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The Oakland $ 129.8 million budget deficit could eradicate up to 30% of its fire fighting capacity, running out of a trapped department already extended by the closures of the stations, according to land sources.
The fire-response times in the city of California controlled by the Democrats are already three times the national average after the budget cuts that recently closed two fire stations and maintained a recent renewal to reopen.
The city councilor, Zac Unger, who was a firefighter of Oakland for 27 years, told Fox Digital that four more stations could face closures due to deficits.
“”We currently have three closed fires and four others that close … which would represent about 30% of our fire capacity here in Oakland, an absolutely catastrophic potential for the city of Oakland, “said Ungeger.” We just can’t afford to lose 30% of our fire and emergency medical response. “
Firefighters and city officials have been working on the overtime in “a moment of all hands,” said Under, to identify the available funds in the city budget and keep Oakland fires open. Fire Chief Damon Covington told Fox Digital Inoads to prevent the four additional four fire stations from being closed, but that does not mean that the closures will not go on the road.
Firefighters see that the water falls to the fire of Palisades in Mandeville Canyon, on January 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
“Seven fires of fire would represent about 30% of our Fire Corps,” said Covington. “It is a tremendous threat because, ultimately, we need more fire service to properly cover our city and lose two fires of fire and a third party that was in renewal, impose our labor force.”
The limited capacity of the Fire Corps has slowed the response time, creating the potential for a disaster such as the forest fires of Palisades and Eaton, said the President of the local Oakland Firefighters 55 Seth Olyer.
“We had a fire at home at the end of East Oakland in the 28 engine area,” he said. “Normally, this engine could have reached the fire in four minutes. The nearest fire engine took almost 11 minutes to arrive. With a fire that duplicated every minute, you can do the math. This happened as a child Shoot inside the house with a total loss and almost threatening the surroundings and potentially starting a fire of wild areas, as in the “
“Our firefighters do incredible work and will do the difficult circumstances you give them, but we have seen that the response times have reduced,” Unger told Fox Digital. “There is simply no way to close the fire fires and wait to receive the same level of service.”
The Mayor’s Interim Office did not respond to a comment request. But in its current budget proposal, the city quotes only once Covid-19 Pandemic Retirement costs and benefits, including OPEB liability costs and the benefits of Calpers, as “tax challenges that lead to (a) projected deficit” of $ 129.8 million. The Oakland 2024-2025 tax budget’s fiscal budget proposed “Browrouts” for six months from January 2025 to save $ 5.5 million from the city.
But local firefighters say that brownouts could be a much higher cost.
A wall mural represented by Altadena, California, is seen next to the Altadena hardware store destroyed after the Eaton fire on January 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
“When you close the fire fires, it creates a domino effect,” Covington said in an interview with Digital Fox. “It’s not just the fire you close, it’s the surrounding jurisdictions, the other fires that are near this fire that must cover the ground of this station.”
Oakland Firefighters say they face the same cuts as the Los Angeles Fire Department warned in front of the devastating devastating Eaton forest fires in January. Oakland is not alien to shooting devastation. The 1991 Oakland fire storm killed 25 people, injured 150 and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. Olyer said that the 1991 Fire Brigade response tactics changed essentially and how fire crews cooperate with surrounding agencies.
“The fire was so massive that he made a Herculus effort in the bay area and basically fire parks throughout the United States to control,” Olyer told Fox Digital. “You are seeing the same with Los Angeles. It is not realistic to think that no firefighters would be able to stop any huge fire that is quickly moving with hurricane strength winds in conditions like this.”
A quick, efficient and collaborative operation is possible with wide resources. In October, Olyer described how appropriate staff and co -operation with Cal Fire prevented Keller’s fire from becoming another California catastrophe.
“The fire of Keller, which took place last October, was a perfect example of what an adequate fire body and early intensive action can do to really stop a fire before it was uncontrolled,” said Olyer. The event, he said, showed how “the cooperation between the agencies, with Cal Fire, drops water at the top, the helicopter falls on him and a large number of resources very soon.”
(Cal Fire San Diego County)
“The department has been directing naked bones in Oakland for decades,” Olyer said. “We have fire engines that lead with almost 300,000 miles and they are literally melting. It’s a matter of time until Oaklanders’ luck is running out.”
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“We are all pushing in the same direction. Everyone wants these firefighters to open. It really is reduced to dollars and cents,” said Covington.
