The president of a firefighters union is upset over an Arizona city replacing a fire apparatus with a truck.
City of Surprise officials switched to the truck—called a low acuity unit—in an effort to save money by providing a vehicle that requires less staffing, Mike Payne, president of the Surprise Firefighters Association, told KNXV-TV. He argues that the smaller unit could lead to slower response times because the vehicle isn't equipped to fight fires, and apparatus from stations that are farther away would be needed for those calls.
"Ultimately, we want the community to be properly protected to be served by the resources that they think they're going to get if they ever have an emergency, and quite frankly, that's exactly why we're concerned," Payne told KNXV.
Surprise City Manager Michael Frazier said the cost of operating the original fire apparatus was covered by a federal grant that has run out. He also points out that medical emergencies—the kind that the low acuity unit would respond to—make up a majority of the department's calls.
"Our fire calls are 1 to 2% a year and the actual building structure fires are less than that," Frazier told KNXV.
But Payne countered that even that small percentage amounts to about 250 fires annually. And while Frazier says he's comfortable with the new vehicle, he did say the city is looking at building a new fire station as the population increases.
"Our number one priority is keeping our residents safe," Frazier told KNXV.
