COMPTON, Calif. — Putting out fires is second nature for Compton City firefighter Daniel Salazar. He’s been doing it for over 16 years, but lately, he’s been focusing on something different — organizing a union rally, handing out flyers and reaching out to city council members.

That’s because Compton firefighters are fed up with run-down facilities and outdated equipment, including the department’s only aerial ladder, which isn’t certified, he said.

“Anything that requires any type of aerial support, for example, vehicle accidents if we need to, rescues or fires, it’s not in service,” he said. “So, in reality, we don’t have aerial capability and we would have to rely on outside agencies for that type of capability.”

The fire department responds to roughly 10,000 emergency calls a year, according to the city’s website. Salazar said firefighters are currently negotiating with the city for a new contract, since the last one expired three years ago and the department, which has 56 members, is not getting enough funding.

The Compton city budget for its fire department was $14.7 million in fiscal year 2022, a steady decrease from its $19.2 million budget in fiscal year 2019.

Although for the next year, the city budgeted $16.2 million for the fire department and Compton City Councilman Andre Spicer said new equipment is on the way.

“We bought them five new trucks,” he said. “We also worked out a deal with one of the developers that will be buying them another truck with a ladder on it.”

Spicer said the city is working with the firefighters to understand their needs and put a plan in place while also carefully prioritizing spending throughout Compton.

“There’s a lot of things that we have to address in our city. We have trees growing, breaking up concrete that is going into people’s pipes, which we have to fix. We have public safety issues all over the city,” he said. “So there is a lot of relevant things that we have to take care of.”

Spicer said he’s also looking for grant money to help support the fire department.

Salazar said he’s looking forward to the new fire engines, but they won’t be ready for at least 18 months. He hopes to come with a plan with the city that will also help them retain and hire firefighters.

“Ultimately, how can we make this a department that is going to be sustainable for us as employees and ultimately for the residents?” he said.