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Fire chief warns proposed removal of downtown rescue unit would lengthen response times
Summary
Fire Chief Albertson told council that eliminating Rescue 2 at Station 2 would reduce staffing (three captains and three firefighters by attrition), increase response times and shift calls onto other apparatus; Councilmember Gonzales said he will not support that cut.
Fire Chief Albertson told the council that the fire department’s proposed budget reductions would remove Rescue 2 from Station 2, eliminate three captain positions and three firefighter positions through attrition and increase response times for a busy downtown area.
At the budget workshop on May 4, Chief Albertson said Rescue 2 “ran nearly 3,100 incidents” last year and that removing the unit would require engines from neighboring stations to cover calls, producing longer response times on concurrent incidents. He said the department would also carry multiple vacancies through the year to achieve salary savings.
Why it matters: the rescue vehicles were deployed to shorten response time for medical and other first‑in calls in high‑demand areas. Councilmember Gonzales said the recommendation would have citywide implications, not only for Station 2’s first‑in area, and stated he would oppose the cut. “I will not be supporting this particular reduction,” Gonzales said, citing increased calls for service and the rescue’s operational role. The chief and several council members framed the change as a tradeoff between short‑term budget savings and public‑safety capacity.
Operational details: Chief Albertson explained that, under the proposal, engines would respond to calls Rescue 2 currently handles; when an engine is committed elsewhere, an apparatus from another station would be sent into the area, extending response times. Rescue 2’s staffing and incident counts were presented as evidence of its current utilization.
Next steps: the city manager said the council will return on May 18 with additional budget summaries and the items will be decided during the June budget process. No formal vote on the specific fire reductions was taken at the workshop; the council did vote to receive and file the presentations.
Ending: Councilmember Gonzales moved that staff explore other reduction options and not include the Rescue 2 elimination in the upcoming budget; he asked for alternative savings to be brought forward before the final budget vote.
