VIDEO: A fire engine is at the center of a fight over public safety. The union representing firefighters in the city of Surprise says the city is taking away a much-needed resource.
President of the Surprise Firefighters Association Mike Payne says the city is choosing to take away Engine 305 and replace it with a truck, called a low acuity unit. He says the truck requires less manpower and in return, costs less money. Payne says the truck does not put out fires and is only used when responding to smaller medical emergencies.
He says the switch can lead to slower response times because if there is a fire near Fire Station 305, they will need to rely on other engines at stations farther away.
"Ultimately we want the community to be properly protected to be served by the resources that they think they're going to get if they ever have an emergency and quite frankly that's exactly why we're concerned," Payne said.