The plan calls for engine companies 1, 3 and 10 to ride with crews of three starting Saturday.
TRENTON -- The Trenton Fire Department will reduce the number of firefighters on three of its engine companies from four to three in an effort to reduce overtime, a union official said.
"Obviously, I'm not happy about it," firefighters union president Wayne Wolk said Friday evening.
Fire Director Qareeb Bashir was not immediately available for comment.
The plan calls for engine companies 1, 3 and 10 to ride with crews of three starting Saturday.
To compensate for the federal requirement that calls for two fighters to remain outside of a burning structure while two are inside, or "2 in 2 out," ladder companies will be dispatched on engine company calls, Wolk said.
Engines 1, 3 and 10 are all housed in stations with an accompanying ladder company, which ride with four firefighters, so each call will have a minimum of seven.
No firefighters are being laid off.
The fire department previously needed 49 firefighters and officers per shift. But due to sick days, injuries, vacation and other leave, the department rarely meets that daily manpower level, which leads to overtime, Wolk said.
Now, the department will authorize 46 personnel daily, and will take from the engine companies to accomplish it, Wolk said.
Wolk said while the move will technically save money, it's a short-term, stopgap solution that does not address the future overtime costs of the department.
Wolk said for several years now, the fire department's director asks for $1.5 million in the city budget for overtime, and it always comes in around $5 million by the end of the year.
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The department needs to restructure is staffing, Wolk argues, so that when a firefighter or a captain calls in sick, or is otherwise off, an on-duty member can fill in.
It's just one idea, Wolk said, but it's something that needs to be addressed long term. The union has been having ongoing discussions with Mayor Eric Jackson's administration about solutions, Wolk said.
"We need to think about where personnel are located and we need to restructure," Wolk said.
The union president reiterated his belief that the department cannot rely on a multimillion federal grant very two years to fund the department, as the city has done for three straight cycles the past six years.
"Losing three positions a shift is not the answer," he said.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
