Excerpts from the NorthwestHerald.com:
Details are still being determined regarding what cuts will be made to the Woodstock Fire Rescue District after their contract with the village of Lakewood to staff a fire station on Haligus Road was not renewed.
Woodstock Fire Rescue District Chief Ralph Webster said after the board of trustees meeting Thursday night, the only decisions still finalized are the deputy chief position being cut and Webster retiring Oct. 31.
The closing of the Haligus Road station, which was staffed with 12 Woodstock Fire Rescue District employees, means $830,000 in cuts need to be made in the district, Webster said. The change will result in a reduction of wages, hours and positions of part-time ranks, he said.
The Woodstock Career Firefighters IAFF Local 4813 union is working with Webster and other board members to try and address a really difficult situation.
He expects that between March and mid-April, the board will announce its plans for how it will fill the chief position. The restructuring of the department likely will include the addition of a few battalion chiefs to the current staff of about 80 people.
Woodstock residents will not notice a change in services, Webster said, and the department is using this as a chance to reinvent itself.
“I think we’re going to be as strong as ever,” he said. “We’re not cutting staffing in Woodstock. Operationally, we may make some changes, but if we do that it will be in an effort to provide better services.”
