LAKEWOOD – West Metro Fire Rescue proposed a new budget to its board of directors that cuts costs by eliminating positions, demoting firefighters, and taking an engine company out of service.
The department already cut administrative costs and firefighters recently took a 3 percent pay cut. However, after burning through their reserve budget service levels will now be affected. Fire Chief Don Lombardi says the department is funded in large part by property tax revenues.
"As values on homes severely declined our revenues declined as well. We've been down quite a bit since 2008," Lombardi said.
A mill levy tax went to the voters last year in an attempt to boost the department's revenues. Voters shot it down.
"This is a response, because the election failed. But, it's not a response to say 'we're going to punish our citizens.' This is a response that says 'we have less revenues coming in.' How can we balance our budget and still provide a high level of service," Lombardi said.
The Department's current staffing model allows for 340 people to be employed. In the past few years they've kept that number to around 330. Currently, they employ 320 people, and the new model calls for a maximum staff of 315. Lombardi expects to lose several people to attrition, such as retirement, before the end of the year. The hope is that nobody will be laid off.
Twenty firefighters will be demoted. Two chief positions will see a 30 percent pay reduction, the rest will likely see a 10 percent decrease.
"I would expect that given the circumstances, that morale (among firefighters) is pretty low. But, we have this plan in place, and it's not a Band-Aid plan. This is our go forward plan to make West Metro strong and service we provide to the citizens strong for a long time," Lombardi said.
The cuts include some internal restructuring. At Station 14 in the Ken Caryl neighborhood, the engine company that responds to just about every 911 call in the area will be taken out of service. A larger tower truck will take on the slack, eliminating three people on duty. But sometimes an additional truck is required.
"They are going to have an engine company coming from a different house which is a slower response time," said Michael Frainier, president of IAFF Local 1309, which represents West Metro firefighters.
Frainier says slower response times put citizens and firefighters at greater risk, but he also agrees that the department has run out of options.
The district will also no longer fully staff its heavy rescue unit, which responded to all structure fires and technical rescue calls throughout the district with four firefighters from Station 4 in Green Mountain. The heavy rescue will now be cross-staffed by an engine company out of Station 4.
West Metro also announced it will be down-staffing Station 15 in Roxborough from five firefighters to four. This move will still allow an ambulance to be cross-staffed, but it will affect EMS delivery and ambulance availability.
Station 6 will no longer house an ambulance, and it will be reallocated to Station 1 in an effort to more effectively cover the demand of EMS calls. Engine 6 will remain and be staffed with four firefighters.
West Metro has also decided to eliminate one of its frontline district chief positions who had a command and control presence from Station 14. The 110-square-mile district will now operate with the oversight of two district chiefs instead of three. An operationally focused administrative chief position has been created to help with some of this oversight.
Further changes also include non-operational positions. There will be layoffs off two civilian positions: training center manager and media specialist. Another change to the training division includes the elimination of two uniformed firefighter positions. The safety captain will be reallocated from administration to training to consolidate duties.
(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
