OMAHA, Neb.—The city of Omaha could save millions by cutting firefighter positions without significantly reducing the level of fire services, concludes a study of the fire and police departments.
Budgets for the city’s police and fire departments have outpaced the growth of other city government in recent years. And since most calls are for medical emergencies, not fires, the study—from Matrix Consulting Group—looks at how many firefighters are actually needed.
The city would be best served by a smaller-staffed, flexible department that emphasizes medical response, said City Council President Dan Welch, who wants to rein in spending.
“What is the most efficient way to handle these medical issues while still being ready to fight a fire?” he asked. “The answer, to me, is to have three people on a fire truck.”
The Omaha fire union contract and an ordinance passed by the City Council in 2000 each requires Omaha to have four firefighters per truck.
The suggestion that the number be reduced ignited the anger of many firefighters, who say the change would compromise their safety and hamper their ability to fight fires quickly.
“It’s just not true that we can do the same things with three on a truck that we do with four,” said Omaha Firefighters Union President Darren Bates. “This is a dirty, physical job, and the more people you have, the faster it gets done.”
Mayor Mike Fahey has opposed the proposal, saying he won’t advocate reducing the number of firefighters or police.
Three-person trucks are not uncommon. The Matrix study compared Omaha with other Midwestern cities.
In addition to Lincoln, the study noted that Tulsa, Okla., and Wichita, Kan., operate with three firefighters per truck.
Arlington, Texas, and Minneapolis have a combination of three and four firefighters per truck, while Kansas City, Mo., like Omaha, requires four.
Wichita has had three firefighters on a fire truck since the mid-1980s, but also typically sends out a modified pickup truck with pump capabilities and two firefighters.
The squad has two firefighters, which means five people get to the scene initially, said Wichita Fire Battalion Chief Mike Gonzalez.
“The more people the better, but it’s a matter of funding,” Gonzalez said. “Like many places, the budget is tight here.”
The National Fire Protection Association has voluntary standards for fire response that call for four people on each fire apparatus, but even those standards make exceptions.
The association’s standards look at not only how many firefighters respond to emergency calls, but also at how quickly they get there.
Within four minutes, at least four firefighters should be on the scene for 90 percent of calls, according to the standards. Within eight minutes, at least 14 firefighters should be on the scene 90 percent of the time.
Departments are in compliance if they meet either response time standard.
Richard Brady, president of Matrix Consulting Group and the author of the study, said Omaha is able to comply with the eight-minute standard because of the stations’ good layouts. It also helps that most stations have more than one truck.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald,
