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It's Gone! It's Back! It's Gone Again!

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FIRE STATION NO. 7 IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA IS NOW SCHEDULED, once again, to be closed.  The city’s mercurial mayor had decided to shut it down in a cost-saving move.  But after a strong public outcry, she relented and said maybe it could stay open.  Then on Friday she changed her mind again and after giving the local city councilwoman a 10-minute advance notice she announced that there would be an official closing ceremony today (Monday) at 2 pm.

[photopress:atlanta7_a_ajc.jpg,full,centered]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The firehouse was built in 1910 and is the oldest of the existing fire stations in use today.  The apparatus, including the city’s sole air supply truck, and the 18 firefighters have already been reassigned to other locations.  A new budget that was passed by the City Council last month abolishes 94 firefighter positions, so the city is seriously undermanned already.

The residents and businesses in Station 7′s district mounted a picket line and generally made as much noise as they could to protest the closure.  But the mayor is adamant that the cutbacks continue.  The decision to close Station No. 7 was reached after seeking recommendations from every city department, she said.

“In this specific case, I have been assured by Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran that the neighborhood should not experience any shortage of service,” Mayor Franklin said Sunday.

Firegeezer asks:  Can anyone tell me what in the world ”shortage of service” means?

Unsaid was why the station was there all this time if it wasn’t really needed?  Of the massive budget cuts made to the entire city government, nearly 25% of them are coming from the fire department.  Not reported is whether any cuts were made in the mayor’s office.

[photopress:atlanta7_b_ajc.jpg,full,centered]
Station 7 Building Plaque (AJC)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the complete story and how it’s impacting the neighborhood HERE.

Jim Daws, the president of the Atlanta Professional Fire Fighters Association recently had an informative letter to the editor published HERE.

Atlanta Fire Department WEBSITE.
I.A.F.F. Local 134 WEBSITE.

Posted by on July 14, 2008 • Filed under: current events, fire stations
  • Dal90

    Schools, Police, and Fire are usually the big targets because that’s where most municipal expenditures are at.

    This is Atlanta’s budget. It’s one of the very worse presentations I’ve ever seen.

    Out of $1 Billion in revenues in the General & Airport funds (Airport fund apparantly subsidizes the PD & FD), I can only account for $110 Million in funding to the PD & FD. Nor can I find school expenses.

    I suspect you’d find a lot of PD / FD costs are buried in other items — such as lumping health insurance and retirement costs into a pool with all other city employees, or putting the fuel costs for all departments in one line item.

    It screams to me that the City does not have a good top level view of what each department truly costs…or at least they don’t have one they want to share with the public or the city council.

    Usually among major cities, if the schools are under hte municipal budget, to see a break down similiar to 40% schools, 25% police, 15% fire, 10% non-enterprise public works, and 10% everything else. I can’t tell at a glance in Atlanta where those numbers fall.

  • Dal90

    Schools, Police, and Fire are usually the big targets because that’s where most municipal expenditures are at.

    This is Atlanta’s budget. It’s one of the very worse presentations I’ve ever seen.

    Out of $1 Billion in revenues in the General & Airport funds (Airport fund apparantly subsidizes the PD & FD), I can only account for $110 Million in funding to the PD & FD. Nor can I find school expenses.

    I suspect you’d find a lot of PD / FD costs are buried in other items — such as lumping health insurance and retirement costs into a pool with all other city employees, or putting the fuel costs for all departments in one line item.

    It screams to me that the City does not have a good top level view of what each department truly costs…or at least they don’t have one they want to share with the public or the city council.

    Usually among major cities, if the schools are under hte municipal budget, to see a break down similiar to 40% schools, 25% police, 15% fire, 10% non-enterprise public works, and 10% everything else. I can’t tell at a glance in Atlanta where those numbers fall.

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  • DWS

    It is my understanding from reading the AJC online that the (Atlanta) mayor attempted to avoid cuts to police and fire by laying off other city workers and proposing a modest tax increase to make up the difference. It was the city council who defeated the mayor’s tax cut and informed the mayor that she would have to find an additional 2.5% to cut. Were there other options? I don’t know. It sounds to me that cities like Atlanta, East Point, GA and Scranton, PA are now trying to make up for years and years of fiscal mismanagement amplified by an economic slowdown by turning to the ever popular “easy” target. The Fire Department. Close stations, cut manpower (my department goes down to 2 firefighters on an engine rather than call in OT for sick leave), and roll the dice. It is only a matter of time before a citizen or a firefighter has to pay the price for our politicians’ failures. Unfortunately, our elected officials maintain the right to mismanage our cities and towns and we are the ones left holding the leaking bag of you-know-what.

  • DWS

    It is my understanding from reading the AJC online that the (Atlanta) mayor attempted to avoid cuts to police and fire by laying off other city workers and proposing a modest tax increase to make up the difference. It was the city council who defeated the mayor’s tax cut and informed the mayor that she would have to find an additional 2.5% to cut. Were there other options? I don’t know. It sounds to me that cities like Atlanta, East Point, GA and Scranton, PA are now trying to make up for years and years of fiscal mismanagement amplified by an economic slowdown by turning to the ever popular “easy” target. The Fire Department. Close stations, cut manpower (my department goes down to 2 firefighters on an engine rather than call in OT for sick leave), and roll the dice. It is only a matter of time before a citizen or a firefighter has to pay the price for our politicians’ failures. Unfortunately, our elected officials maintain the right to mismanage our cities and towns and we are the ones left holding the leaking bag of you-know-what.