DETROIT, Mich. -- Mayor Dave Bing's plan to lay off 164 firefighters by next month met with fierce criticism from union brass who argued Monday the move will compromise public safety.
Calling the cuts "indefensible," Detroit Firefighters Association president Dan McNamara said the layoffs - an 18 percent reduction of the ranks - will put residents and the city's overworked firefighters at a greater risk.
"This is not going to work in the city of Detroit. Something's got to give," McNamara said at a hastily called news conference downtown. "And we're concerned that it's going to be the safety of the citizens and the safety of its firefighters."
In a statement Monday, Bing said he regrets having to resort to layoffs but that the city's budget picture is dire. He said he hopes the city can win a federal grant to rehire 108 of the laid-off firefighters, and he expects many of the remaining layoffs to be eventually rescinded through attrition.
"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," Bing said.
The announcement came just hours after firefighters fought a series of 16 fires on the city's east side overnight and early Monday morning. One firefighter was injured. As of Monday afternoon, officials from the arson unit said there were no good leads on who may have set the blazes.
The city's 2012-13 budget, effective July 1, calls for $250 million in cuts from nearly every city department and slashes 2,600 jobs. It cuts the fire department's budget about 13 percent, to about $160 million.
The fire department has 1,257 employees, including approximately 881 firefighters and 248 EMS technicians. The department responds to 30,000 fire calls annually, plus 135,000 EMS calls, according to the city.
McNamara said Detroit will have 16 fewer fire companies - or about 50 - under Bing's budget.
"You'll have diminished responses," he said.
McNamara said if the cuts remain, "there will be times when we won't have the necessary resources to respond."
Ron Foster, 49, a 12-year veteran firefighter, said he is sickened by the cutbacks and hopes the jobs get restored.
"It's going to be terrible for the firefighters on the street," he said.
Until the fire department receives the grant, Bing said Fire Commissioner Don Austin and his staff plan to maintain service by:
Deploying engines from nearby fire stations when needed and using recently installed GPS systems in fire trucks to improve dispatch response.
Conducting a thorough risk analysis of whether it's better to fight fires from inside or outside a structure.
Increasing the use of support personnel.
Continuing community fire prevention education.
"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," Bing said.
Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown said the cuts are painful but necessary in a city trying to right-size itself financially. Brown said his hope is to see firefighters called back as soon as possible.
"I'm confident that Fire Commissioner Austin will devise a plan that won't leave any gaps in service," Brown said.
"Certainly no one likes to see firefighters or any public safety employees laid off at a time like this. But it's been coming for a long time."
McNamara said the city and the firefighters union sat down and worked out an agreement that would have kept the cuts to the city's fire department at a minimum while keeping the city protected.
"However, at the last minute, (the city) decided not to honor the deal - even though it had already been signed," McNamara said.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Police Department's largest union continues to fight proposed cuts to its ranks.
The city's 2012-13 budget calls for a $75 million cut to the police department, a reduction of 18 percent.
Detroit Police Officers Association President Joe Duncan said Monday that an Ingham County circuit judge granted a temporary injunction preventing the city from voiding that union's contract when it expires June 30.
Copyright 2012 The Detroit NewsAll Rights Reserved
