Firefighter Crews Increased After Council Showdown

More than six months after the Pasadena City Council directed City Manager Philip Hawkey to increase the number of firefighters to four on every engine and truck, the plan was implemented Wednesday after a showdown this week between the top city executive and council members who accused him of disregarding their mandate.

Fire Chief Pete Pederson said his department on Wednesday implemented a mandatory minimum crew of four on each fire engine and firetruck in service.

Pederson said earlier that the department had increased the number of firefighters on every engine from three to four--but at the same time cut the number of firefighters on the city’s ladder trucks to three. Hawkey said he understood the council’s directive to refer to “four firefighters on an engine” and not to the department’s ladder trucks.

He told council members that it was his understanding they had asked for four firefighters on an engine because if it arrives first, they wanted two firefighters to be able to enter a burning building with two outside to assist. Ladder trucks do not come to a scene first, he said.

But Councilwomen Joyce Streator said, “We were very, very explicit. It is my understanding we voted for four across the board.”

According to minutes from the June 3 session, the council approved a motion requiring that “the city maintain a consistent policy of staffing of four firefighters for each firetruck and each fire engine.”

Councilwoman Ann-Marie Villicana, who originally advocated increasing firefighter staffing, said, “I never saw this as unclear. We want it fully staffed. We want a good fire department.”

In June, Hawkey and other top city officials had opposed the move to increase the number of firefighters on vehicles at the city’s eight stations advocated by Fire Department Capt. John Tennant, firefighters union president.

City officials told council members that the volume of calls into the three-member crew areas did not justify the additional firefighters and that the $600,000 cost was prohibitive.