Sapulpa firefighters meet with city to save jobs

SAPULPA, Okla. - The Sapulpa Firefighters' Union will take up talks with the city at a meeting Monday in attempt to prevent four layoffs.

In advance of the meeting, Sapulpa firefighters rallied for public safety over the weekend.

Firefighters say working with less manpower could cost residents.

Families in one Sapulpa neighborhood got an early wake up call Saturday after a house caught fire.
"Around here you hear sirens all the time. So I didn't think nothing of it, 'till I looked out the window and that thing was in full blaze," said Rob English, who lives across the street.

English watched firefighters put out the fire before it spread.
"They did a real good job, real good," he said.

He worries cuts at the fire department could put safety on the line. "I think anytime you make a cut in law enforcement or the fire department, you're asking for trouble," English said.

The city of Sapulpa faces a two million dollar shortfall, and public safety is taking a hit. The police union recently agreed on a contract that could save five officers their jobs. Now the fire department is fighting to save jobs too.
"We're very well trained, we've got a great department. But these cuts are really hurting us, really hurting us," said David Taylor, a firefighter for 22 years and the President of the Local 194 union.

"It's a safety issue, is what it is. When we're shorthanded, it causes more guys to take on more of the load individually. Plus we don't have the guys to go in properly and do our job the way we've been trained to do it," Taylor said.

Firefighters recently completed contract negotiations with $389,000 in concessions. They're working with five unfilled positions, and now face losing four more firefighters.
"Today, if we show up to a structure fire in town, we'll have nine guys. The National Fire Protection Association says we should have 15," Taylor said.

Chase Johnson is one of the four Sapulpa firefighters to get a layoff notice. He tries to stay focused on his job while negotiations are underway.
"You just have to put it in a different place. Show up to work, you're here to do your job. So I can go to work every day, and do what I'm supposed to, and try to put that in the back of my head somewhere and not think about it while I'm at work," he said.

Johnson says he loves working in Sapulpa.
"I love it here. The people are great, it's a good community, and the fire dept is very educated and experienced. This is one of the best fire departments around," Johnson said. "This is where I wanna be."

The city of Sapulpa is also considering shutting down one of its four fire stations.