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Minn. city may drop full-time firefighters

The city said they can’t afford the current structure; firefighters are against the plan and said it will lengthen response times to fires

Duluth News Tribune

BAINERD, Minn. — Brainerd is considering restructuring its fire department, saving almost $266,000 a year by eliminating full-time firefighter positions stationed in its fire hall.

The department currently has five full-time equipment operators who work over three shifts to staff the fire hall 24 hours per day. There is also 38 paid on-call firefighters.

Under the restructuring, those five full-time equipment operator positions would be eliminated. There would then only be a paid on-call department, headed by a fire chief and deputy chief. The department would increase its paid on-call payroll budget to accommodate the additional firefighters the department would hire. The city simply says it can’t afford the current structure.

Full story: Brainerd considers eliminating full-time firefighters

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