September 6, 2006 – The U.S. Air Force is proposing reductions in its workforce of approximately 40,000 positions over the next few years, including the elimination of more than 900 fire protection positions. The Air Force currently actively operates an estimated 94 fire departments at various facilities. The IAFF represents civilian fire fighters at 19 Air Force facilities.

“We are very concerned not only about the civilian positions, but the overall degradation of safety that these reductions will result in for all Air Force fire fighters,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.

Of the 920 positions at risk for elimination, approximately 250 are civilian positions. The Air Force is seeking the overall reductions in order to reinvest funds into weapons programs. According to IAFF 16th District Vice President James Johnson, senior Air Force fire protection managers are among the first offering up their fire fighter positions for elimination.

“It is becoming very clear that fire and emergency services capabilities are taking a back seat in the overall scheme of Department of Defense policy,” says DVP Johnson. “Although DoD has policies and instructions establishing minimum staffing levels, it seems to have left out any enforcement parameters.”

The IAFF anticipates additional fire fighter reductions from other DoD agencies in the future. “Already, some DoD fire departments are so budget-constrained and inadequately staffed that they simply can’t deal with any incident that goes beyond a room and contents fire,” says Johnson.

“It is time for DoD to step up to the plate and enforce its policies or simply run the program themselves so we can ensure that the fire fighters have the staffing and equipment necessary to respond and protect our military installations in a safe and effective manner,” says President Schaitberger.