MONTEREY PARK, Calif. -- City officials said Monday they they have removed Fire Engine 61 from service until there is an agreement with the union that represents firefighters.
The City Council approved the engine "brown out" in June, and Fire Station 61 has been without its engine for a week. The move could save the city $67,000 a month in overtime pay.
City Manager Paul Talbot said removing the engine was necessary for the city to balance its 2012-2013 budget, which took effect July 1. He said because the Firefighter's Association has not yet agreed to pay its 9 percent CalPERS employee contribution, the city had to cut somewhere else within the department.
"We had to balance our budget, and we're not going to go broke trying to do something that we just can't afford to do at this time," Talbot said. "This is the financially prudent option."
Staffing levels will stay the same, Talbot said, but firefighters will no longer have to work overtime to cover Engine 61 firefighters who are sick or on vacation.
Though the engine is set to return to service after the FFA and the city reach a deal, Talbot said that could take months if the FFA rejects the city's latest offer.
He added that the city's seven other employee unions, including the Police Officers' Association, have already agreed to pay their CalPERS contribution.
Fire Chief Jim Birrell said he has concerns about eliminating one of the city's three fire engines, although Fire Station 61 still has a functioning ambulance and a ladder truck.
"No fire chief, including myself, recommends a brown out," Birrell said. "However, I understand the fiscal responsibility."
He said to compensate for the loss, the fire department will have to rely more heavily on neighboring cities to help out in an emergency.
"We've notified the surrounding agencies that Engine 61 is closed down. We've asked them to assist us when they can but their first priority is their own cities," Birrell said. "It's kind of like rolling the dice."
FFA Co-Chairman Mario Ienni said the FFA has been "negotiating in good faith" and that the brown out is linked to a deeper issue.
He said to save money he thinks the city needs to seriously consider transferring its services to Los Angeles County, an issue that has been debated in Monterey Park for decades.
"I think this goes beyond contract negotiations," Ienni said. "I think this is because the city cannot afford ... (its own) fire department. ... They are tying this to negotiations, but I think we need to look at this L.A. County thing."
But Talbot said going to L.A. County is a separate issue, one that is under review by a special citizen committee.
"We're not proposing to go L.A. County Sheriff, yet we asked our police officers to pick up their PERS as well," he said. "So I don't see the connection."
Talbot said city negotiators were set to meet with FFA representatives early this week to discuss the city's final offer.
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