Firefighters fight axed budget Jay Selissen comments on Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt's proposed budget cuts for the fire department during a news conference Thursday (photo by H. Marc Larson). Union offers small concessions By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Green Bay firefighters on Thursday protested proposed department cuts announced by Mayor Jim Schmitt on Tuesday. They said the cuts to rescue squad staffing and the removal of Ladder 5 truck would slow response times and cut services. "This poses a serious safety issue," said Jay Selissen, president of Green Bay Fire Fighters IAFF Local 141, during a news conference at Fire Station No. 5, 2310 Finger Road. He said the cuts would cause response times to increase. "These increases could mean the difference between containing the fire in its early stages or the structure becoming fully involved," he said. Schmitt said Tuesday the changes were necessary to avoid possible layoffs. "Maybe they don't understand the budget," he said. "They did not want job losses; they wanted to maintain jobs. There are no layoffs at the Fire Department." Firefighters holding signs saying "Safety First No Fire Cuts" stood in the background against the Ladder 5 truck. The mayor issued a framework for a city budget on Tuesday, but it did not include line-by-line details of cuts, only lists of proposed cuts. Those being opposed by the union include: - Taking Ladder 5 out of service. The truck was scheduled to be replaced last year, but instead would be eliminated. The union said taking the truck out of service would increase response times when equipment is sent from other stations. - Reducing rescue squad minimum staffing from three people per run to two. Two is the minimum required by state law. The mayor's statement said the cut would "move us more in line with other cities in the state" and "this decision does not impact current response times throughout the city." Selissen said the third person was necessary to aid the other two with note taking and other duties, allowing them to deal with victims. As the paramedics are also firefighters, he said, they are available to help during fires and are included in the staff sent to a fire. Other cuts proposed by the mayor included not funding five open positions and budgeting for four anticipated retirements, cutting daily staffing from 62 to 59 and minimum staffing from 48 to 42. This would cut $400,000 in overtime and $264,000 in salaries, the mayor said. Selissen said the union had offered other concessions, including reducing manning in vacation blocks, cutting overtime that would be paid to vacation replacements. He also said the union had offered a $170,000 cut in the clothing allowance firefighters get, about 1 percent of the department's $17.2 million budget for 2004. Schmitt said the clothing budget was a small item that could be discussed, but the staffing recommendations were "not true savings" and that his reallocation of personnel would address the overtime issue. The department had a $17.7 million budget in 2003. Selissen said the department had not heard back from the mayor about its concerns. Without the line-by-line budget, Selissen said, he had no comments on possible cutbacks in insurance payments by the city. "We've always been willing to sit down and deal with any issue brought to the table," he said. "We don't know what those concessions are at this time." "The mayor has made a business decision, and we have to remind him that public safety is not a business," he said. Joe Conway, IAFF District 5 vice president, said the need for cutbacks wasn't a budget crisis, but a "decision-making crisis." "Mayors across the state are deciding to cut public safety first," he said. "What he should be doing is going door-to-door and asking the residents if it's OK that a ladder truck isn't in your community any more." Schmitt said he felt the city could continue its present level of service with the changes. "Their motto is 'safety first' and that's the same motto the city has," Schmitt said. "I feel good about the budget, the chief feels good and the taxpayers are going to feel good about it, too." FYI The firefighters union will hold informational meetings on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St., and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Neville Public Museum, 210 Museum Place.