Fire chief studies fiscal cuts

[Box 2565]

City Council To Vote On Plan To End Brownouts

Cincinnati City Council is set to vote Wednesday on a budget proposal to end fire department brownouts. Two proposals are on the table. A plan from Vice Mayor Alicia Reece and Council Member Laketa Cole would allow money to be used from the city's Safe and Clean Neighborhoods fund to keep all fire stations fully staffed.

Council Member David Pepper opposes the plan, calling it a plan to raid the fund which typically supports crime prevention in neighborhoods. Vice Mayor Reece and Council Member Cole argue it will keep fire stations fully staffed which they say is crucial to public safety.

Today, Council Member Pepper will propose a plan to end brownouts without taking money from the Safe and Clean Neighborhoods fund. Pepper is proposing authorizing the city administration to award compensatory time to firefighters that come to work to replace firefighters who are on leave, rather than paying them overtime. Pepper's plan allows for the comp time to be taken next year.

WKRC-TV 12
12/08/04

[ohiomike08]

Only problem with the comp time issue is, I believe the City will be required to issue comp time at time and a half, if the person receiving the comp time is over their normal hours for the work week. Same as if they are paying overtime monies.

I worked for a company years ago, that did the same thing. Any overtime, and there was lots of it, gave us comp time. Problem was they issued the comp time as 1 hour worked gave 1 hour comp time. Several years after I left the company, I received a check from the company, with a letter explaining that this was monies owed for all the .5 hours of comp time the company didn't give me (It was a fairly sizable check!).

I guess my point is, that if the City of Cincinnati gives a FF comp time for working overtime, then next year, when everyone starts asking to use the comp time for time off, the city will be back in the same boat, and may be in worse shape then they are now.

Mike

[District5]

City Council Votes To End Brownouts

LAST UPDATE: 12/8/2004 4:50:18 PM wkrc.com News

Cincinnati City Council voted Wednesday on a budget proposal to end fire department brownouts. Two proposals were passed. A plan from Vice Mayor Alicia Reece and Council Member Laketa Cole would allow money to be used from the city's Safe and Clean Neighborhoods fund to keep all fire stations fully staffed.

Council Member David Pepper's plan was to end brownouts without taking money from the Safe and Clean Neighborhoods fund. Pepper is proposing authorizing the city administration to award compensatory time to firefighters that come to work to replace firefighters who are on leave, rather than paying them overtime. Pepper's plan allows for the comp time to be taken next year.

[Box 2565]

Cincinnati made several changes on Sunday the 29th. Truck 14 at 5th & Central (Headquarters) was disbanded and Squad 9 was placed in service. Squad 9 is scheduled to operate from the 9's house after their new station is constructed on Reading Road just south of Avon Drive. The construction of the new firehouse is uop in the air as the contractor has balked at building the place to the rise in construction costs after Katrina.  Temporarily Squad 9 is supposed to be quartered with Engine & Truck 32 on Forest Avenue west of Reading Road.

On Sunday Squad 9 was responding from the 14's house (yep, both Squads in 1 station). Not sure of the reason for this or how long this arrangement will last. There was a 2nd alarm at a group home at Reading & Maple Sunday night. This location is within sight of the 32's house. I don't know if Squad 9 or 14 was assigned to the fire.
Also, Squad 52 no longer exists. As oF Sunday their unit designation was changed to 14.

[Box 2565]

Cincinnati Fire Officials Discuss Possible Brownouts

LAST UPDATE: 6/20/2006 10:34:00 AM

Cincinnati city leaders are expected to learn more about the possibility that fire stations might have to be browned out again this summer.

Department chiefs will go before the City's Law and Public Safety Committee Tuesday. One consultant suggested the department close stations that are less active. But the fire chief says closures are not necessary for the department to meet its budget.

[firetruckfreak]

No Brownouts For Cincinnati Fire Stations
 
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
First posted: 6/21/2006 8:11:08 PM
Despite recommendations to do so, Cincinnati's fire chief says none of the city's firehouses will close.

A consulting firm paid to evaluate the city fire department recommended closing some stations.

But Chief Robert Wright said the department is within its budget, thanks in part to concessions by the firefighters union, and therefore does not need to close any stations.

[Jronjakoh]

I know this sounds kind of stupid,at least to me but...
  The City is crying that they don't have the money in the allowed budget to keep these firehouses open,yet what do they do??
  They take the money that they do have and pay a consulting firm what.. $20,000 to $100,000 to figure it out that it is better to close some of the firehouses??ANY dummie could have told them that if that is what they wanted to hear.
   That money could have been well spent on maybe putting a couple of more firemen on a shift or in a firehouse.
  Now they have that money to make up for the allowed budget and will be crying they are EVEN MORE shorter on funds!!!!  DHUHH.......