What does a 15% budget cut look like? The Fairfax County fire chief shows us.

Read entire presentation by Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Chief Ronald Mastin

With Fairfax County expecting the need to cut $430 million from its next budget, County Executive Anthony Griffin asked for agencies to present budgets that are reduced by 15 percent. A week ago today, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Chief Ronald Mastin showed the Board of Supervisors just what that would mean for his department.

Mastin and other public safety heads gave their FY 2010 LOBS presentations. LOBS is the acronym for “Lines of Business”.

At a community meeting the supervisors have already heard what the public thinks is most important as the elected leaders ponder what are being described by some as “painful” cuts. According to the Fairfax Times, a meeting in Chantilly heard citizens urge that the cuts not affect core missions of public safety agencies.

The cuts identified by Chief Mastin are, at the moment, just possibilities in the goal to slice almost $27 million from his budget. In the chart below, Chief Mastin outlines the department’s philosphy in picking what should go and what should stay.

One area clearly not identified for reduction is mimimum staffing standards. Still, other possible cuts appear to tread on those core services. Included are four BLS ambulances from stations that already run ALS units. These are 408 (Annandale), 409 (Mt. Vernon), 410 (Bailey’s Crossroads) and 411 (Penn Daw). The four ambulances would come from two of the busiest sections of the county, the Route 1 corridor and the Columbia Pike corridor.

Chief Mastin’s presentation talks about the possiblility of eliminating two heavy rescue companies. The presentation also shows how more than $9 million could be saved by closing four fire stations. No stations have been identified.

Supervisor Penny Gross, in her column in the Falls Church News-Press, summed up the presentations this way:

Clearly, none of the identified reductions in public safety is very palatable, to the departments, the Board, or the citizenry. No decisions have been made about these identified cuts; the LOBs review allows the Board of Supervisors and county staff to look at all the services provided by the county, using taxpayer dollars, as we face a very difficult budget cycle next year.