THE PHILADELPHIA Fire Department is facing extraordinary budget cuts for the next fiscal year. In the mayor's budget proposal, the department is going to lose as many as 11 fire companies (4 engine and 7 ladder), a staggering number.
This budget not only eliminates neighborhood fire companies, it also reduces the staff of every ladder truck in the city by one firefighter. These cuts are going to put our children and senior citizens in grave danger, response times to fires and emergency medical calls can only lengthen with a cut of this magnitude.
