SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Fire union leaders warn proposed job cuts in the city’s 2027 draft budget could strain crews and impact public safety.
“San Diego fire is already stretched thin. Our members are working full throttle. We care deeply about the service we provide the citizens so any cuts that potentially could be made it’s just going to stretch us thinner,” said Derrick Loustalet, a division director with IAFF Local 145.
When he’s not fighting fires, Loustalet fights for his members. He’s on the executive board for the union representing San Diego fire and EMS personnel.
The department faces a possible overhaul to save city money.
“We all share a responsibility for enacting a balanced budget that protects essential services,” said Mayor Todd Gloria during a council presentation on Monday.
To address a $146 million deficit, Gloria proposes nearly $27 million in additional fire-rescue funding, which would total $547 million. However, there’s a tradeoff.
“It implements cross-staffing for the bomb squad unit and reduced positions in NPE that are associated with training, recruitment, and community engagement,” said Rolando Charvel, the city’s Chief Financial Officer.
Currently, the bomb squad is based downtown and focuses on training and responding to over 100 calls a year.
Under the change, bomb squad members would join one of three response apparatus.
“Until they clear from that emergency response, they can’t respond on that bomb squad, so they’ll be a delay on the bomb response,” said Loustalet.
There’s also another side to it. “If the bomb technicians are out on a call, depending on the way staffing is that day, there’s potential for a unit to go down,” said Loustalet.
That means workload would be shifted to other units “and so that could extend response times depending on how busy it’s getting downtown,” Loustalet added.
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The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department sent FOX 5/KUSI the following statement: “The proposed budget adjustments for our department were not made lightly and are intended to prevent station brownouts, protect the workforce to the greatest extent possible, and preserve the emergency response capacity San Diegans rely on and deserve.
SDFD’s Bomb Squad historically operated under the proposed cross-staffed model from 1971 to 2019. To be clear, the current proposal reflects a return to that long-standing structure, with trained personnel continuing to be available to respond to bomb-related incidents throughout the city.
We will continue to work closely with our labor partners and the Mayor’s administration to reach a final budget that supports the continued delivery of critical Fire-Rescue services while minimizing operational impacts.“
If approved, affected administrative staff could return to fire stations or apply for other admin. roles and keep their current positions for at least a year.
However, the union is urging city leadership to keep all positions. “They directly and indirectly affect our service levels and help us to do our job and complete our mission,” said Loustalet.
The Budget Review Committee will hear public input on May 4, with the mayor’s revised budget expected a week later.
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