Davis Firefighter Staff Will be Cut as City Aims to Close Budget Gap

In an ongoing quest for budget savings, the Davis City Council voted Tuesday night to reduce Fire Department staffing and augment the way fire crews respond. 

The council voted 3-2, with Brett Lee, Rochelle Swanson and Joe Krovoza in favor and Lucas Frerichs and Dan Wolk opposed to the changes. 

Total number of firefighters per shift will go from 12 to 11 and the number of firefighters per truck will go from four to three. 

The new staffing will save the city $437,000 per year, and will be achieved by removing vacant positions and limiting overtime, according to the Enterprise. No firefighters will be laid off. 

Staff will also look into the possibility of moving the downtown fire station north, or adding another fire station in the future. 

Detailed figures on the right >> 

The fire staffing issue has been ongoing, with the Davis Vanguard at the forefront of the fight to move from four to three per truck. Fire union president Bobby Weist has rallied against the cuts, saying they don't take into account the public's safety. 

Other nearby cities, like West Sacramento and Woodland, have three per engine. 

"We just don’t have the money to maintain the status quo, so the question is not if we cut, it’s what we cut," Brett Lee said, according to the Davis Enterprise. "No area of city services is going to remain untouched by this.”

According to the Davis Vanguard, "Ms. Swanson hammered those who she said insinuated that anyone calling for a change in the status quo was somehow anti-firefighter." 

Frerichs and Wolk said they supported much of the proposal, but they voted no because of their opposition to the staffing cuts. 

You can get the details in the Davis Enterprise. Also, check out the Vanguard's coverage here.