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CalFire budget cuts would reduce staffing on engines


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By Greg Welter, Chico Enterprise Record

SACRAMENTO — CalFire, the state’s firefighting agency, is facing a budget cut in excess of $30 million for fiscal year 2011-12, and will trim staffing on engines from four down to three to cover most of it.

Starting in 2003, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an annual executive order bumping engine crews to four throughout the state, to meet the demands of approaching fire seasons.

H.D. Palmer, with the California State Budget Office, said studies since 2003 have shown that the wildfire containment rate in California has remained about the same using three-person crews versus four.

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Comments (3)
  1. Eddie Perkins says - Posted: February 7, 2011

    Cutting emergency service employees is NOT GOING TO FIX THE STATES BUDGET. California is home to one of the top wildland fire country in the world. Cal Fires aerial attack is larger than some small countries. There’s a reason for that! I thought our goal was to create jobs, not cut more. Cutting staff to 3-0 staffing is ridiculous and once the Fire season hits, you cannot predict a fire season. If it starts off as a bad season, then the Governor will have no choice but to extend the 4-0 staffing. BAD DECISION GOVERNOR BROWN….

  2. lou pierini says - Posted: February 7, 2011

    Public pensions are too expensive. Blame the pols in sac., if private benifits were the same there would not any private companies left to tax.

  3. Tahoe Freedom Fighter says - Posted: February 7, 2011

    Hmmmm? Does this 3 instead of 4 apply to local firefighters responding to a fire… er, I mean medical response, or hanging lights?