Brookline firefighters upset over plan to reduce minimum staffing

The Town of Brookline and its fire department are at odds as the town plans to cut staffing and reduce overtime.

“We can’t keep posting six-figure deficits in the fire department overtime. Especially not if we want this community to grow. The only other reasonable alternative we see here is contracting the fire department and that would mean, layoffs, closing a company, we don’t want to do that," said Chas Carey, town administrator.

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Union leadership said this point raises their concerns about how the town will approach a new contract. They are currently in negotiations.

“If you are underfunding the overtime in the budget for the fire department, you were clearly not going to be able to meet the contractual obligat