“I need the riding mower task force to cover exposure B. Have the RIT with their pruning shears meet me at my buggy behind the leaf blowing unit.”

Mayor Eric Brewer is requiring firefighters to cut grass, trim shrubs and perform other municipal chores while on duty to help an overburdened Service Department care for parks and other public areas, which make up a large portion of the city.

“We have 54 firefighters, and they have a lot of downtime,” Brewer said Thursday. “Instead of sitting around the station, they’ll be assisting us as we beautify the city.”

But Rick Razek, vice president of the firefighters union, said protective headphones and noise from the lawnmowers might prevent firefighters from hearing their radios when a call comes in.

“We’re firefighters, not service workers,” Razek said. “It jeopardizes our citizens and will absolutely hinder our response time.”

Every second counts when dealing with fires that double in size every minute, said Cleveland Heights Fire Chief Kevin Mohr, whose city shares a mu tual-aid agreement with East Cleveland.

Mohr would not comment directly on Brewer’s newly issued orders, but he said the plan sounded like one that could potentially interfere with firefighters’ ability to meet their emergency obligations.

“If I’m a chief of a department that provides mutual aid to another department that’s faced with that predicament, I’m wondering if requests to my organization for mutual aid are going to increase or be abused because we have a partner that is chronically understaffed or overworked,” he said. “There aren’t many cities that are staffed with enough personnel to underwrite another city.”

East Cleveland Deputy Safety Director Ken Adams said the new slate of chores should not affect Fire Department response times. The grass-cutting detail, he said, is similar to the firefighters’ other non-fire-related responsibilities, such as checking hydrants, performing fire inspections or visiting schools as a public service.

The firefighters will travel in a fire truck to their assigned work site and will keep their gear with them, ready to move straight to the scene of a fire if called.

Brewer contends that prompt response to fire alarms and a high level of service will remain the Fire Department’s priority. If a call comes in, firefighters will secure their mowing equipment, answer the call and return to the task, he said.

The mayor based his orders on a city law passed in 1944 – during a time when cities desperately needed help with manual labor while many men served in the military overseas. The ordinance gives the mayor power to order special details, which include performing du ties at school crossings, removing snow and ice from sidewalks and repairing city buildings and equipment.

“It’s unbelievable that I’m the only mayor in recent history to use this ordinance,” he said.

By Thursday morning, firefighters were already hard at work, learning to use the city’s riding lawnmower at one corner of Forest Hill Park.

Three firefighters watched, shaking their heads, as another mounted the machine and plowed through brambles and 2-foot-tall weeds, dodging way ward tree branches and climbing steep terrain.

Brewer looked on, too.

“Those weeds and grass should never be that tall,” he said over the whir of the mower. “And they’re tall all over the city. This is simply an attempt to beef up a service that has been lacking for a number of years.”

He broke into a smile.

“That’s way out of line. When they do have down time, they need it to get their strength back.” – No city

“I think it’s a good idea. I also feel that they should be able to use someone to tear down the abandoned buildings.” – Cleveland

“High school-aged people should be hired to cut the grass and do other gardening chores in East Cleveland. They can be paid a minimum wage.” – North Royalton