Atlantic City Fire Dept. Asks Mayor & Chief For No Staffing Cuts

The Atlantic City Fire Department has sent a letter to Mayor Marty Small, Fire Chief Scott Evans, with copies sent to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Atlantic City Council Members and the residents of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

IAFF Local 198, FMBA Local 198 Union President John Varallo said that …

I am writing to express our firm opposition to the proposed state-imposed reductions in fire department supervisory roles, the reallocation of resources within the department and a brownout of any engine company. We believe these proposals pose a serious threat to public safety and to the well-being of our firefighters and residents, said Varallo.

The Atlantic City professional firefighters faced unprecedented and regressive cuts between 2010-2017.

The cuts were disgraceful and dangerous.

Prior to this potential latest round of cuts, much progress had been made within the Atlantic City Fire Department over the past 4 years.

Varallo said:

Since 2019, we have been on a path to rebuild our department and restore an acceptable level of service for our residents and visitors. We were hopeful that under the current administration, this progress would continue. However, the proposed plan announced on December 18th at 4 pm represents a major setback. The suggestion to reduce personnel even further is incomprehensible. We strongly urge you, Mayor Small and Chief Evans, to publicly and forcefully oppose these harmful proposals. Your leadership is crucial in protecting our department and the safety of our community. It is time to stand up to the state and advocate for the resources that our city needs, said Varallo.

Here is Varallo’s letter in its entirety:

The Atlantic City Professional Fire Department does a tremendous job.

They need more manpower and supervisory presence, not less.