3 Person Fire Trucks Have to Be Negotiated --- Rolling Brownouts is Rolling the Dice on Response Time

The problem with a budget being dropped in the laps of City Council that contains proposals by the Mayor to cut fire and police without any analysis of what the impact would be on service levels, is that everyone thinks they are an expert on fire and police staffing.

Take for example a proposal being shopped around -- reducing the level of staffing on a fire truck from 5 to 3 persons.And the proposal for having a rolling brownout -- closing firestations throughout the city on a rotating cycle.

Let me share with you what just happened when the city council in Reno, NV tried this:
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100715/NEWS/7150353/Reno-council-drops-referendum-on-fire-truck-staffing

Staffing levels are a bargained issue.

Without data showing the council what the impact would be of reducing staffing levels, both in response time and effectiveness, not to mention how reduced staffing exposes firefighters to work hazards, then we have no business putting it out there as an action in this budget cycle. If my colleagues want to get it analyzed and negotiated then go for it, but it can't be done in the current budget cycle because there isn't sufficient time.

Also there is something very wrong with a city council directing staffing patterns for any department. We don't and should not tell the police where and how to staff. We don't tell our Public works department how many people should be on a street repair crew. You get my point.

But don't take my word about why reducing staff on a fire truck or emergency apparatus is dangerous, take a look at NPFA 1710 --

NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2004 Edition. Click here.

This is published by the National Fire Protection Association which is the expert on fire, electrical and building codes and safety in the U.S.

 The rolling brownout is another dumb idea. Click here and see what is happening in the City of San Diego which is using brownouts to save money -- a kid just died and some are contending it was because of the longer response time needed to bring a paramedic across town when the local station is on closure.