In one of the first examples of how the new city budget will affect municipal services, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced this afternoon the layoffs of 164 fire fighters.
His statement came at a curious time: Just hours before, the Detroit Fire Department experienced a hectic night as crews raced from blaze to blaze in combating a suspected arsonist who set at least 14 fires in the neighborhood around Mt. Elliott and East Warren. A fire fighter suffered minor injuries at one incident.
Bing's statement said he he would like eventually to re-hire the laid-off fire fighters through attrition and a federal grant the department hopes to secure.
The statement did not provide details, but the Bing administration also plans cuts in the arson squad and the number of rigs that protect the city. On paper, the city has 66 engines, ladder trucks and emergency squads currently in service, though up to 10 of them are de-activated on a daily basis for manpower and budget reasons. As many as 16 rigs could be taken out of service after July 1, when the city's new consent agreement budget goes into effect.
In an interview last week with Deadline Detroit, Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association, said the post-July 1 department would be a "disaster."
The city's 2012-13 budget calls for $250 million in cuts from nearly every city department and does away with 2,600 jobs. It cuts the fire department's budget about 13 percent, to about $160 million. The budget takes effect Sunday
Bing's statement follows. Come back to Deadline Detroit for additional coverage.
STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DAVE BING ON DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT LAYOFFS
Since I became Mayor, I’ve made public safety my top priority and I’ve said I would protect the jobs of police and firefighters, but fiscal realities have made this untenable.
With my administration continuing to work to fiscally stabilize the City and with recent cuts to the City’s budget, we’re announcing the layoffs of 164 Detroit Fire Department firefighters by the end of July. But my administration has every expectation of being awarded a federal grant to fund and restore 108 of those positions. And many, if not most, of the remaining 56 firefighters are expected to be recalled to the fire department through attrition.
The current 2012-2013 budget also allows for the hiring of Emergency Medical Technicians to bolster the number of EMS staff who responded to 135,000 calls each year, or 81% of the calls to Fire Department.
Until the Fire Department receives the grant, Commissioner Don Austin and his staff have developed a plan to effectively and efficiently maintain the highest levels of fire service for the city’s citizens.
Among the components of the plan:
Better deploying engines from adjacent sectors and using newly installed GPS systems in the engines and rigs to best dispatch fire department personnel;
Conducting thorough risks/gain analysis of interior versus exterior fire suppression;
Increase the use of CERT & Fire Corps to support our firefighters;
And continuing our community fire prevention education.
Again, laying off any of our courageous and dedicated public safety personnel is the last thing I want to do at this point, but I have to face this hard reality. I have every confidence in Commissioner Austin and the men and woman of the Fire Department to maintain their highest standards of fire services and public safety for our citizens.
DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT FACTS:
* Total Uniformed & Civilian Personnel = 1257
* Total Sworn Fire Fighters = 881
* Total EMS Technicians = 248
* Fire Suppression = Estimated 30,000 calls for service annually; with an estimated 9,500 false alarms.
* EMS = Estimated 135,000 calls for service annually.
