United States (Pennsylvania) - The union that represents firefighters in the cash-strapped Fayette County city of Uniontown is seeking a court order to prevent layoffs it says violates terms of its labor contract and create s a potentially deadly situation.

In a lawsuit filed this morning, the International Association of Firefighters Local 955 is seeking an emergency court order that would prohibit the layoffs.

In addition, the union wants a judge to order the city to reinstate all seven laid-off firefighters until the two sides resolve an earlier grievance the union filed over the layoffs.

Through its attorney, Joshua M. Bloom of Pittsburgh, the union contends the layoffs have created an unsafe situation for residents and firefighters. Only six full-time firefighters remain, forcing the department to close one of its two stations and reducing staffing at the other station to just two firefighters per shift.

"Manning the city's fire department with only two firefighters per shift results in a completely unacceptable risk of death and serious injury to the firefighters, the residents of the city, and the residents of surrounding communities, and thus, will result in irreparable harm," states the lawsuit.

City council on Tuesday laid off four firefighters after city officials laid off three other firefighters in October. According to the lawsuit, the department had 13 full-time firefighters prior to the layoffs.

Originally published by The Tribune-Review.

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Written by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review