Dec 15, 2008 8:30 pm US/Eastern
Philadelphia Firefighters Protest Proposed Cuts
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Philadelphia firefighters marched on City Hall Monday protesting Mayor Michael Nutter's plan to cut 10 percent from the fire department.
Firefighters say the service cuts are dangerous and will risk the public safety of residents and claim the decision was made without an independent scientific impact study.
"He doesn't need to make these cuts. They can save almost $5 million a year simply by filling the vacancies that they've created through attrition," said David Kearney, Firefighters Union Local 22. "And if they did a better job at collection ambulance billing the last five years, they could have generated a $185 million."
Among hundreds of protesters were firefighters, members of the Philadelphia Fire Fighters' Union and concerned citizens. The march began at 11 a.m. at Union Hall near 5th and Markets and ended with a noon rally at City Hall.
The cuts are scheduled to go into effect January 5, 2009 and firefighters say they will continue to attend town hall meetings and hold organized rallies.
Mayor Nutter was not in attendance as he was on business in Harrisburg.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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