Guest Opinion: Can the Fall River Fire Department operate with 153 firefighters?

Paul Ford

Posted Apr. 5, 2014

Can the Fall River Fire Department operate with 153 firefighters? Of course it can. However, the more important question would be, “At what cost?” If I may, allow me to offer my opinion, one gained by actually being the only fire chief forced to operate the department at that manning level to date.

In early 2009, the governor saw fit to drastically reduce the local aide to various communities nearly three quarters of the way through the fiscal year. With that news, then Mayor Robert Correira had to make a decision in five seconds (figuratively speaking). The city’s anticipated aide was cut by millions of dollars with just three months of the fiscal year left. Extreme cuts were necessary and the Fire Department went from 216 budgeted positions to 153 budgeted positions. Many other departments experienced the same fate.

Now it’s 2014, and the city administration has had literally five years to anticipate and prepare for this day, yet the solution is the same as when the city was taken by surprise: reduce the FRED to 153 firefighters. The real question is why are we here again, with absolutely no improvement in the city’s capacity to properly fund an adequate fire department?
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