Rotating Fire Station Brownouts Begin In Long Beach
LONG BEACH (CBS) — Rotating brownouts began Saturday at fire stations in Long Beach. It's the city's answer to budget shortfalls, but neighbors are critical of the move.
Podcast
Rotating Brownouts Begin In Long Beach: KNX 1070′s Pete Demetriou Reports
At Station 9 in Bixby Knolls, the paramedic ambulance is ready to roll. But the fire truck won't due to lack of staffing. Those rotating brownouts at 8 of 24 stations are a result of an $18 million budget shortfall.
John Mulvey says he is worried about the response time to the area increasing.
Long Beach is not alone in this problem. The City of LA, also hit by budget problems, managed to staff 15 additional engines by manning them with 51 staff assistants, despite objections by LAFD Command staff that the loss of those assistants and their management skills at an incident can increase the danger level for those fighting the fire.
