$1.6M Vote Shelves Plans To Reassign LAFD Firefighters
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A controversial cost-cutting plan to reassign Los Angeles firefighters was called off Tuesday when the City Council voted to approve $1.6 million in overtime costs.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports L.A. City firefighters who were reassigned will soon be returning to fire trucks.
City Council Votes To Fund LAFD Proposal
The City Council voted 12-0 to fund a proposal by City Fire Chief Brian Cummings that will enable the department to add 11 ambulances without having to transfer any firefighters from light force fire trucks.
Cummings, who had faced stiff opposition from police and fire unions over the proposal, said the outcome is a victory for residents.
"We'll be able to make sure the city gets not just the ambulances that they need, but we're able to keep that staffing...that we need," he said.
Firefighters who were re-deployed to ambulance duty will be assigned back to fire trucks starting Wednesday morning, Cummings added.
However, the motion by Councilman Paul Krekorian to transfer funds from the city's roughly $60 million budget stabilization fund still requires approval from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The plan will cost an estimated $13 million to continue funding the plan for a full year, according to Cummings, who is scheduled to give a full report on the plan on May 21.
