City Council Approves LAFD's Deployment Plan

The Los Angeles city council on Wednesday afternoon approved a deployment plan proposed by LAFD Chief Millage Peaks and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, which department officials hope will save the city $200 million over the next three years while preventing lay-offs and furloughs of firefighters.

The plan will now go forward as part of Villaraigosa's proposed budget, which still needs to be approved by the city council.

Peaks said that through the new plan the department will shift its focus toward responding to medical emergencies, which currently comprise about 85-percent of their annual calls.

While the number of paramedic engine companies will be increased throughout the city, from 58 to 72, the plan also calls for the suspension of 11 fire engines and seven light force companies. According to the LAFD, a light force is a package made up of one fire engine and one ladder truck.

According to Peaks, the staffs of those trucks and engines will be reassigned to backfill for other firefighters who are out sick or are attending training, a measure which will save the city overtime costs. The engines and trucks will remain at the stations, though, and will be placed on "ready reserve."

The deployment plan replaces the existing , which was put in place in 2009 in an effort to reduce the city's operating costs. Through that plan, a rotating roster of fire stations were put out of commission every day, and their staffs used to backfill for other firefighters who were out sick or attending training.

Councilmember Eric Garcetti, whose council district includes parts of Echo Park, voted in favor of the measure. It was was also supported by councilmembers Ed Reyes and Jose Huizar, both of whom represent parts of Highland Park or Mount Washington.

The measure had run into some opposition by members of the local firefighters union, though, who showed up in force to the city council chambers on Wednesday to protest the measure.

At the May 13 meeting of the city council, Union President Pat McOsker criticized the plan for "abandoning" neighborhoods and called on the council to begin restoring positions to the LAFD, rather than embracing the "permanent downsizing" of the deployment plan.

While Highland Park's Fire Station 12 was not impacted by the plan, some stations in nearby neighbohoods will see chages.

Fire station 20 in Echo Park will keep its light force and rescue ambulance, but will have one engine put on ready reserve. A second rescue ambulance will also be put on ready reserve at the station. Fire station 20 will also be swapping out a regular firefighter with a firefighter/paramedic through the plan.

At Eagle Rock's fire station 42, one rescue ambulance will be put on ready reserve.

See the box on the right for diagrams that outline the changes to stations in Echo Park, Eagle Rock and Glassell Park, as well as maps that display which firefighting apparatuses will be in use in council districts 14, 13 and 1 after the plan is implemented.