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Residents Respond To Detroit Firefighters' Supply 'Emergency'

DETROIT (WWJ) - Residents from the city and the suburbs have been dropping off donations to Detroit fire stations this week to resolve a difficult problem ... no toilet paper.

Detroit Firefighters Association president Dan McNamara says they're very grateful for the donations of not only paper products, but cleaning supplies as well. McNamara says it's been a big problem.

"And the worst park is if we can't clean ourselves - then we may very well take this home in the morning to our families too. Some firefighters have even had to disrobe in their garages and go into their house to take a shower because they were afraid of contaminating their families or their homes."

The City's fire commissioner blames the problem on a supply issue and says it's being resolved.

RELATED: City firefighters battle blazes in a community with nearly 80,000 abandoned buildings — including a half-dozen shuttered fire stations that scrappers have been looting for stainless steel and copper.

At the same time, the cash-poor city has cut pay and benefits for emergency personnel. Hundreds of firefighters took to the streets in July to protest cuts in pay and benefits after the newest contract stipulated a 10 percent across-the-board pay cut and a hike in medical co-pays.

The firefighters' union started airing commercials in 2011 protesting cuts.

"Our membership doesn't know what's going on from day-to-day and they're worried," union president Dan McNamara said at the time. "We keep coming to work with less and less people and they're worried they're not going to have their jobs tomorrow. They don't understand why somebody would make a decision to cut public safety."

MORE: Toilet Paper Shortage Has Some Detroit Firefighters Digging For Change

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