Mar 7, 2009 5:30 pm US/Eastern
Clifton Shuts Down Fire House To Save Money
CLIFTON, N.J. (CBS) ―
It was a sad morning in Clifton, NJ, as the doors of one firehouse closed forever.
Engine Company 2 was shut down, laying off several of its firefighters, as part of the city council's plan to save more than $4 million this year - a plan that will see 60 city jobs cut.
Firefighter Jason Anzelmo showed his two-and-a-half year old daughter, Madison, Fire Station #2 for the last time.
"We serve the public and we save lives," Anzelmo says. "I put my hand on the bible to do that."
Anzelmo is one of 12 firefighters being laid off, along with the closing of firehouse, to save Clifton $600,000. Last-minute negotiations saved five firefighter jobs, but it's all based on seniority.
(6. 7;34:32 Beverly Anzelmo, firefighter's wife: "I never thought he would lose his job," Anzelmo's wife, Beverly, says. "I am shocked and scared to see where we go from here."
In a moving ceremony, more than one hundred firefighters and their families gathered for the official decommissioning.
Each of these firefighters was willing to a 4.75 percent pay cut, or to work for two weeks free, but the city of Clifton said the economy's to blame and layoffs must go through.
"There's been an acrimonious relationship between firefighters and the council for years, and this economic crisis is the opportunity for them to exact some vengeance," Firefighters Union President Bill Lavin says.
But Clifton's mayor deflected blame.
"These are time we don't have control – the state has control," Mayor James Anzaldi says. "The economy has control."
Now, some neighborhood residents are worried about losing a nearby firehouse.
(34. 8:12:29 Doreen Germain, Clifton resident: "It's not just fires," resident Doreen Germain said. "It's the fact that they are EMTs."
Clifton Fire Station #2 responded to 42 fires last year, less than the other five firehouses in the city.
Some firefighters say the closing jeopardizes the safety of some Clifton residents.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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