Firefighters oppose plan to eliminate jobs at Whiteaker station
EUGENE, Ore. - One of Eugene's busiest fire stations will lose firefighters to city budget cuts.
Eugene's Whiteaker Station No. 2 will cut one of two of it's fire companies on July 1.
Deputy Fire Chief Mark Walker said no one will be laid off, but the city will eliminate three fire captain positions. Those jobs will be eliminated via attrition by not replacing firefighters as they leave.
"No fire chief or fire management team wants to reduce their services," said Walker. "But that, that is going to be the impact of this."
The changes will result in annual savings of $317,000. The city budget committee has already approved the cuts. The proposal goes to the City Council next Monday.
Union firefighters oppose the changes. While the station will still operate, there will be fewer people to respond to fire calls, according to Scott Olmos, president of Union Firefighters Local 851.
"The concern that we have is there's two pieces of fire response equipment here for a reason: it's because it's the second biggest fire company in the City of Eugene," Olmos said. "Our concern - without that company - is we're going to put citizens in danger and firefighters in danger."
Firefighters went door-to-door Tuesday to ask neighbors and businesses to contact City Councilors about the company closure.
"We've started a campaign to inform the citizens of what's taking place, the businesses in our comunity and also the families that live in this immediate fire area," Olmos said.
Businesses are taking note.
"The first concern is that this is the first that we had heard of it," said Perry Eastham, manager of Florida Title branch in the neighborhood. "We were just finding out via a flyer from the fire department that they were letting us know that this was going to happen."
The Whiteaker station serves Whiteaker, River Road and portions of Santa Clara. Olmos thinks the impact could be felt city wide.
"By closing this fire company, the other fire companies are going to have to pick up those responses," he said. "So whether you live in the Sheldon area or the Bailey Hill area or the Barger area, those station will have to cover the call volume that is voided in this area."
