Union officials said the firefighters got 24,483 signatures - much more than the 8,500 needed - on a petition for a Nov. 2 referendum to require Pittsburgh to implement mandatory response times to fire emergencies.
The measure would require the first fire vehicle to get to a scene within four minutes and a second four minutes later. The union said the standard is needed to ``maintain adequate health and safety for all residents, including seniors, children and adults in the city.''
But the standard, if approved by voters, could be used to block Pittsburgh's plans to cut 168 of 816 firefighter positions and close seven of its 35 fire stations as part of the city's recovery plan approved in June by Mayor Tom Murphy and the City Council.
The plan calls for $33 million in spending cuts along with $41 million in tax increases to bridge a projected $72 million budget shortfall in 2005.
The Murphy administration has said the city's Fire Bureau is bloated and the cuts won't endanger residents. While Pittsburgh has 35 stations, the national median for comparable cities is 20, and it has 33 pumper trucks, while the median is 20 trucks, the mayor's office said.
