Arcata Fire District has laid off a firefighter, demoted a 20-year veteran and, on Tuesday, announced that one of its stations will be closed on a rotational basis.
The cuts are part of the district’s long-anticipated cutbacks, which may soon include more full-time positions and demotions in cost-saving measures. Two recent departures and a retirement could ease the blow, district leadership said Tuesday.
The district had forecasted these changes in its campaign for a residential tax on the March election ballot, one that received 61% voter support — short of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass.
“Until we get the next budget adopted, we’ll be watching what (the cuts) do to response times and see which area has a higher call volume,” said Fire Chief Justin McDonald. “We’ll see if we need to go with rotational or permanent closure of a station.”