PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Wilkinsburg engine house in jeopardy
by Andy Mulkerin Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002 at 7:16 PM
arm58@pitt.edu (email address validated)

Wilkinsburg council's attempts to cut 9 firefighters' jobs and close one engine house were met with opposition from residents and firefighters.

On December 18 residents packed borough council chambers in Wilkinsburg to protest proposed cutbacks in the public safety sector aimed at balancing the financially troubled borough's budget.

Interim Borough Manager Deborah Grass presented the proposed 2003 budget for public discussion before a crowd of residents, firefighters and their supporters. If it were to pass as proposed, the budget, which must be finalized by December 31 of this year, would cut 9 firefighters from Wilkinsburg's paid department and would shut down the #2 engine house, essentially an engine operating out of the borough's public works garage.

Wilkinsburg, which shed its "distressed community" status in 1998, is dealing with decreasing revenues due in part to loss of business and council asserted in the proposed budget that one of two things would have to be done to make up for the losses: a real estate tax increase of two mills or cuts in staffing. Council members noted, and many residents agreed, that a tax increase would drive more people out of the borough, and would be tough for many of the senior citizens in the borough to handle.

Citizens, however, expressed that they were not willing to take cuts in public safety as a solution.

Former mayor Sylvia LaFranchi was the first of the residents to speak during the long, heated public comment period. LaFranchi said that cuts to the fire department would be "a real tragedy," and that there would have to be some other way to balance the budget. She mentioned that if the #2 station were shut down, average response times would up to double. Council president Pamela Macklin took issue with that estimate, but was corrected by firefighters union president Tony Matta, who held up a study conducted showing that response times in the first ward of the borough would likely increase from about four minutes to about eight.

Former council president Alexis Nedley, the wife of a retired borough firefighter, also gave passionate testimony, pointing out that the borough has a great deal of uncollected taxes that would make something of a difference in the budget if they were pursued. She said that the current council was being irresponsible in making the decision to cut public safety funding.

Later in the meeting residents demanded that fire cheif Owen McAfee be given a chance to voice his opinion on the matter. McAfee quietly stated his opinion that "if we reduce staffing we reduce safety," and that in turn reduces public safety.

Council members discussed with McAfee the idea of "mutual aid" agreements, in which other neighboring departments would sign on to help the department with major calls. The borough currently has none, and surrounding departments, because they too are facing budget problems, have stated that they will not sign on to help the borough if they cut the jobs and the engine house.

Council members also drifted off the subject at points, quizzing the chief on where the paid firefighters live and asserting that the current level of staffing may not be essential because the borough has been losing population and tearing down vacant houses in the past few years.

Wilkinsburg citizen Lisa Hart ended discussion of that issue abruptly, asking Chief McAfee, "If you have twelve houses on a block, and you tear down three, can your trucks move down that block any faster?"

Joshua Bloom, attorney for the Wilkinsburg firefighters union, said that the firefighters have a clause in their contract that states that the borough must keep 8 firefighters on duty at any time for safety reasons. If the borough were to cut firefighters, there would only be 5 or 6 on duty at any given time, and the union would take legal action. The borough would end up paying the firefighters' salaries anyway.

Council is expected to take action finalizing a budget on December 30.

add your comments