Temporary shut downs – called brownouts – have hit the Miami Valley Fire District as a tight budget has curtailed all hiring, overtime and other spending, the chief said.
Fire Chief Matt Queen said the recent closing of Station 51 near the Austin Boulevard interchange is a common step when needing to curb spending periodically through the year.The station is set to be open this week, Queen said, but fiscal constraints may well lead to more brownouts this year at what he said is the least used of five stations serving Miami Twp. and Miamisburg.“It’s nothing new,” he said. “I do this every year….about mid-year because we start prepping the next year’s budget around August or September … This is absolutely nothing new. I look at our history of spending, and I try to project what next year’s budget may look like based on previous years.”