Pasadena Firefighters Association officials Monday warned that planned City budget reductions would reduce public safety and put firefighter lives in danger.
“The proposed cuts in public safety spending are going to have an effect on firefighter effectiveness and emergency preparedness, compounding an already thin front line of firefighters,” said Scott Austin, President of Firefighters Local 809.
In a statement, the union said Pasadena residents have expressed “the highest level of support” for preserving the current capability of the Pasadena Fire Department in responding to emergencies and upgrading the City’s fire stations when they responded to a “Join the Conversation” survey recently conducted by the City.
But in spite of this appeal from residents to bolster public safety, the union said, City Manager Steve Mermell’s proposed budget “does the opposite.”