Cuts to the Eastside Fire and Rescue budget could mean fewer firefighters and the occasionally closed fire house for Issaquah and Sammamish.

Staffing levels are expected to drop low enough that in some instances firefighters may arrive on scene, but won’t be allowed to enter burning buildings, even if they know someone is stuck inside.

“It’s a major shift for us,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Griffin.

EF&R is funded by a various districts and cities with different funding methods, but most of the revenue loss has been because of falling property values, he said.

As of now, no one will be laid off, but two firefighter positions were eliminated through attrition.

The major change is the decision not to offer overtime hours to employees who want to fill in for a sick or injured coworker.

Stations typically have three firefighters on duty at any given time, because a state law requires three firefighters be at a scene before anyone can enter a burning building.

If someone called in sick, it would reduce the staff to two and the team would have to wait for backup before making any rescue attempts.

In the case where two employees can’t come in, the station would be closed until the next shift.

EF&R is only going to allow one station to close at a time, Griffin said.

In the few occasions a station will close, residents could see slower response times.

The change is expected to save EF&R between $1 million and $2.8 million.

The organization’s revenue hasn’t increased in about three years, although employees are still getting raises and the cost of healthcare continues to climb.

The firefighters voluntarily took zero raises last year, and the office staff took pay cuts, Griffin said.

EF&R serves the cities of Issaquah, Sammamish, Carnation, North Bend along with the unincorporated areas of King County.