Sapulpa firefighters are reach out to their community in an effort to save their jobs.

SAPULPA, Okla - Like many cities, Sapulpa is struggling with a tight budget. Last week four firemen were given 30 day layoff notices. A fire station may also be closed down. It's part of an effort by the City to trim two million dollars from the budget.

With negotiations with the city at a standstill, firemen hit the streets Monday evening to ask citizens for help.

Dave Taylor is president of the Fire Fighters Union. He tells 2NEWS, "It's hard to tell those young firefighters and their families that they are not going to have a job. Not to mention the public safety issues."

Taylor says at full staff, the Sapulpa Fire Department has 53 firefighters. Five have already been lost to attrition. With four additional men gone, Taylor says response time will suffer and homeowners insurance premiums will go up.

The union asking the city make the cuts somewhere else. Taylor says, "We gave up $389,610 in concessions to get our contract. The Police Department have up $329,000. They recalled their layoff notices. We still have ours. So it doesn't make sense."

Darin Groom is one the firefighters whose job is on the line. He tells 2NEWS, "We had a contract signed. We thought we had everything figured out. Less than a week later, they decided to come back and give layoff notices. So, I guess we're starting all over again. This time we're going to fight to see if we can keep our jobs."

Sapulpa resident Billie Kelsey was among the first to sign the petition. She says, "We have a great bunch that are really professional. They are well trained and always available. I don't want to lose any of them."

2NEWS contacted Sapulpa City leaders for comment. But our calls were not returned.

The firemen will be knocking on doors through Wednesday. they hope to present the petition to the city council August 2nd.

The Sapulpa Fraternal Order of Police will vote on its own agreement with the city this week. Members are voting on a contract that prevents layoffs by eliminating holiday pay and making changes to officer's health insurance plans.