Fresno budget proposals raise concerns about fire funding and response

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the upwind warms, we've seen respective fast-spreading and aggravated fires.

So, portion the City of Fresno negotiates its budget, talks astir cutting the occurrence department's backing are drafting interest from the Fresno Firefighters Association.

"They decidedly are cuts that are going to beryllium felt some by our members and the public," said Dean Sanders, Fresno Firefighter's Association President

Fire Chief Billy Alcorn said the section indispensable defund 13 positions to enactment wrong the fund given.

The cuts travel conscionable a twelvemonth aft Fresno City Fire received a Federal SAFER Grant to adhd 45 firefighters.

Now, the metropolis is liable for backing those positions.

Some of the cuts being considered see reducing staffing from 4 to 3 firefighters astatine Station 16 successful West Central Fresno and cutting a squad dedicated to aesculapian calls.

At Wednesday's assembly meeting, Councilmember Mike Karbassi suggested they chopped 2 aesculapian squads alternatively of reducing staffing.

City Manager Georgeanne White raised concerns fixed the fig of calls the aesculapian squads respond to.

"Why we went for the SAFER assistance was besides firefighter fatigue, close for the sheer measurement of calls," said White. "These squads person taken 7 1000 calls. Seven 1000 calls disconnected of the sheet of the stations."

White said cutting the 2 aesculapian squads would enactment those calls backmost connected the engines, adding to firefighter fatigue and deterioration and teardrop connected equipment.

Fresno Firefighters Association President Dean Sanders said those squads besides support engines disposable for much important calls.

However, helium besides said that reducing the staffing connected an motor is simply a atrocious idea, arsenic it limits their quality to respond erstwhile they request to spell into a burning building.

"That's lone leaving 1 idiosyncratic connected the extracurricular versus 2 radical connected the outside, and my biggest interest connected that is if you're going to nonstop successful the technologist and firefighter to spell get the person, the captains going to enactment outside, that means nobodies handling thing to bash with h2o astatine that point," said Sanders."

Karbassi is hopeful they tin debar cutting either firefighters oregon aesculapian squads, and is looking astatine different areas wherever reductions tin beryllium made.

"We person a precise strong, robust funded pension strategy and it is overfunded by the tune of similar 16% supra being afloat funded," said Karbassi. "If we tin marque an statement with our pension committee and beryllium capable to trim that funding, that tin bring millions of dollars backmost successful not lone to marque our occurrence section whole, but different departments arsenic well."

The metropolis declined to remark connected the fund stating they don't remark during negotiations.

A occurrence section spokesperson directed Action News to scope retired to the metropolis erstwhile asked for an interview.

Negotiations are inactive continuing. The fund indispensable beryllium adopted by June 30th.

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