City residents will experience slower response times and see fewer firefighters on duty if Evanston City Council approves proposed cuts to next year’s fire department budget, officials said.
The Evanston Fire Department cuts are just one component of City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz’s plan to close the city’s $9.5 million 2010-11 budget deficit. Many city departments and organizations face larger percentage cuts.
But as the firefighters’ union mounts its opposition through a Web site, an online petition and discussions with the council, the proposed cuts foreshadow the difficult budget battles facing the city. The council will host a public hearing on the budget tonight at 7 p.m. at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.
In his Dec. 31 budget draft, Bobkiewicz suggested reducing overtime pay for firefighters by $275,000. The city manager also advised against replacing a division chief who retired last year. Along with a reduction in training costs, Bobkiewicz said these changes could trim $433,000 from the fire department budget.
If the council decides to reduce the department’s overtime staffing, it will put the public at increased risk, said Brian Scott, president of the Evanston Fire Fighter’s Association.
‘We know these are very, very tough economic times,’ Scott said. ‘(But) you never want to sacrifice public safety just because of budgetary expediency.’
Bobkiewicz and Assistant City Manager Martin Lyons could not be reached for comment. Joseph McRae , assistant to the city manager, declined to talk about the proposed cuts.
On Jan. 12, Evanston Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky spoke to the council about the potential impact of the proposed cuts. The cuts to overtime staffing would force the department to use one fewer ‘company,’ meaning a truck or engine and its accompanying team of firefighters, two out of every three days.
This would result in slower response times and fewer available firefighters, Scott said.
Currently, the department can respond to 96 percent of Evanston’s calls in under four minutes, he said. If an emergency occurs near a station where a company has been taken out of service, the next closest fire engine could be several more minutes away.
The fire department, which also includes the city’s paramedics, is already understaffed ‘by every industry standard,’ Scott said.’ For a two-and-a-half story house fire, EFD sends 21 department personnel, while the Chicago Fire Department sends a team of 51, he said.
These statistics are highlighted on a new Web site created by the union in opposition to the cuts. The site includes a link to an online petition asking the city to maintain the department’s staffing levels.
Scott said he hopes to work with city staff to negotiate a solution that will not compromise public safety.
Berkowsky declined to speculate on the likelihood of reaching such a solution. City officials are in a tight spot, he said.
‘It’s a very difficult time for the city right now financially,’ Berkowsky said. ‘I think the city manager did an incredible job presenting a very difficult budget.’
