Firefighters' Union Protests Budget Cuts

Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Fire Department and city officials sought today to defend a new fire deployment plan, but more than 100 members of the firefighters' union marched to City Hall to protest $54 million in budget cuts.

Dozens of members of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City packed city council chambers, wearing matching white T-shirts and applauding as council members expressed concern over the new fire department plan.

The Budget and Finance Committee presented Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's $6.9 billion budget to the full city council today. The fire department's budget had been the most controversial portion of the spending plan, which will be before the full city council for a vote next week.

"No fire stations are closed as part of this plan. No firefighters are laid off as part of this plan," Assistant LAFD Chief Brian Cummings told the city council.

For past two years, the fire department has worked according to a temporary deployment plan that pulls 22 fire and emergency response vehicles out of service each day on a rotating basis, which Cummings said "creates inconsistency and instability ... and is destructive to company unity, command and morale."

At the request of the mayor and city council, the Fire Department used computer software to analyze four years of trends in the locations, types and frequencies of incidents to come up with a permanent deployment plan.

The new plan realigns the department to focus more resources on emergency paramedic response, which makes up about 83 percent of calls to the department.

"The plan deploys levels of field resources to match the needs within each fire station district," Cummings said.

He said the new plan adds four fire fighting trucks and two ambulances back to the rotation at the departments 106 fire stations, although it will not result in the filling of positions after people retire.

Several council members opposed the new plan. Councilwoman Janice Hahn, for example, said Station 38 would lose six firefighters and one fire engine in her district, which includes refineries, pipelines and a port complex that she said is "clearly a potential target for a natural or man-made disaster."

"So the fact, in my opinion, that you are taking staff and equipment from 38 is a very short-sighted, irresponsible decision, and I would like you to reevaluate the plan for that station," she said.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl complained that reduced resources at Station 69 in Pacific Palisades would threaten safety in his district, "and that is why I cannot support the chief's plan."

Added Councilman Paul Koretz: ""This is the most uncomfortable and probably, in my mind, the least intelligent thing we've done in the budget process ... a big mistake now."

Council members also expressed concern that cuts to the department would become permanent. Council President Eric Garcetti encouraged his colleagues to make sure the budget does not prevent the city from adding future money and resources to the department's budget if they become available.

But United Firefighters of Los Angeles City President Pat McOsker said he does not believe that if the city comes into more revenue, it will make it back to the fire department. "It's nice talk. It's happy talk, but it won't happen," he said.