For Immediate Release
Contact Office of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske
562 570-6932
Schipske Calls on City Manager to Disclose Response Times for Fire
Department – States Concern that Budget Cuts May Have Caused Slower Response
Times
March 13, 2012 – Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske
didn’t support the cuts to the fire department when they were proposed by the
Mayor and the City Manager and now she wants to know what those cuts did to
response times.
“The City Council was assured that the cuts to the Fire
Department would not substantially impact response times for calls for fire and
paramedic services,” says Schipske, “but that’s not what I am hearing from
firefighters.”
Schipske reports that the cuts to the Fire Department included “rolling brownouts” -- taking
an engine out of service at a different station each day - or light-force duty
at some stations.
Additionally, daily staffing was reduced to an all time low
level , down from a high of 137 firefighters in 2008 to the current low of 117.
“Firefighters report that as a result
of these cuts, response time has been slowed in some instances where staff and
equipment must travel across the city due to an engine out of service at
another station,” Schipske notes. “As a Registered Nurse, who did some training
with the Long Beach Fire Department paramedics, I understand that every minute
counts when it comes to saving lives.”
Schipske’s agenda item calls for the
City Manager to disclose the response times since the cuts were enacted. “The
City Council needs to evaluate actual response time information to determine
whether or not the cuts to the fire department have been detrimental to the
public safety of our residents.”
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