Firefighters in Lorain took dramatic steps Tuesday by picketing outside City Hall.
Their actions come in the wake of budget cuts, which have leveled nearly a third of their force. The department lost 22 of its members this week.
“We have young guys that just got their year on, just finished their probation period,” said Todd Kieswetter, a firefighter. “Young families, newlyweds, kids, pregnant wives, up to guys that are putting their kids through college and high school.”
The cutbacks leave roughly one firefighter for every 11,000 citizens in Lorain on a given shift. They can staff just two trucks at most.
“It’s really putting citizens at risk, and that’s what we really wanted to come out with today,” said firefighter Brett Brown. “Let people know this wasn’t the best decision made by the city."
The city blames job cuts at the steel plants and cuts in state funding, which left them with a $3.6 million deficit.
There is still a ray of hope that a federal grant could come through to save those jobs.
Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer said he does not know how soon that decision will be made.