By Liz Oakes
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MOUNT HEALTHY - Two days after the city's volunteer fire chief and a fire captain resigned over proposed job cuts, some residents said they'd rather have fire coverage than the year-old city pool open seven days a week.

On Monday, a handful of residents said they didn't agree with City Council's planned cutback, which Fire Chief Tom Harris said in his resignation letter in his opinion could endanger lives.

Eliminating 60 part-time hours a week would save about $30,000 a year, according to Harris.

"You can always go somewhere else and swim," said Donna Sharp, 23, as she left the Speedway gas station on St. Clair and Hamilton avenues.

Sharp said she's worried about her five children's safety if the city reduces four part-time fire positions to three to avoid shortening pool hours and closing it two days a week.

Marge Grosser, 77, of Ridgewood Apartments on Seward Avenue, said she's worried, too.

Lives are "more important than a swimming pool," Grosser said.

Ridgewood, which houses about 180 people ages 62 and older, some with disabilities, sometimes calls the fire department several times a week for ambulance runs, to check out fire alarms and other help, Grosser said.

"When we call, they're right there. And boy, do we need them," Grosser said.

At Mount Healthy High School, the opinion among teens was mixed.

Brittania Stallworth, 17, wondered where children would swim this summer, and said she hopes the pool will be open all week.

Ashley Hudson, also 17, said she thinks safety and keeping city jobs are more important.

Last summer, she took her brother Jordan, 5, to the pool a couple of times a week, she said.

But "they should close it whatever days they need to keep the firefighter," Hudson said.

Council is scheduled to meet tonight at 7 to go over the proposed budget. City officials say the cutback would help maintain a balance at the end of the year, as well as free up money for the pool.

The vote on the budget is planned for March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Mount Healthy's 26-person fire department has one full-time firefighter. Eleven part-timers share 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shifts; four part-timers are on duty at a time.

Fourteen volunteers, who are paid $75 a month for ambulance runs and $16 to $18 per fire run, are on call evenings and weekends.

The city already has laid off two part-timers in the Public Works Department and eliminated July Fourth fireworks from this year's budget, as well as a summer day camp that lost $6,100 last year.

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E-mail loakes@enquirer.com