Gary hopes to save 34 firefighter jobs

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Gary fire officials hope 34 city firefighters who have lost or are losing their jobs are granted a last-minute reprieve.

Four of the firefighters were laid off Dec. 18, and Friday is the last day on the job for the other 30.

Fire Chief Jeff Ward said there still is a chance the department will get a federal grant that would allow the department to bring back the laid-off firefighters, but he isn’t sure when, or if, the grant will materialize.

The layoffs would slash the city’s firefighting force by 20 percent.

The city cut the positions in September to trim its budget, and the Gary Fire Civil Service Commission approved the list of layoffs Tuesday.

Ward said morale among the firefighters is understandably low.

“They feel that the city doesn’t care about them,” Ward said. “This is a double whammy — fewer men and we’ve still got raggedy rigs on the street, but we do the best we can do.”

Gary fire union president Raynard Robinson said he’s been driving to the fire stations around the city, trying to encourage the crews.

“I told them that I am working to get the guys back, but the timing was bad,” he said.

Robinson said the cuts will impact the department’s ability to respond to multiple fires; mechanical problems already prevent the city from putting half of its 13 fire engines in service.

Most of the laid-off firefighters are among the youngest members of the department, Robinson said.

“After 20 years on the job, my knees aren’t what they used to be,” he said. “I’m not going to be able to outwork a 28-year-old. After the cuts, the department’s average age will be 40.”

Contributing: Jon Seidel