Flanagan’s bid for more SAFER firefighting funds looks bleak

Herald News Photo | Dave Souza

Jo C. Goode
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Mar. 7, 2014

FALL RIVER — Mayor Will Flanagan’s social media campaign to lobby the city’s congressional delegation in an attempt to increase the city’s SAFER grant funding for firefighting jobs appears to be futile.

Flanagan, however, said he doesn’t see it that way and that this must be a communitywide effort, including the federal delegation, whom he said supports him in gaining more funding.

“Make no mistake, this is an uphill battle,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan is seeking to amend a SAFER grant application to request money for 50 additional firefighters, up from the original request of 16 additional firefighters.

Last week, Flanagan announced plans to cut the fire department by 60 firefighters, reducing staff size from 213 to 153, after promising the firefighters union he would fund a complement of 200 in the fiscal 2015 budget.

There may be a problem, according to members of the federal delegation.

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Fall River Fire Department staff cuts could give city region’s worst ratio of firefighters to residents

Herald News Photo | Dave Souza

Jo C. Goode
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Mar. 4, 2014

FALL RIVER — If Mayor Will Flanagan moves to slash the Fall River Fire Department’s staffing by one-third, the city could have the worst firefighter-to-population ratio in the region.

The Herald News used data from 2012 census estimates and newspaper reports to compare the city’s fire department with the communities of New Bedford, Brockton and Taunton.

With a current staffing level of 213, the Fall River Fire Department covers the city’s 40 square miles with its 750 streets and 255 miles of roadway.

The fire department has currently one firefighter to every 418 people.

With Flanagan’s proposal to cut 60 firefighters — leaving a complement of 153 — that ratio rises to one firefighter for every 581 people.

Compare that to New Bedford, which has a higher population of 94,929 but which covers 24 square miles, a little more than half the coverage area of Fall River.

With the New Bedford Fire Department having 235 firefighters, the city has the lowest ratio, one firefighter to every 404 people, of the cities examined.

The Brockton Fire Department, with a staff of 184, has a ratio of one to 511; and the Taunton Fire Department’s 120 firefighters give the city a one-to-467 ratio.

 

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Flanagan warns Fall River firefighters of potential layoffs amid budget crunch

Herald News Photo | Dave Souza

Jo C. Goode
Herald News Staff Reporter
Posted Feb. 28, 2014

FALL RIVER — Mayor Will Flanagan delivered tough news to city firefighters Friday, warning that staffing must be reduced by nearly 30 percent as result of the expiration of the SAFER grant and an uncertain fiscal climate in fiscal 2015.

“This is the most difficult discussion I’ve had in my tenure as mayor,” Flanagan said.

To Jason Burns, president of the firefighters Local 1314, Flanagan’s move to drastically downsize the fire department is not only a shock but “catastrophic,” and he said the fiscal issues are not something that crept up on the city.

“The problems of the city are being solved at the expense of the fire department,” Burns said. “Where is the shared responsibility?”

The SAFER grant expires the second week in July.

Flanagan met with union representatives at 9:30 a.m.

The administration’s original plan going into fiscal 2015 was to have staffing at the fire department at 200 from its present number of 213. In reality, Flanagan said, if the firefighters don’t accept a list of concessions, that number will drop to 153 — a loss of 60 firefighters.

“The budget will not allow for 200 firefighters,” Flanagan said.

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