MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) The Milwaukee firefighters union is blasting Mayor Tom Barrett over fire station closures.
Barrett would close six fire stations as part of the 2018 budget proposal, which was unveiled this week. Four ladder trucks would be decommissioned. The budget would also eliminate 75 firefighting positions, most of which are currently unfilled.
The Milwaukee Professional Fire Fighters Local 215 called the plan destructive. Their statement says: “Meeting national response times are not an excuse to cut your services.” Barrett has pointed out that even with slightly longer response times, the city is still within national standards for fire protection. The union counters, “Waiting any additional amount of time in an emergency seems like an eternity.”
Relations between Barrett and the union have been poor after some firefighters backed a mayoral recall petition.
Barrett favors a half-cent city sales tax, which is currently not allowed under state law.
The MetroSource news wire contributed to this report.
