BOSTON -- At a midday rally Friday, Lawrence firefighters called on Gov. Deval Patrick to declare a public safety state of emergency.

That declaration would make the city eligible for state and federal aid to rehire 23 firefighters who were laid off Tuesday as the city struggles to balance the budget.

"It's time for the governor to step up, take over Lawrence. Give us what we need in the fire service, and get our men back to work and get our stations back open, and we need that now," said Patrick Driscoll, of Lawrence Firefighters Local 146.

Lawrence firefighters came to Boston to meet with Patrick, but he wasn't available. Instead, they held a rally on the roof of a building that overlooks the Statehouse, hoping that the message they shout will be heard loud and clear inside the governor's office.

"Governor, I demand a meeting as soon as possible. The buck stops with you," said Bob McCarthy, of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. "Public safety shouldn't be a political issue."

"Both the interests in public safety and the interest in fiscal stability are interests that are very important to me, and I think they can be balanced. I think they have been balanced. And obviously, I want to hear what the firefighters have to say," Patrick said.

Even before laying off 24 percent of the Fire Department, Lawrence had closed some stations because of previous rounds of layoffs. The firefighters are frustrated with what they call an impasse with the city, so they're seeking money from the state for the short-term to help until the next round of federal stimulus money is available.

"Not only have I lost my job, my income, everything I've worked for my entire life -- I'm a college graduate. I have two college degrees. I worked very hard to get where I'm at. I feel as though the rug's been taken out from underneath me," laid off firefighter Ryan Lavallee said.