Firefighter Hourly

Cincinnati City Council May Force Dangerous Cuts On Fire Department

Cincinnati city council may force the fire department to lay off 47 people - a move the fire chief said will take the department back to staffing levels in 1998 when the department was understaffed. The moves, not yet enacted, could also force brownouts of companies.

A few council members are worried about the cuts but the majority just see dollar signs. Residents would see 20% fewer fire apparatus on the street in a city with a busy call volume. Longer response times would also impact the survivability of residents and force firefighters to arrive later which allows for longer burn times.

The results could be catastrophic for both firefighters and civilians - all in the name of a few dollars that will be made up over the next few years. Council members would bear the responsibility for injuries or deaths because the practices they are forcing on the department are dangerous.

Cincinnati Making Dangerous Decisions With Firefighter Staffing

Budget cuts to the fire department in Cincinnati could prove to be dangerous for residents and firefighters. Making matters worse is flawed information being put out by a politician who is using data from a different study to try to apply it to Cincinnati.

Currently the CFD is running with companies "browned out" in much the same way Atlanta operated. The critical flaw in this "cost savings" is the gamble taken with peoples lives. What politicians are saying, in effect, is they are betting nothing occurs requiring a "normal" complement of firefighters to respond.

Further, by pushing for cuts to stations, politicians are putting the first duty of government, protecting the people, in a distant second place to a quick financial fix. However, by reducing staffing and closing companies the costs will soar due to higher insurance premiums, property loss, workmen's compensation claims because of the increasing injuries of understaffed units and lives lost.

It comes down to priorities. It's apparent some politicians see only votes and dollars as the goal.