GARDEN GROVE : Mailing Tells of Plan to Close Fire Station

Circulars sent out by Garden Grove Firefighters Assn. leaders warning residents that city officials allegedly have secret plans to close a fire station have touched off a flurry of telephone calls to City Hall.

The circulars, sent this week to nearly 40,000 registered voters, question whether safe levels of fire and paramedic protection will be maintained. They prompted about 100 calls to city officials as of Thursday morning.

City Manager George Tindall confirmed that city staff members have suggested closing one of the city’s seven fire stations as one of several options to help the city solve “a $6-million budget problem.” He said that closing a fire station could save about $350,000 a year.

But Tindall denied that talks have been conducted secretly or that a final decision has been made on whether to close a fire station. The proposal, if approved at the staff level, will be aired at public hearings in June, when officials will discuss the 1992-93 city budget, he said.

Tindall said that although the financially ailing city probably will have to cut 50 to 60 employee positions--many of them currently vacant--there are no plans to reduce the number of paramedics. About 65% of Fire Department calls are for medical aid, he said.

Capt. Warren Hartley, president of the Garden Grove Firefighters Assn., said officials are considering closing Station 5, in an industrial zone near Western Avenue and Garden Grove Boulevard.

Councilman Mark Leyes said plans include transferring paramedics now assigned to Station 5 to the Valley View station. Six other firefighters at the station probably would be absorbed into other positions, officials said.

Hartley said that the Fire Department already has a lean budget and that cuts “would leave a hole in the center of the system.”

“Do we need to close a fire station? Is it safe? Is there something else to be cut instead? People need to know that there are discussions,” Hartley said.

Tindall said he was upset that officials of the Garden Grove Firefighters Assn. didn’t show him the circular before it was mailed.

Firefighters have also tangled with city officials by seeking a 9% pay increase since their contract expired in January. The city reportedly has made a 2% offer.