HOUSTON (April 4, 2019) - Fire Chief Samuel Peña's statement:
Today, regrettably, due to the financial impact of implementing Proposition B, we began the reduction in force process by issuing a 60-day layoff notice to each of the 67 fire cadets.
It is an action I hoped we would not have to take, but on the other hand, we cannot ignore the cost of Prop B. Bridging a $20 million reduction in the HFD budget has forced me to make some extremely difficult decisions.
The layoffs are not effective until June 7, 2019. In the 60-day interim, I hope that an agreement can be reached with the fire union that will allow us to rescind the layoff notices, swear-in the cadets and focus on continuing the efficient delivery of service to this community.
The best way to honor the will of the voters, pay our firefighters and minimize the impact is to phase-in the full implementation of Proposition B.