Redding will keep three firefighters who faced layoff June 30, the City Council decided Wednesday.
Working through its two-year budget, the council approved Fire Chief Gerry’s request to keep the positions and avoid more cuts to an already thinly staffed department.
"The math of getting firefighters to a fire is actually really simple. The more firefighters you put on an engine, the fewer engines you have to send,” he said.
Gray said a house fire in the city pulls half the department to respond, effectively leaving half of Redding unprotected.
Six apprentice firefighter positions — low-paid, entry-level jobs — have already been cut. Those positions and the three firefighters were funded by a grant extended for two years by the city’s one-time use of reserve cash. Vice Mayor Kristen Schreder said she wants the city to reapply for the grant that funded the positions.