Opposes Deployment Plan to Move Firefighters Off of Engines
Los Angeles - Wendy Greuel today joined firefighters outside Fire Station 63 to talk about the importance of fully funding fire and police, outlining specific ideas for saving taxpayer dollars that could go to LA first responders.
Greuel also laid out her concerns about a plan that would shift firefighters off of fire engines.
“At a time when we have new revenues, we must do everything we can do to make funding the fire department a top priority,” said Greuel. “Unfortunately the chief's plan to shift firefighters off of fire trucks is a band-aid solution that doesn't solve the fundamental problem. I agree we need more ambulances, but we should not do that at the price of fire safety and even worse community safety. First responders get up every day knowing it could be their last and we owe it to them to give them every tool, every resource available to do their jobs, save lives and come home to their families, and that’s what I’ll do as Mayor.”
Last year, Greuel released an audit that showed that funding cuts to the fire department had had a negative impact on response times, potentially putting Angelenos’ lives at risk. Today the Controller sent a letter to the Chief asking him to reevaluate his new staffing proposal, asking for additional analysis before implementing the plan.
Greuel has earned the endorsement of Los Angeles police and firefighters.
At the press conference, Greuel outlined just some of her ideas to save money that could be directed to fire funding, including calling on the Council to accept a 25% cut, transferring Council discretionary funds into the General Fund, and implementing her audit of the City’s workers compensation program.
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who has endorsed Greuel, also released a statement calling on the City Council to reject the modified deployment plan.
“Last week I wrote a letter to the chief telling him that while I respect the need to increase the number of ambulances, the firefighters at Fire Station 63 and other stations can't afford to have one less firefighter on their engines,” said Rosendahl. “Wendy has put forward clear ideas to find savings in the budget to do that. We have to do everything we can to find money in the budget to backfill those cuts from previous years so our first responders have enough people, the best equipment, and the newest technology.”
“Wendy will fight to keep our communities safe. That's why I'm supporting her, and why LA's police and firefighters support her,” Rosendahl added.
“We are proud to serve the residents of Los Angeles and will continue to do so every day. But when we lose staffing, when no new firefighters are being hired, when millions of dollars are cut out of the department – it’s going to make an impact,” said Station 63 Engineer Julie Wolf. “Already, this is one of the earliest fire seasons on record, and taking firefighters off of trucks reduces our ability to combat fires quickly and effectively.”