Budget cuts to leave 2 Tacoma fire stations without fire engines
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TACOMA, Wash. -- Barring an 11th-hour save from budget cuts, two of the city's fire stations will soon be without fire engines, and one of the stations will operate only during daytime hours.
Station 13 has become a local landmark. It is even on the historic register.
But starting 7 a.m. Tuesday, it will only be staffed by two firefighters who, in lieu of Engine 13, will only have a pickup truck. The truck, Squad 13, will respond to rescue calls. But it has no water, no hoses -- no ability to suppress a fire.
Station 13 will only be staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- a move the firefighters' union calls dangerous.
"You definitely have a potential for higher life or limb risk," said Tacoma Fire Union President Ryan Mudie. "When it comes to property fires -- more damage."
Without firefighting equipment, Squad 13 can only respond to a fire and wait for a full engine to arrive before battling the blaze.
Across town, Station 15 is facing a similar fate.
Engine 15 will be out of commission as of 7 a.m. Tuesday even though it responded to two suspicious fires just today, according to the union.
"Here at 15th, they had two arson fires," said Mudie.
One difference is that Station 15 will be staffed with two firefighters around the clock.
The cutbacks may only be temporary as the city and its firefighters remain in talks. The two sides plan to meet again Tuesday.
Despite the cutbacks, with two dozen firefighters retiring, no new firefighters lost their jobs.
Station 13 has become a local landmark. It is even on the historic register.
But starting 7 a.m. Tuesday, it will only be staffed by two firefighters who, in lieu of Engine 13, will only have a pickup truck. The truck, Squad 13, will respond to rescue calls. But it has no water, no hoses -- no ability to suppress a fire.
Station 13 will only be staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- a move the firefighters' union calls dangerous.
"You definitely have a potential for higher life or limb risk," said Tacoma Fire Union President Ryan Mudie. "When it comes to property fires -- more damage."
Without firefighting equipment, Squad 13 can only respond to a fire and wait for a full engine to arrive before battling the blaze.
Across town, Station 15 is facing a similar fate.
Engine 15 will be out of commission as of 7 a.m. Tuesday even though it responded to two suspicious fires just today, according to the union.
"Here at 15th, they had two arson fires," said Mudie.
One difference is that Station 15 will be staffed with two firefighters around the clock.
The cutbacks may only be temporary as the city and its firefighters remain in talks. The two sides plan to meet again Tuesday.
Despite the cutbacks, with two dozen firefighters retiring, no new firefighters lost their jobs.
I'm sure there are no bureaucrats in that huge building on Tacoma Avenue that are unnecessary or redundant. However, there are way too many firemen and police officers.
 @70MonteCarlo If you want to get your point across try getting the street right at least, it's 747 Market Street. Tacoma Ave is the courts and jail.
A sad state of affairs this recession/depression has left our state and country in. In the mean time I believe we spend approximately 2-3 billion dollars a WEEK for an unnecessary war in Afghanistan that has lasted almost 12 years. Â Didn't WWII last 4-5 years? Crazy backward times we live in.Â
How about drug testing people on welfare? How about making a realistic cap on the montly cash that people on welfare receive instead of the current 60 months? If it takes someone 5 years to get their life together there is a serious problem. How about stop giving welfare to illegals? I Do people know how much money we would save!!!
 @tkyed YES cap welfare to a family of four. Let's stop paying for people to have kids. our bosses don't give us a raise if we have more kids. if we have 6 or 8 kids we still make the same hourly wage. STOP rewarding welfare families with more dollars for more kids. even welfare people should live within their means.
This is classic stuff. So the left has stacked their decks and it's come down to this. They always close libraries and kiddie pools 1st. Yet all the hammock dwelling schlubs gett their $$, every week, every year. This is what liberalism brings. This is what a large intrusive government does TO you. How ridiculous do things have to get in this once great country before more "get it"? And government is about to take over our health care. OMG, we are doomed.
Someone really needs to start investigating the City of Tacoma. Sunday, there was a story about Tacoma schools needing money to renovate all of their dilapidated schools. Now, two days later, a report about cuts at the fire dept (I believe they also made massive cuts to the Tacoma fire dept late last year too.) Maybe they are using all the money on tourism and keeping Tacoma beautiful. HAHAHA
This town would rather cut a fire stations ability to respond to a fire than cut some of the featherbedding deals they have given a minority of people. It seems that every time a town decides to reduce the budget they go after schools, police and fire before cutting what is really frivolous and unneeded. It is a good way to hold people hostage for more taxes. Even the thought of a fire house not having the equipment to respond to a fire is dangerous, stupid, and a loaded gun to the head of those whom it is designed to protect.Â
 @LongBeachBum You might be surprised to know that those cuts are made because that is what taxes actually pay for. Police, Fire, education. Many other services within the City use other revenue sources. There are utility rates, permit fees and other stuff that pays for much of the frivolity that goes on within a City Government.
 @LongBeachBum Rants against "frivolous" things, doesn't say what they are. Very convincing.
Fire engines are an absurd waste of money when you consider cost compared to the amount of time they are actually in use.....that is of course unless you have a fire.
 @dacaptain Tell someone that the next time your house, garage, barn or anything you own is on fire. I suppose you don't have auto insurance, life insurance or property insurance either. Not everything we have is used every day, but when you need it you need it.
 @LongBeachBum  @dacaptain I think he was being sarcastic.
By the way, I got that saying from a posting on our fire stations board.
@JK15 @LongBeachBum @dacaptain Thank you JK15. Some people.....
Thank you again Christine Gregoire
 @my2cents she didn't mismanage the City's money for the last Decade. This is one thing she can't be blamed for.
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you dont cut emergency services or schooling and it seems like there always after these two things.how bout stop paying people to sit around on welfare.
This isn't about safety. It's about saving union jobs.Â
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Times are tough. Perhaps the union should offer long term concessions if they want to save jobs.
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It's OK folks - we don't need a station every other mile. Life will go on.
 @James127 well... maybe
Aren't our politicians great? They'll cut our emergency services but you can bet they cut that in favor of handouts to buy votes.
What about homeowners and renters responsibilities? Smoke and CO detectors should be mandatory. People using candles for "a nice effect" should have a brain scan performed. We use wood heat as a supplement to electric, two large fire extinguishers  ($28 each) are just outside the door. Each bedroom has a smoke detector and a fire extinguisher.. The local volunteer fire department provides free refills when used for training or actual fires. The funding comes from a group of regional Insurance Underwriters.
This is what crappy governmental spendy will get you. The government is responsible for this because of their massive waste of funds.
 @Tattooed_Angel Such as?
We are so doomed. Fire fighters are heroes, until it comes time to pay them. Then they are union blood sucking thugs. I want to leave this planet in search of real intelligent life. It's not here. Hey, let's get rid of the fire department all together. Personal accountability, go buy a garden hose.
@Howard Beale  Can you tell me WHY firefighters need a union? Are they forced by an unethical employer to work long hours without adequate pay? THEY WORK FOR OUR GOVERNMENT!
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Unions helpd to get laws in this country protecting workers. Now they are just crooked and greedy.Â
 @scared_citizen  @Howard dude... YOU are crooked and greedy... get the camera faced the right direction
 @scared_citizen  @Howard If we put you in charge of the government, yes they would be.
 @Howard Beale I wish I could give you more than one "like."
Well you know those fancy fire engines are nothing but new fangled gadgets. Real firemen used to pull their own pumpers through the streets and get long lines of volunteers to pass buckets. Time to get back to basics. They always cut where they think people will feel the pain most. It is a political in-your-face thing. They love to cut schools and daycare but not 10% for art.
 @oldster70 Well, it's "One Percent For Art", but don't let the facts get in the way of your straw man hyperbole.  One Percent For Art is a law (applying only to new construction of projects with a budget of $100k or greater), which would have to be amended or repealed, so if you're opposed to it, try and convince your fellow voters to have it changed.
you need three firefighters to fight a fire. two fire fighters won't be able to run the pump and fight the fire.maybe a city council member should be assigned to firefight on the short staffed engines.
I recall last year some lady in a bogus overpaid City of Tacoma job spent almost $15,000 dollars to have her office re-done, yet they cry wolf when money really matters, wake up people, there is plenty of money to fund the F.D. and E.M.S. it's wasted before it matters, that's why this state and the country is bankrupt , you can't spend more than you take in, common sense?
 @hinterland lol who was the lady?
Try to volunteer for a firefighter in you area, urban, and I bet you will have immediate resistance.
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Live rural and that is what I have. I like it. I know my guys and it is still  a huge expense.
Thanks to the really high administrative costs in government and the over-the-top pensions, those that pay for these services (and still do) are now without them.
Our tax money is so misused, our government collects enough taxes to maintain and properly run this country!
Brought to you be the politicians who waste our money. This could have been prevented if they could manage a budget. Shame on them, now the community will suffer since the people on the top can't seem to do basic math.Â
Great - I live 8 blocks away - have a kid with crazy ADHD and Hemophilia - wish me luck !!
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In all seriousness, this is RIDICULOUS and Dangerous - that is a pretty a higly h populated area - also SEVERAL schools and the Library - where's the nearest truck??? My elderly neighbors house caught fire last year - where is the real rescus coming from??!!!
and don't Freak - we have a "bleed plan" in place!! ;)
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*highly populated
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Also - where is the nearest REAL Fire Truck(s) - Response Times????
Wouldn't want to cut the important things, like upgrades to roads that don't need them, or maybe nice new pretty signs on I-5, and the ever present salary increases in Olympia, of course those take priority. It never occurs to anyone that maybe another fire station has more engines than they need? Or maybe these two stations could consolidate into one? It's always all or nothing in this State. I, for one, would like to hear less lip power and see more brain power in our "elected" officials. I know, I know, the impossible dream...right? But I can still dream, they haven't taxed that...........yet!
 @Joy Johnson Anything going on on I5 is funded by WSDOT. Anything going on in Olympia is State. This article is talking about local government that is funded by tax revenue that takes place within the city limits. Do you have any idea how taxes and the government work?
 @Joy Johnson You're obviously smarter than everyone else, why don't you run for governor
I'll bet they don't have this problem on Mercer Island, where the rich and the politicians live. Curious isn't it? Budget cuts like THIS only seem to affect poorer jurisdictions. Only in "Merica!
 @Wolfen This is one of the nicest/wealthiest areas of Tacoma - in fact, I am shocked there isn't people out there protesting etc...these are the Starbucks Yuppies and hand Trendy Soccer Moms - lol
is the dreadful downtown tacoma's LID construction finally over, or is it still ongoing? [sarcasm]
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oh, btw, was it worth it?
Absolutely no other place to find money in that big black hole of Government huh? Let the lawsuits fly, after all Governments main job is to protect its citizens.
Are they still sending fire engines to non-fire related medical emergencies? I've never understood how it makes sense to send firemen and fire engines to respond to non-fire related emergencies, and it makes me wonder if there could be any significant savings to be had in restricting this.
 @Adrian the nerd All of our hospitals are private now, and they won't even admit you without insurance, so good luck getting an ambulance. Maybe they should put credit card readers on the fire trucks, and refuse to help until you pull out your card. Privatize the fire stations and let them compete for business. That's what we need, because the government will always screw things up, and private enterprise can always do it better! (insert sarcasm here)
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Oh the irony of it all. Perhaps from the ashes we'll rebuild a more sane America. Or not.
 @Bellevue Scott  @Adrian the nerd No way, Bellevue Scott. Check your facts before you start spouting stuff like that, and they're easy facts to check. Hospitals do NOT deny people lifesaving care. They cannot. It's a law, and a very big one. I work in billing for several area hospitals, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are plenty of people treated for free. Not just for ER, but many other things as well. That's just not right saying things completely wrong just to prove your point.  Prove it using correct information, and maybe I'll listen to what you have to say.
 @Bellevue Scott  @Adrian the nerdÂ
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Please, I work for a private hospital (which is not for profit). Our hospital is always full of patients without insurance (nor even any government funding), many of whom have non-emergent complaints.
 @Adrian the nerdyeah genius... let's stop responding to about 60 - 70% of all 911 calls. Great idea.
 @tufa23  @Adrian the nerd Adrian didn't suggest that we stop responding to those calls, just that it doesn't make sense to send fire-trucks (with the implicit "instead of ambulances") to non-fire related emergencies. That's where inference comes in handy.
 @spacegoddess  @tufa23  @Adrian the nerd Most ambulance crews do not have the training the average 911 crew does. I've been treated by both, and I'll take the 911 expertise every time.