(The Center Square) – The Tacoma City Council rejected a motion to restore funding being cut from a temporary fire department program that helps reduce firefighter overtime usage.
Deputy Mayor John Hines’ amendment would have restored $4.2 million for the Tacoma Fire Department to continue its Rover Program.
The Rover Program includes firefighters who fill in for firefighters on leave or are sick.
The proposed 2025-2026 budget eliminates 16 rover positions in order to save $4.2 million needed to meet the city’s budget reduction target. Tacoma Spokesperson Maria Lee told The Center Square in a phone call that those firefighters are not being cut, but are being reassigned.
The council approved $4.2 million in one-time funding from its EMS fund in order to add additional staff to the Rover Program. This was done in response to the fire department seeing firefighters work overtime more frequently due to a lack of staffing.
Overtime for firefighters does not work in a typical manner in which someone works a 24-hour shift and then works for an additional four hours in overtime. A firefighter will work 24 hours followed by an additional 24 hours of overtime.
The amendment failed by a 3 to 5 vote during the city council meeting on Tuesday. Council members who opposed the bill cited the fact that the funding is not for one-time use, but rather $4.2 million in recurring funding. This would further impact the city’s work to address a structural budget deficit issue.
The vote did not receive a positive response from the Tacoma Fire Local 31 union, which has previously said cutting funding from the Rover Program would directly result in “brown outs.”
Brown outs are described as what happens when fire stations close, leading to slower response times and greater stress on firefighters.
“It’s disappointing that five council members, along with the mayor, have chosen to turn their backs on public safety, specifically Tacoma Fire,” the union said in a social media post.
The union notes that despite the failure of the amendment to keep the Rover Program intact, this is not the end of the issue.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first reading of the proposed budget. A second reading is anticipated to take place on Dec. 10, at which point the council is expected to take a final vote on the budget. Amendments can still be added prior to that final vote.
