New Orleans fire and EMS officials sought to reassure the City Council that deep cuts to next year’s budget will not hinder their departments.
Still, as officials presented their budget during a series of City Council hearings, there were acknowledgements that the cuts could create challenges.
“With less staff and less apparatus due to the furloughs and the COVID challenge, it’ll be difficult to maintain our response time to calls for service to fires and medical calls … but we’re utilizing technology and training in an attempt to stay as near as possible to current response times,” interim New Orleans Fire Superintendent Roman Nelson said. The cuts come as New Orleans officials are preparing for a $92 million drop in revenue next year due to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including cancelled events and drops in sales tax revenue. That has translated into a $633.6 million spending plan that is down 12% citywide from this year’s budget.