Rookie firefighters are on a budgetary bubble - Star Tribune
March 31, 2010
Steve Brandt, Star Tribune, February 13, 2010
The most junior Minneapolis 'durgans' save lives and buildings with a combination of training and brute strength, but their jobs are on the line if funding is cut.If you're on your back and turning blue, you want a man like Johnathon McClellan kneeling over you.
At over 6-feet-3 with plenty of muscle, McClellan, a Minneapolis firefighter, has the endurance and training to do chest compressions all the way to the hospital.
"You don't want to give up. You're praying, hoping that this person opens up their eyes," he said. "I've lost some; I've brought some back."
At such times, McClellan, 31, pushes away the worries about how long his job will last. He's one of 27 rookie firefighters who got layoff notices from the city last fall. Some budget maneuvering by the City Council staved off their departures. But they come to work knowing that they're on the bubble and that any further cuts in state aid could mean their jobs.
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