Palm Beach Gardens Cutting Fire Fighter Overtime

  We depend on them in an emergency.. But one local city is considering making cut backs when it comes to firefighters. Could it put your safety at risk?

  It took six months of negotiating between the union and the city here. Tonight both sides came to an agreement on the new contract... But fire fighters don't like the fact that fewer fire fighters could be at some of the stations and they worry it will hurt response times and jeopardize safety for the public and each other.

  "We believe that's going to the response time and that's not good for the citizens", says Ed Morejon, the Palm Beach Gardens firefighter's union vice president.

  He says the plan means that some stations would have three fire fighters on duty compared to the five that are on duty now. That means that when these fire fighters head out on a call... No one would be left back at the station. If there's another emergency in the same area, reinforcements would have to come from another station. It's a situation that- not only makes the union nervous- but also some people living in Palm Beach Gardens.

 "I wouldn't like to see the firefighters cut back at all", says Richard Margolis of Palm Beach Gardens.

  BUt Palm Beach Gardens Vice Mayor David Levy says that the city's fire chief has studied this issue and they are confident they can reduce overtime costs, without affecting fire service.

  "If we start falling below our comprehensive plan response times then we are going to need to increase the staffing at that station", says Levy.

 But Morejon and the union worry if that happens it might be too late.

"We are concerned because our increased response time someone's going to get hurt", says Morejon.

  Now the union also worries this could have an impact in other communities as well. Gardens has a mutual aid agreements with the county and neighboring cities. So if they have have to call for help it could lead those other communities under protected too.