Union Doesn’t Expect Millbrae Layoffs in Fire Department Consolidation

The head of the San Mateo Firefighters Association feels confident that the proposed closure of two fire stations, one in Millbrae and one in Burlingame, and the placement of a new station will help ease tight budgets in both cities and won't significantly affect levels of service or lead to layoffs.

“I don’t anticipate any layoffs in Millbrae or any other agency,” said Slimick during a phone interview.  “This is repositioning the stations for better response times.  The new station will be geographically set up for both cities.”

“We all have to be more efficient with our budgets,” said Slimick.  “We’re trying to be community partners.” 

In a letter to the community posted on the City of Burlingame website, Firechidef Don Dornell wrote, "It is recognized that moving a fire station requires a level of certainty that current fire service standards can be maintained or improved. Fire department staff, city staff, and various elected officials have had many discussions on the feasibility of consolidating fire stations to reduce costs while keeping the trust of the communities we serve. Discussions, data gathering, and feasibility studies have been on-going for six years. The involved agencies are now ready to move forward with the construction of a temporary fire station on the selected site to demonstrate that the current JPA standard of 6:59 at a 90% rate can be maintained while reducing annual costs for both jurisdictions."

The temporary station will be constructed site at 1675 Skyline Blvd. in Burlingame, approximately 3.3 miles from the Millbrae fire station at 785 Crestview Drive and 2.5 miles from the existing Burlingame station at 2832 Hillside Drive.

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