By Eric Louie
The Contra Costa Times
LIVERMORE, Calif. — The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department’s station near the airport, shuttered temporarily earlier this year by budget cuts, is scheduled to reopen Tuesday.
Fire Station 10, at 330 Airway Blvd., was closed July 1 in the wake of budget reductions by the city of Livermore.
“The temporary closure was designed to control costs while providing city and fire department officials an opportunity to evaluate the most effective service model with available funding,” Chief Jim Miguel said in a news release.
The closure helped fire officials meet $1.3 million in cuts — equal to about 10 percent of the department’s budget — the city asked the department to make during this fiscal year. The station had the lowest call volume among all the firehouses and served a largely industrial area, making it an easier choice for a temporary shutdown, fire officials said at the time.
As part of the closure, three firefighters were relocated to another station. Six firefighting positions — three captains and three engineers — were eliminated. No one was laid off; the eliminated positions were either unfilled or vacant because of long-term absences.
No new jobs are being added with the station reopening. Instead, the current 16 personnel in Livermore are being redistributed, according to the district. Before the closure, the city had 18 firefighting positions.
“The city and fire department have always been committed to providing the best service at the most efficient level,” said Mayor Marshall Kamena in a news release. “I am pleased that the staff of the fire department has been able to develop alternatives that restore fire service levels, while still allowing the city to live within our financial means.”
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