Excerpts from Fox6now.com:
With his crews stretched by major fires this week, Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing says he’s recommending deeper cuts to the department’s 2019 budget.
Rohlfing told the Common Council’s Public Safety committee that he’s preparing to eliminate one engine and the 15 positions that go with it. The department must find at least $1.1 million in savings. The proposed cuts for 2019 come on top of reductions in previous years, including the closing of six firehouses since last year. The head of the firefighters union said the closures were hurting response times.
Rohlfing responded to firefighters’ union president Mike Bongiorno, who said in two recent apartment fires, the Milwaukee Fire Department fell short of a national standard for response times. In one case, an apartment fire near North 39th and West Hopkins streets, witnesses said tenants had to jump from the building to escape the smoke and flames. The department had 21 people on scene eight minutes after the fire call, short of the national standard of 27 people, Bongiorno said.
Rohlfing said that Milwaukee doesn’t have a problem with response times, despite station closures and personnel cuts. His budget proposal will be reviewed over the coming months before it goes to the Milwaukee Common Council in the fall. At the end of Thursday’s committee meeting, city budget director Dennis Yaccarino said there would also be cuts to the Milwaukee Police Department.
thanks Dan
#1 by John Antkowski on May 22, 2018 - 10:32 AM
Yes, exactly declining shared revenue is not the only problem. With the inability to attract and keep businesses which help control the tax base. There’s no easy fast solution to fix it. I’m going with bankruptcy in 10 years.
#2 by Joe Smith on May 22, 2018 - 9:41 AM
Our school system is the legacy of some boneheaded decisions by the federal courts back in the 1970’s, but city government has no control over MPS. The question going forward should be how to make the best use of existing resources to make Milwaukee the best city it can be. This means encouraging people and businesses to locate here, not simply fighting fires and attempting to maintain a semblance of order as the city continues to implode. I am not a fan of the streetcar, but this decision was made years ago. If it fails to meet expectations, I anticipate that it will be abandoned within a few years and we will never talk about light rail again. If it is successful, it may form the nucleus of an expanded system that will become an asset to the city and potentially the surrounding suburbs.
#3 by CrabbyMilton on May 22, 2018 - 5:57 AM
Well again, there is always money for a street car that we don’t need and doesn’t go anywhere but a big loop plus a school system that is by in large a giant toilet.
But nothing left for public safety which is a core function of city govt.
Before you say the feds are paying for the streetcar, this isn’t forever folks.
Personally, the area I live is fine for me with no plans to leave Milwaukee.
However with such stupid decisions, that won’t help attract people and business to want to move to Milwaukee and besides, people like me who may not want or can’t afford to move do have cars so we don’t have to spend all of our money within the border if we so elect.
I do wonder which station they will close next and man, I sure hope they don’t.
#4 by Joe Smith on May 21, 2018 - 9:08 PM
The root of this problem is that state shared revenue has not kept pace with inflation. The city can’t spend money that it doesn’t have. The mayor and the Common Council have been faced with increasingly difficult choices in each year’s budget. Fire and police protection are among the most important services provided by local government, but if there are no amenities to make people want to live in the city, then those who have options will choose to live elsewhere, and the only ones left will be those who don’t have a choice. That sounds like Detroit in the years immediately prior to going bankrupt, they spent money on police and fire, and very little on anything else. This issue is going to need to be addressed in Madison. If it is not addressed soon, then perhaps Local 215 will need to reconsider it’s endorsements in this year’s elections.
#5 by Big Moe on May 21, 2018 - 7:35 PM
Sad to see the chief valuing his job over adequate staffing levels. Haven’t read much about headquarters staff cuts. I bet his car and all his staff chiefs buggy’s are newer than the average engine co. as well
#6 by MABAS 21 on May 21, 2018 - 7:26 PM
It’s disgusting that construction of a trolley system that the locals won’t use has priority over public safety! The Milwaukee Country fire chiefs need to educate Lord Barrett that MABAS isn’t a catchall for Milwaukee’s shortfalls. Wish the Milwaukee Firefighters Union the best of luck in the manpower battle.
#7 by Crabby Milton on May 21, 2018 - 5:25 PM
Yeah if that that thing shorts out and catches on fire, what will Barrett say if there are no available engine companies to respond MFD or MABAS at large?
Of if some goof grabs the controls and smashes it into something. How long will MPD take to respond? No suburban dept. will understandably want to touch that one.
#8 by John Antkowski on May 21, 2018 - 5:05 PM
Yes, but we are going to have a really nice trolley system??? Not.
#9 by Crabby Milton on May 21, 2018 - 4:57 PM
How can you maintain response times when you keep closing stations?
Just disgusting!! The mayor is of the mindset that Milwaukee will just let the suburbs do the work. It would be a disaster to consolidate all of the Milwaukee County departments into one if they put them under the control of Milwaukee County govt. but perhaps if this stupidity continues, there may have to be more consolidations all because Milwaukee can’t get it’s priorities in line.