Oakland firefighters campaign against station closures
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Oakland firefighters are going on the offensive to prevent the city council from shuttering as many as six fire stations over the next several months. The cost-cutting move has been recommended as one of the ways to balance Oakland’s massive budget deficit.
Oakland firefighters are launching a public education campaign in hopes Oakland residents will help them stop the Oakland City Council from closing two fire stations on the first of next year, and possibly four more in the spring. Both were recommended to help close the city’s $129 million budget deficit.
Oakland fire captain Seth Olyer is Vice President of the Oakland Firefighters Union Local 55. He says when you shutter fire stations, you increase response time because instead of coming from your neighborhood, fire crews may have to come from across town, and in the case of fires and medical emergencies, every second counts.
