Federal money is helping save the bacon for the Springfield Fire Department.

The city council will vote July 20 on the proposed restoration of $1.4 million cut from the budget. Fire marshal Ed Canny, calling the pending decision a “blessing,” said after the meeting the department had not actually executed the cuts.

“The aldermen made it clear to us that they did not want us to lay anybody off, (but rather) to come up with other ways to make those cuts,” he said.

That said, the possibilities for budget savings appear few.

“I can’t remember the percent but we are mostly personnel, as far as our budget is concerned.”

This discussion is not over. The mayor and council want to restructure the department and get a handle on overtime. And an efficiency consultant is coming.