WREG.COM March 15, 2005

Fire Department Could Pull Trucks Off Street Memphis, TN - Memphis firefighters are trained to battle blazes. Now they're learning to battle budget concerns. "We've got financial challenges and we're holding on by our fingernails," explains Memphis Fire Director Richard Arwood. The City of Memphis is strapped for cash and that could mean limited money for the fire department. A department that expects to spend more than 8 million dollars in overtime this year. The financial crisis is forcing top brass to come up with plans to try and extinguish the financial problems. The department saved money when some recently graduated recruits hit the streets without EMT training. A memo shows cuts were also made by putting personal days on hold until June 30. "The only alternative if we kept personal days was to lay off employees," says Arwood. 94-percent of the department's budget is people. So Arwood says if the city is not able to fully fund the department's $100-million plus budget, instead of possible layoffs, he's developed a contingency plan to save jobs by pulling a limited amount of ladder trucks off the street. Director Arwood says whether that will compromise safety is yet to be seen. "If that day comes, none of us knows. You , I or anyone can say safety is definitely compromised. What I can say is service will be reduced."

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