The head of the San Diego city firefighters union worries some firefighters could be stretched thin because of cuts to stations, despite an overall increase in the department's budget.
Engine 80 at Fire Station 4 near Petco Park may soon see its final emergency call. As a result of the city's proposed budget cuts, it could be put on ready reserve and its four-person crew reassigned, possibly leaving the station with only one engine and fewer firefighters to respond to calls.
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“We'll have a loss of life. Absolutely," Capt. George Duardo, president of San Diego City Firefighters Local 145, said when asked what his biggest fear is about possibly losing the engine and crews.
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SIGN UP Though the fire department's budget is increasing by $24 million, because of inflation, he says that will cover operating expenses and salary increases.
He says eliminating the engine will mean stretching firefighters even thinner, leading to extended wait times to start battling high-rise or house fires.
“We’re approximately 9.5 minutes before doing that, so that’s someone who's trapped in fire, would have to wait 9.5 minutes for those resources to all arrive and affect that rescue,” Duardo said.
The cuts that are being made to the fire department are estimated to help save a total of $3 million. They also include eliminating a fast response team near Safari Park, as well as other staffing changes.
The head of the San Diego Humane Society is also sounding the alarm over the mayor's plan to cut their budget by 20%.
"This kind of budget cut would actually devastate our program," said Gary Weitzman, SDHS' president and CEO.
Weitzman warned that the $3.5 million hit could significantly impact public safety and put people at risk. That's because officers with the Humane Society not only help police off-leash or aggressive animals that may attack, but they also help mitigate public health risks, like bird flu.
"Now that we're seeing more cases in animals that have eaten raw food, just protecting the public against being transmitted is an important part of our mission right now," Weitzman said.
Another mission that's a critical part of the agency's job was on display during NBC 7's interview when it was interrupted by a woman bringing in one of what Weitzman says is roughly 100 strays or surrenders a day.
“That’s the kind of work we couldn’t do,” Weitzman said, watching the dog being taken to get cared for. “We couldn’t take them in, and I don’t want to not do that work.”
The mayor’s final revised budget proposal is scheduled to be submitted in May.
