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The City of Omaha was within its rights when it took a fire engine and two medic units out of service to save money during a budget crunch, a judge ruled Monday.
However, in two other matters, Douglas County District Judge Patrick Mullen found that the city violated a status-quo order from the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations.
Mullen ruled that four firefighters could not be moved into new positions. Assistant City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch said the firefighters had been put in civilian fire jobs that were left open because of budget-related job cuts last year.
A paramedic shift supervisor also cannot serve as both a medic and a supervisor when there's a vacancy during a shift, according to the ruling.
The city must stop those practices within three days or be found in contempt, Mullen wrote. In den Bosch said Monday the city was already working on making those changes.
The city was the defendant in a contempt action filed by the Omaha Fire Union last month.
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