If the staffing cut is allowed to proceed, the loss of the ladder truck crew will have devastating risks for Billings citizens and firefighters. The ladder truck is primarily used for rescue needs, whether it be providing emergency egress from a building or ventilating smoke and heat from a fire. Ventilation is used to aide in the chances of rescuing victims and extinguishing fires more quickly and efficiently. The ladder truck also benefits firefighter safety in that they are usually the crew that, if for some reason a firefighter becomes trapped or lost in a fire, will rescue those firefighters. The solution the city has come up with for staffing the ladder truck is to call in a standby crew to man this piece of apparatus. Standby crews can take up to a half hour to arrive at the station. By the time the ladder truck would arrive on scene, chances for a rescue would be very slim at best.
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| Court House Fire | Country Inn Suites Fire | Western Sugar Fire | |
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| Sweetwater Retirement Home Fire |
Cutting the water tender
Currently, the water tender is also staffed by the ladder truck crew. The water tender is used to supply water used in firefighting to areas on the outskirts of Billings that do not have hydrants. Without a water supply firefighting comes to a halt.
Cutting the brush rig
Currently the brush rig is also staffed by the ladder truck crew. Brush rigs are essential for fighting grass/urban interface fires. Brush rigs have the ability to go off road and extinguish fires. The need for brush rigs is becoming ever more important as Billings expands to suburban and rural areas.
Cutting the safety net ambulance
The safety net ambulance is once again staffed by the ladder truck crew. The safety net ambulance is an ambulance that will transport patients that are critically in need of care when AMR ambulance service is unavailable to respond.
What this means to Billings
By not hiring the 10 firefighters promised by the public safety mill levy, the city will lose a lot in public safety. Help us help you. You can help by contacting your city council members and demand that they honor what you were promised in the public safety mill levy. You can find your council member information by clicking here
After all, if you don’t save our firefighters, who will save you?
Any questions please feel free to call the Local 521 (Billings Firefighters Union) office at 245-0964
