Demonstrators Protest Fire Station Shut Downs

Members of a group called N-B Brownouts picketed outside City Hall Thursday afternoon, protesting the ongoing shutdown of New Bedford fire stations on a rotating basis.

Protestor Sara Daniels tells WBSM News, she's hoping for a response from the Mayor. "The Mayor needs to acknowledge that the citizens of the city are upset about what's going on and for him to listen to our suggestions on what we could do differently to keep the fire stations open."

Also joining the protest was Firefighters Union President Billy Cabral. "I felt compelled to come here because the citizens are coming out to help us, they're concerned about us, so we want to come out here to support them."

Members of the citizen group say they're conducting weekly protests every Thursday to make city officials aware that the general public opposes the shutdowns.

They also want the Mayor to work with them to find funding to keep the stations open. The Mayor says the rotating shut down of fire stations is needed because of a $1 million deficit in the Fire Department budget because of overtime.