The city has said it will have to cut 19 firefighters when the current round of funding runs out June 4.
1. Heroes could be let go: Firefighters Brad Ortwine and Alex Dunn were honored by Flint City Council during a meeting on March 24 after the pair rescued two girls from a second-story apartment fire. The firefighters broke out a second floor window and pulled the girls, ages 5 and 10, from the burning building. Because the layoffs will be based on seniority, both Ortwine and Dunn may be let go, according to Flint Firefighters Union President Mark Kovach.
2. Arsons could come quick following the layoffs: In 2010, Mayor Dayne Walling layed off 23 firefighters. Within 30 minutes of announcing the cuts, fires began being intentionally set throughout the city. There were nine fires in a 20-hour time span.
3. Time is not on your side: If the city layoffs 19, the fire department will only be able to respond with three firefighters per engine. Federal safety rules, however, require two firefighters to be outside for every two that go inside a burning building.
4. Closing time: The city said it will have to close two fire stations when the current SAFER grant expires. As it stands now, the fire hall on Pierson Road is one of three fire stations currently open on a 24-hour basis in the city. The downtown fire hall and the station on Western Road on the city's east side are also staffed at all times.Two other stations – one near downtown on Martin Luther King Boulevard and one on East Atherton Road on the south side – are only open when enough firefighters are on duty.
5. Getting up there in age: The average age of a Flint firefighter will be 45 after 19 positions are cut. There were 81 firefighters who were killed in action in 2012, according to a FEMA report. The average age of the 22 firefighters who died during ground operations was 45, the report said.
6. Dwindling numbers: There will be 85 firefighters after Flint makes its cuts. In 2012, Flint's 226 arsons was the most per capita in the country in city's with 100,000 or more residents. Evansville, Ind., with 118,000 residents, was ranked No. 13 in the country with 76 arsons. There are 273 firefighters at 14 stations in the southern Indiana city.
7. No more than one fire: Flint will only staff 16 firefighters per shift after staffing cuts come down in June. The National Fire Protection Association standard calls for 16 firefighters be at a working structure fire. What happens when there are multiple fires in the city at the same time?
Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at email@example.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.