don't believe their decision to dismiss 82 firefighting recruits will cost them a $3 million federal grant.
The county recently received a $3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to hire emergency staff.
The cuts reduce the total number of DeKalb County firefighters from 915 to 715. County officials say the cuts come from ambulances and the number of firefighters on trucks will not change, making the county still eligible to keep the money.
Officials say releasing the recruits is expected to save the county $5 million.
The Lower Merion Township Fire Department plans to ask the Board of Commissioners to adopt a new 20-year $15.8-million fire apparatus replacement policy for its six volunteer companies in the coming April cycle. The previous equipment replacement policy expired in late 2010.
The policy, outlined by township Fire Chief Charles McGarvey at the board's March 2 meeting, establishes a time-line for the purchase of three new pieces of equipment for each of the township's six companies by 2030. The final cost, adjusted for five percent annual inflation, would be paid for with monies from the township's Capital Projects Fund created through the sale of general obligation bonds.
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McGarvey added that new equipment doesn't only maximize the ability of the volunteer force to do their job, but helps recruitment and retention for the individual companies. The scarcity of firemen is a problem in municipalities across the state.
