By Tony Plohetski and Sarah Coppola
The Austin American-Statesman
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin fire officials said Friday that they are relying on transfers and reassignments to help whittle the department’s budget and will use a plan to reduce the number of firefighters on some engines as a last resort.
Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr said in a memo to City Manager Marc Ott that she would reduce the number of firefighters on certain engines only “when fiscally necessary” for the rest of the year but that the department should be able to save $200,000 without doing so.
Kerr’s primary cost reduction efforts now include transferring several firefighters from desk assignments, including those in the recruiting division, onto firetrucks to fill open positions. She also plans to assign new firefighters immediately to cover vacant shifts; the former practice was to assign them uniformly across various shifts throughout the city to work with more experienced firefighters.
“We feel that the chief did everything she could to listen to any input she received from the community and from within the organization and " (made) a decision that would still provide a high degree of coverage,” Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald said.
The revised plan comes almost a month after Ott said he would rethink the idea of sometimes decreasing the number of firefighters on certain engines from four to three, which some City Council members and firefighters opposed. The objections led fire officials to conduct a series of meetings with residents to seek their input about how the Fire Department could save money.
Council Member Mike Martinez, a former firefighter who was among the most vocal critics, said, “I’m not happy that (reduced staffing on trucks) is still part of the plan. I am happy that they are going to use it as a last-resort option.”
Council Member Brewster McCracken, who is running for mayor, said he insisted that fire departments not be immune from budget cuts.
“I’ve said all along I would place heavy weight on the professional judgment of the fire chief and the city manager to decide whatever approach they feel is best,” he said.
Council Member Laura Morrison said she is pleased that officials are backing off of the proposal to reduce the number of firefighters on certain engines. But, she said, “if it’s still going to be on the table, even as a last resort, that’s something that needs to be talked about at the council level.”
The proposed cuts came after Ott asked city department heads to suggest ways of cutting costs. Staffing some firetrucks with three instead of four firefighters, the national standard, would save $200,000, he said. Under the proposal, shift commanders would decide on a daily basis which parts of town could do without four firefighters on a truck.
In her memo, Kerr said fire officials also had considered closing a fire station, which would result in demotions or layoffs.
Officials also looked into reducing the number of fire engines in service at any given time, which she said would have resulted in longer response times.
“Having considered all of the options, the community’s input, and the corresponding criteria, I continue to believe that utilizing a flexible staffing model will have the least impact on our community and the firefighters,” she said.
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