Are you kidding me ?  When is the last time we had a major fire like this ?  When there is a major fire all units respond , as they should . that gives them more than enough to cover any emergency .  The simple fact is most of the time we don't need this many fire fighters .   There is no doubt our fire fighters do a good job and are there when we need them .  On the other hand . if they were so busy all the time they wouldn't have movie theaters in some stations and they wouldn't have time to use Municipal trucks and supplies to collect for the charities they choose to support .   It's perfectly clear from this story the fire fighters and their union have zero desire to cut the budget . If they won't help , then we need to cut the number of fire fighters. When the subject of wages comes up both the fire and police departments use fear as a tool to get what they want.  Just like our mayor---threatening taxpayers with the dishonest choice of choosing between plowing snow and police .