Potential Firefighter Cuts Will Impact Your Safety
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Potential CFD Cuts
Hundreds of firefighters? jobs could be cut if the city?s half-percent income tax doesn?t pass.
NBC 4
GETTING ANSWERS: A union president said it would be unrealistic to think cuts wouldn’t impact the safety of firefighters and the citizens they serve.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Hundreds of firefighters’ jobs could be cut if voters don’t pass the city’s proposed half-percent income-tax increase.
NBC 4 GOT RIGHT TO THE POINT.
The Columbus Division of Police announced potential officer layoffs early last week. Police Chief Distelzweig said the division would cut or layoff 297 sworn officers if voters weren’t to approve the city’s half-percent income-tax increase on a special Tuesday, August 4, ballot.
Click here to read about CPD’s potential cuts.
The city now is talking about significant cuts to the Columbus Division of Fire.
FAST FACTS:
- CFD said it has to trim about $19 million from its 2010 budget.
- It said 238 firefighters would be laid off and another 51 open positions would not be filled, including jobs for paramedics and arson investigators.
- The city income tax that will be on the special August ballot would raise the income tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent.
- People who work in the city of Columbus would pay an extra $50 more per year for every $10,000 they earn.
- The city said the income-tax increase would generate some $100 million for the city.
It would be unrealistic to think the cuts wouldn’t impact the safety of remaining firefighters, along with the citizens they serve, Jack Reall, president of IAFF Local 67, said.
A string of South Side arsons and the resulting charred, boarded up homes are a reminder of why it’s important for a city to have enough firefighters.
“Because if we can’t get a hold of them, if we cut them, then they won’t be able to take care of the fires and it spreads through the neighborhood,” resident Adam Gillespie said.
Response times would increase significantly.
“Which is going to put our citizens at risk. It’s obvious that our citizens are going to feel it,” Reall said.
Reall also said cuts would put firefighters at risk, too.
“For us, it’s scary. This is not just positions we’re losing: This is increasing our chances at line-of-duty injuries or firefighter line-of-duty deaths,” Reall said.
The cuts would be the equivalent of losing seven fire stations, NBC 4 was told, but Reall said the Division was not sure if it would cut entire stations or scale back across the board.
“You just can’t take 20 percent of your fire department away and expect to still operate the same,” he said.
It would be the first time for Columbus firefighter layoffs.
A spokesperson for the Columbus Division of Fire said the $19 million must be trimmed if the city can’t find additional revenue and although it’s a real issue that will affect citizens, he said it is what it is.
The potential cuts would also mean the loss of 122 paramedics.
Reall said the cuts could double the average response time from the current average of seven minutes.
Reall also said suburban medics would be called upon to do more since they currently use a mutual aid system.
Many paramedics are nationally certified, so they should be able to obtain jobs in other cities.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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Reader Reactions
I dont know but if u find out plz post it as much as possible so we can forward it along and get his sorry good for nothing butt outta here.
I am a no vote as well, but I do support FF and EMS workers.
Onthehitlist, if the mayor does cut the fire department, how is he going to have enough medics for a city this size? Our fire and police to citizens ratio is within norms for a city this size. Of the 4 cities outside Ohio that he sited, Columbus has the second highest crime rate according to FBI stats for the most recent year available. Cincinnati and Cleveland both have higher fire/police to citizen ratios than Columbus. It makes me wonder just how much the mayor studied all of this before he handed down his sentence to the citizens of Columbus.
The money generated by CFD for medic runs is NOT given to CFD. The city uses it for everything else. As far as double taxation, it’s not. Here’s how it works..
If you are hauled by a medic to the ER, the city will send a bill to you or your insurance co. If you are a citizen of the City of Columbus, you do NOT have to pay the bill. (That is why you pay taxes), but they will still try to collect from your insurance co..If you do NOT live in the city, they will bill your insurance company. If you don’t have insurance, you must pay the bill yourself.
This is nothing new. Cities were doing this long before Columbus started..
The problem lies with the issue that CFD was asked to cut 19 million off of their budget. This was AFTER we MADE the city 13.4 million in REVENUE in billing for EMS runs.
THEN, our union voted to defer our 4% raise the city AGREED to pay us this June. By giving that back, there was approx another 4 million given to the city.
All in all, we just gave the city 17 million, but it’s not good enough..They STILL want us to cut the budget by 19 million.
Did I mention that about 60% of those in the layoff are PARAMEDICS?? That’s right! The very same crews that made the city 13 million will not be on the job, putting more money in the cities pockets!!!
Nice, huh?
Also, I found this….It is a quote from Mayor Colemans speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention..
“Safety and security are not abstract ideas. They are the most basic services provided in America. Just ask any police officer, any firefighter. No leader should stand before the American people and say “I’ll protect you” while they cut millions of dollars in funding for police officers.“
Nice, huh?
onthehitlist
First off thats double taxation and i don’t know why the insurance companies would pay for something levies and taxes are providing for.
Second its a discrace that that money is put off on the side for CFD to begin with.
This is a fine example of why im casting no .The general fund is just a place for anyone to reach in steal and burn cash on whatever they please.
I have family and ,freinds on the Fire dept ones a Chief.
I don’t want the job cuts but there is a message that needs to be sent.
I don’t think the layoffs will last very long because voters will want the Mayor and his court’s head on a platter.
I want the voters to remember who is to blame for the mess when elections come up.
Last year, CFD medics made the city over 13 million dollars billing for medic runs. That money went into the “General Fund” The fire department was asked to cut over 19 million. Of which, the 13 million didn’t even matter! Not only that, but we voted to defer our 4% raise which the city already agreed to and signed into our contract. That amount was about 4 million. 13 million made, 4 million given back…That’s 17 million of the 19 million given back, but that doesn’t matter to the city!!!
what I am saying is why are 4 fire trucks dispatched to a medic call? I didn’t call for a dang fire now did I. I called for what at the time was considered an emergency. I dunno a serious Asthma attack, heat stroke…I dunno you tell me is a fire truck needed in those cases, maybe one, but four? really? below me.
wheres the money go that the private insurance companies are charged for squad runs?
Roof, if you are so trained at work how to call 911, why are you calling them for a nonemergency wasting ouer dwindling tax dollars? Yes there will still be police and fire around after the cuts, but when you cut out the equivalent of 7 fire stations you can’t help but effect the quality of services they provide. Maybe when they cut services, you will know how to do CPR, how to transport that buddy of yours for your nonemergency, how to stop that theif from breaking into your house, and how to put out that fire in your house without endangering your family because you might just need it. How trite to suggest one sue the city when emergency equipment doesn’t get there in time—-that person who may die may be you or your family and no amount of money is going to bring them back or ease your suffering. Maybe you can buy a clue with the money you save! If you can plan for these things then they aren’t emergencies and you don’t have to staff as much. No amount of talking to you is going to show you what is being threatened—-give up that Friday night at the bar and ride the medic for 24 hours then maybe you can begin to comprehend. I don’t think the mayor is bluffing, I think he will cut services if for no other reason than because he didn’t get his way. But I a not willing to gamble my life, my families or friends, my home or my safety. Obviously with all of your wisdom you still fail to see the big picture!
the first big lawsuit to be filed is all it will take for the city to hire those that get laid off back.
there will still be police and fire around, you make it sound like if we the citizens vote no all police and fire service will no longer exist. It is still going to be there and the ones that are there are still going to do the excellent job they already do
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