Ferndale Fire Department Layoffs Presentation Delayed

The Ferndale Fire Department's presentation to City Council regarding potential firefighter layoffs has been delayed until April 16.

A 5:30 p.m. budget hearing Monday at City Hall ran behind schedule, prompting officials to set up a third city budget hearing April 16 to address agenda items that weren't discussed before the regular City Council meeting began at 7:30 p.m.

Ferndale officials hope to avoid laying off firefighters as they budget for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15. A larger-than-expected decline in taxable values, paired with the expiration of a grant that has funded four firefighter positions for the past two years, has forced the city to consider the Fire Department cuts.

Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan said Tuesday that on April 16 he will provide City Council with "a potpourri of things for them to look at" when it comes to his department's budget, including a breakdown of what one, two, three or four layoffs would look like.

Approximately $100,000 is budgeted for each firefighter position, he said, but the financial picture is more complicated than just their salaries.

For example, laying off four of the department's 27 operational firefighters would mean an "astronomical" increase in overtime costs and the loss of revenue from ambulance runs, Sullivan said.

Ferndale generates $280,000 to $300,000 annually from ambulance runs, which are billed to residents and often covered by insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, Sullivan said. A crew of at least eight firefighters must be on duty to send an ambulance on a run, he added.

If the Ferndale Fire Department's ambulance is in use or if there are not enough firefighters on duty when an emergency call comes in, a neighboring department takes the run, Sullivan explained.

The department has considered adding a second ambulance, but would not be able to with lower staffing levels – potentially costing the city an additional $50,000 to $70,000 per year – Sullivan said.

"It makes you wonder: How much did you save?" he said.

If you go

• When: 5:30 p.m. April 16
• Where: Ferndale City Hall
• Why go: The City Council will conduct the third in a series of hearings as it budgets for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15. Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan will discuss what potential firefighter layoffs could mean for the city.