NEWBURGH – City Manager Todd Venning wants to cut one of the two Newburgh City Fire Department engine companies that respond to emergencies. He brought his proposal to the city council’s workshop session Thursday night.
The plan was met with sharp criticism from IAFF Local 589 President Nick Bedetti.
Mayor Torrance Harvey declined to comment about the proposed cuts, telling a Mid-Hudson News reporter “Call the city manager. All personnel matters are handled by the city manager,” the mayor said, adding “The City Council members, including the Mayor, do not manage the city.”
Venning did not respond to a request from Mid-Hudson News for a comment about his proposal.
Under Venning’s plan, the daily minimum number of firefighters on duty would go from the current 10 career firefighters to seven. Bedetti said the plan will “brown out an engine company every single day, leaving the city residents with only one engine and one ladder truck.” Current staffing consists of two firefighters and a company officer assigned to each of the engines and the one ladder truck. An assistant fire chief is also on duty for each shift.
Even at the current staffing level, any fire of significant size results in the city calling in mutual aid assistance from neighboring fire departments.
Noting that the fire department is already short-staffed due to the last layoffs, Bedetti said, “This change to our daily staffing levels will increase our response times and ultimately put the lives of citizens and fire personnel in extreme danger.” On January 1, 2020, the city laid off 15 firefighters due to budget cuts. The account of the layoffs can be found HERE.
Months later, a few firefighters were brought back. `
Former Newburgh Fire Chief Terry Ahlers has seen the effects on the department due to poor fiscal management. The city spent nearly $1.7 million in fire department overtime in 2021. “The city manager and the council do not understand the simple math. If you have the appropriate amount of manpower, your overtime costs will be reduced.”
Ahlers also noted that eliminating a fire engine on each shift will cause significant problems. “Most small fires can be extinguished before they become infernos if the firefighters and apparatus can get there quickly. This plan increases will risk lives because the engine and crew will be a few minutes late to the scene.”
