News Channel 15 has an article which states that the Decatur FD will be reducing the number of firefighters:
The city of Decatur is reducing staff to avoid a budget deficit. The total projected budget shortfall is $1.6 million. A big part of the city’s plan to fill that shortfall is the elimination of 20 positions across the city, six of those being firefighters.
“We’ve eliminated 20 positions in the fiscal year 2014 budget,” said City Manager Ryan McCrady. “10 of those were individuals that were laid off, and 10 of those positions are vacant positions that are either currently vacant or will be vacant by the end of the year.”
All six of the fire positions fall into the latter group, with four of them currently open positions. “Two more firefighters have declared an intent to retire,” said McCrady. “So there won’t be any layoffs in the fire department. We just won’t fill those six positions.”
That will mean one less engine company operating out of Fire Station Number 1, which basically means the one fire truck and its crew.
“The optimal solution is to have nine companies, but our resources don’t allow for that,” said Assistant City Manager Billy Tyus. “And the only time we anticipate there might be a questionable response, is if you have multiple events going on throughout the community.”
The department will go from nine total companies to eight. Over the last two years, they’ve been operating part of that time with only eight companies, in a process called brownouts. “What we know from the past from running browouts is that we can adequately cover the city,” said McCrady.
City officials believe that even in a rare situation of multiple complicated events, they can still adequately respond.
“We do have good mutual aid agreements with neighboring districts,” said McCrady. “Since 911 there’s been something set up called MABAS, which is a mutual aid box alarm system.”
#1 by grumpy grizzly on December 19, 2013 - 5:22 PM
I strongly disagree with Mr McGrady. To me mutual aid is when your town/city is involved in a situation that taxes your ability to respond. Mutual aid is not a band aid that covers your butt because you cut companies/manning. I live in Cicero, run 3/2. Larry cuts an engine. Get a garage fire, 2/2 being used. Now my house is on fire, gotta wait for Stickney or Berwyn?. Their tax money and rescources should not be used for this. To me mutual aid is nothing more than a cover my ass political statement! Boston does request after their fifth alalrm. They cover vacant houses. Mutual aid is not to decrease your tax liability, it is like what Chelsea and Lynn firefighters had to deal with!