The union filed for a temporary restraining order.

But Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Beth Myers on Wednesday did not hear their request. Instead, she sent the union back to talk with the city more.

While the two sides try to come up with a compromise, the city - starting today - will stop staffing some fire equipment with three firefighters, one fewer than the four agreed upon in the union's contract.

The union argued against the three-person staffing, saying it was a safety problem for their members.

The city will pay for the four-person staffing with the $125,000 Reds owner Carl Lindner pitched in to help relieve Tall Stacks' debt. But neither city nor union officials were sure Wednesday how long that money might last - it depends upon how often firefighters call in sick or are otherwise off work, causing colleagues to be called in on overtime.

"We've just got to find some answers,'' said Joe Diebold, president of Firefighters Union Local 48. "I think that both parties left there feeling hopeful.''

Meg Olberding, spokeswoman for the city, said, "We'll keep working to find solutions, as we have from the beginning.''

The order for more talks came hours before Mayor Charlie Luken cautioned council members in a memo that if they continue their policy of no increases in property taxes, the budget he releases in about two weeks will include cuts of at least 50 percent to human services agencies, layoffs in departments other than police, fire, recreation and parks, and double-digit average cuts for all but those departments.

The fire controversy began last month when Chief Robert Wright started temporarily idling certain fire companies, a process dubbed "brownouts," when firefighters call in sick or are otherwise off-duty.

That saved the city from paying overtime to firefighters who would have been called in to take their colleagues' places.

But the union said the brownouts endangered public safety. To end the brownouts, City Council agreed earlier this month to start staffing some fire trucks with only three people for up to six hours. But the union argues that violates their contract.

If the new talks don't result in a compromise, the judge will hear the union's request for the restraining order Nov. 2.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com