By Khalida Sarwari
San Jose firefighters are setting out to inform residents about proposed cuts to fire and paramedic services in the city, a spokesman for the union representing the firefighters said today.
“City management is proposing closing six fire companies, and at the same time we’re looking at over $6 million in spending on what aren’t priorities like new Toyota Priuses and new consultants coming in and talking about leadership,” San Jose Firefighters Local 230 spokesman Tom Saggau said.
More than 100 firefighters planned on going door-to-door in the city’s Communications Hill neighborhood this afternoon to inform residents about the proposed cuts.
Prior to the door-to-door campaign, San Jose Firefighters Local 230 president Randy Sekany joined Councilwoman Madison Nguyen at Fire Station No. 33 for a news conference to discuss the cuts proposed by City Manager Debra Figone. The cuts would affect six fire companies and 83 firefighters, Saggau said.
Saggau said one of the main concerns about the elimination of the six fire companies is the impact on response times. Station No. 33 is one of the stations targeted for elimination.
The union has compiled a partial list of more than $6 million in consulting and equipment contracts authorized by the city manager’s office and offering suggestions that the union says will save the city several million dollars without making cuts to basic fire services.
Michelle McGurk, a spokeswoman for Mayor Chuck Reed, said the City Council proposed and approved an ongoing 5 percent cut in wages and a one-time 5 percent cut in wages and benefits.
She added, “We would not have to make many of the cuts proposed by the city manager if firefighters gave up 10 percent in wages and benefits.”