CONCORD, N.H. --
A two-alarm fire in Concord turned into a challenge for firefighters who said budget cuts are forcing them to work with fewer resources.
The first engine at the scene of the fire ran out of water, and the second truck was on another call. Chief Dan Andrus said response time to the century-old vacant train building was slower than normal, and he believes budget cuts are to blame.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, but Andrus said homeless people have been known to stay there.
Since June 27, budget cuts have left one engine parked indefinitely, which saves the Fire Department nearly $660,000.
"We've been very clear since the beginning of these discussions it was a service-level reduction and an increased risk," Andrus said.
Along with the engine cutback, the number of people on duty was cut back from 22 to a minimum of 19. Training, which is done during shifts, is difficult to do with reduced staff, Andrus said.
City councilors said it was not an easy decision to ground the engine, but Councilor Fred Keach said "hard times dictate hard decisions." He said the cut will "diminish the response time but not compromise safety."
The city of Burlington, Vt., which is similar in size to Concord has five stations with five engines, compared to Concord's four stations and three engines. Revere, Mass., has three engines, like Concord, but Revere is more than five times smaller in terms of square miles.
"As we build back and recover, Engine 1 should be the first thing to come back," Andrus said.
City councilors said they hope the engine will be back on the road next year, but they aren't confident that will happen without a significant economic recovery.
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