PITTSBURGH Mayor: EMS, firefighters must merge

The president of the firefighters union isn't happy with the proposal.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ambulance service in Pittsburgh will be privatized if the firefighters union doesn't agree to consolidate the fire and emergency services bureaus into one department, Mayor Tom Murphy said.
Murphy is seeking $15 million in savings annually through such a merger. His proposal also calls for the elimination of 200 to 300 senior-level jobs in the fire department.
The city could contract with hospitals for paramedic service, Murphy said.
"That leaves the firefighters I think in a very precarious position, because they will be out there without any justifiable reason for the size of the Fire Bureau," he said.
Spared in cuts
Firefighters were spared from a 17 percent cut to the city's work force announced in August.
The union bargained for a no-layoff clause in a 1997 contract with the city, and Murphy agreed to extend that contract in 2001 during a tight mayoral election.
Fire Fighters Local 1 President Joseph King said the new demands by the mayor are unfair.
"I'm being asked now to reopen an agreement by my membership -- and, oh, by the way, once you passed this, 200 of your young firefighters no longer have a job tomorrow," King said. "So who's being reasonable and who's being unreasonable?"
King also questioned whether the city would be willing to spin off paramedic service because of the revenue it generates through medical transportation fees.
Murphy warned that the union could face a backlash from the Legislature that may create a financial oversight board to make spending decisions for the city, which is facing a $60 million budget deficit.
Merger recommended
A number of state legislators have said fire and EMS services must merge to cut costs. The same recommendation has been made by corporate leaders who have aired proposals for sorting out the city's financial mess.
Should the merger take place, Pittsburgh would join a growing number of cities that have combined fire and EMS departments. Of the nation's 200 largest cities, 71 percent have combined services, according to a 2001 study in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.