Winston-Salem firefighters are criticizing the Fire Department’s decision to eliminate overtime pay.
The department, facing a budget shortfall of over half a million dollars, announced last week that it could no longer fund overtime, leading to reduced staffing levels, Fox 8 reports.
Firefighters say the cuts will leave them operating with fewer personnel on each shift, potentially delaying response times and putting both first responders and residents at risk.
“This is extremely dangerous,” said Aston Parrinello, president of the Winston-Salem Professional Firefighters Association told Fox 8. “Not only for us, but for the public that we serve.”
Currently, the department is down approximately 14 firefighters each day, leaving many trucks staffed with three firefighters instead of the recommended four.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Winston-Salem Fire Department acknowledged the concerns but defended the decision as a temporary measure.
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