MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association expressed concern with the city's initial budget proposal on Wednesday, saying they could lose two firehouses.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Milwaukee firefighters union said the city's budget proposal will cut one fire engine on Jan. 1 and another halfway through the year.
"This creates an absolute terrible dynamic for the City of Milwaukee," Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association President Eric Daun wrote in a statement.
The Milwaukee Fire Department lost one house in 2014, five in 2017, and another firehouse in 2019, according to the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association.
"This proposal would put your communities fire and medical protections down (nine) firehouses in less than a 10-year window," the statement says in part. "What that means for you the community, is the capabilities of the Department are truly diminished and the ability to help your loved ones are delayed tremendously from where we were 10 years ago."
The statement continued to state that cutting the fire department is a "hazard to each and every citizen of Milwaukee," while also pointing out that it has been over 25 years since Milwaukee built a new firehouse.
"With these cuts, we may see delayed responses in certain areas of the community," the statement says.
The Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association says it is working with the Administration of the Milwaukee Fire Department to hold educational meetings. Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski led the first meeting Wednesday evening at Station 22 on the city's northwest side.
"What we're talking about is the firefighters that work on these companies and what this fire station does for this neighborhood, your community," Chief Lipski said.
Chief Lipski will be attending community meetings at every firehouse in Milwaukee over the next two weeks. He will be addressing the increase in calls for service and the impact budget cuts have on response times.
You can read the Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association's full statement below, which includes the dates for the educational meetings:
