Milpitas Lays Off Firefighters

The Milpitas Fire Department laid off three firefighters this week and took one fire truck out of service. Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant was forced to take action to balance the budget.

Milpitas has four fire stations. A truck was removed from service at the station with the fewest number of calls last December. Station No. 4 at 775 Barber Lane had just 32 calls. The other three stations had more than 110 each.

The current fiscal year ends June 30, but staffing reductions are expected to last through next fiscal year.

Chief Sturdivant told the San Jose Mercury News that residents should not see any negative impacts, and operational changes will be "closely monitored with reconsiderations taken to the council as soon as possible."

The average gross wage for a Milpitas firefighter is $151,700, plus benefits that push the cost to about $249,000 annually per employee.  

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