Folsom City Council rejects plan to delay firefighter hiring
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Folsom City Council rejected delaying firefighter hires despite budget deficit.
- Eight firefighters will begin training July 21, down from original plan of 10.
- City officials weighed service cuts and fire station closures against safety needs.
The Folsom City Council on Tuesday voted against delaying the hiring of vacant firefighter positions, siding with residents and emergency responders who urged the city to protect public safety amid budget cuts.
At a meeting in June, the council adopted a $266 million budget for the current fiscal year, which began this month. The city proposed postponing the filling of 10 open firefighter positions to help balance a $3 million deficit.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the council discussed potential slower emergency response times and the timeline of a possible fire station closure should the full 10 positions go unfilled. Council members opted to hire eight firefighters who will begin training on July 21.
“We’re coming into a very good situation here where we’re able to hire the people we put up promises to,” Councilmember Anna Rohrbough said. “But we are still going to be cutting some people, service or programs and this is a conversation we are going to have with much of our larger departments and it’s going to be just as hard.”
Folsom Fire Department Chief Ken Cusano said the initial proposal would also have resulted in a closure of one of the department’s three ambulances and one of its six stations. This, in turn, would have delayed transport for individuals requesting medical attention.
“I get it, from the city’s financial standpoint, they’re looking at all possible aspects to save money,” Cusano said. “Do I agree that starting with public safety or even diminishing the services that that public safety provides is the best idea? No, I don’t agree with it, but it’s just part of the budget.”
City Manager Bryan Whitemyer explained that the proposed cuts were done in the best interest of potential firefighting candidates.
As early as March, the city was in the process of hiring the 10 firefighters, Whitemyer explained Monday. However, with revenues not increasing parallel to expenditures and the cost of labor increasing with pension-related obligations, he thought it unfair to hire candidates only to potentially have to let them go.
“The question that we’re posed is, if we really care about these candidates, do we really want to hire them only to possibly have to let those positions go next fiscal year when we’re projecting a $3 million deficit?” Whitemyer said.
The city has six fire stations and about 1,600 annual calls for service per station, he said, and while public safety is his top priority, the proposed cuts would have affected emergency response.
“It’s important for us to note that whenever there’s a reduction like this, we have to assume there will be a reduction in service,” Whitemyer said. “We have to be frank with the public that browning out a fire station will reduce the level of service and increase response times.”
Chris Shepherd, city communications officer, explained that from the initial 10 candidates, two withdrew their applications. Hiring eight firefighters and presuming that some current firefighters will retire over the next year assisted the council in making its decision.
‘I don’t feel safe here’
Prior to the meeting, Steve Heard, a Folsom resident, said he wouldn’t have felt safe knowing that the Fire Department may not be fully staffed in the coming year. However, the proposed changes came as no surprise to him.
Heard has kept tabs on the city’s sharp decline in sales tax revenue since the 2008 recession and said he has seen dozens of staff positions never get replaced and cuts made to park maintenance and police staffing.
“We were warned,” Heard said. “We’re seeing more and more fires in the city and to know that we have increased risk, but we’re not going to be adequately staffed or funded is a concern. And no, I don’t feel safe here.”
Tyler Smith, an engineer paramedic on truck 35 and Local 522 Folsom Unit shop steward, expected the proposed changes to directly affect firefighter morale and workload.
On a fully-staffed day, there are 25 firefighters at the department plus one battalion chief, he explained.
“It’s going to mean longer response times, less firefighters at work every day,” Smith said. “Which reduces our effectiveness when we have structure fires, wildland fires, etc.”
Smith also foresaw the reduction putting a strain on firefighters who remain on staff, increasing burnout and the possibility of workplace injuries.
He explained that the city manager explained the city’s rationale to make the cuts. Smith, though, said people within the department were frustrated and feared how it might affect their ability to save someone’s life.
“We have a lot of residents that are going to be upset,” Smith said. “It’s about people’s lives and the ability of us to provide core services, protecting life and property. Any reduction in our numbers is going to directly affect our ability to do so.”’
