Five Atlanta fire stations had to close on Super Bowl Sunday after 27 firefighters called in sick, more than double the usual number.

All the sick firefighters at the same time were not viewed as a coordinated situation, or a political statement, but more a situation of the firefighters simply being run down and susceptible to becoming sick.

The Atlanta fire chief blamed the situation on a combination of staff reductions, hiring freezes and furloughs. And the fire union head blamed hiring freezes and city-imposed work furloughs for leaving the firefighters feeling beaten down and run down, according to reports.

Under more favorable budget conditions, overtime would be authorized to cover temporary staff shortages. There were conflicting opinions on whether closing some fire stations on Sunday caused any safety issues.

Budget reductions create a Firefighter safety crisis - The following is partial list of reductions Atlanta Fire Rescue has suffered in the FY09 budget:

• Abolished 119 firefighters out of a sworn field operations force of 785
• Closed 4 fire companies, including the only dedicated heavy rescue and hazardous materials response unit
• Cut staffing on all engine and ladder companies to 3 firefighters assigned contrary to established national safety standards
• Reduced work hours for sworn firefighters by 18 percent with the equivalent loss in pay
• Closed additional fire companies on a daily basis – over 25 times to date
• Reassigned over half of our training staff in the face of unprecedented attrition
• Eliminated the health and wellness program that provided early detection of occupational stress related killers

In addition:

• To cover a $140 million budget shortfall, Mayor Franklin’s FY09 budget proposal abolishes 89 firefighter positions and cuts Fire Rescue’s budget by over $13 million.

• In addition, Mayor Franklin’s proposal asks for a $44 million property tax increase to prevent further cuts to Fire Rescue and any cuts to Police. The tax increase is an average of $30 annually per homeowner.

• City Council approves firefighter abolishments, but rejects Mayor Franklin’s tax proposal and instead passes a $14 million tax cut, averaging $8 annually per homeowner. This necessitates another 5% budget cut to Fire Rescue.

Letter from Firefighters Local 134 to Mayor of Atlanta

Dear Mayor Franklin:

I’m writing to ensure that you are fully aware of the negative impacts the budget cuts to Fire Rescue have had on fire protection, emergency medical services and disaster response in the City of Atlanta.

The following is partial list of reductions Fire Rescue has suffered in the FY09 budget:

• Abolished 119 firefighters out of a sworn field operations force of 785
• Closed 4 fire companies, including the only dedicated heavy rescue and hazardous materials response unit
• Cut staffing on all engine and ladder companies to 3 firefighters assigned contrary to established national safety standards
• Reduced work hours for sworn firefighters by 18 percent with the equivalent loss in pay
• Closed additional fire companies on a daily basis – over 25 times to date
• Reassigned over half of our training staff in the face of unprecedented attrition
• Eliminated the health and wellness program that provided early detection of occupational stress related killers

These reductions have resulted in increased response times for fire and emergency medical calls and greatly increased the dangers both to the citizens and firefighters. Because fire companies are operating at below-minimum staffing, it’s necessary that more companies respond to provide for adequate personnel for safe and effective operations. Because of the closures, these fire companies must respond from farther away. During the increased response time, the fire or other emergency causes greater deaths, injury and property loss.

In addition, Fire Rescue’s staffing has fallen far below the risk level contained in the City of Atlanta. Fire Rescue currently has the capacity for four alarms. But because of the below-minimum staffing, Fire Rescue is responding two alarms to assemble the staffing necessary to address routine fire calls. There will come day when one or more major incident will overwhelm this below-minimum staffing scheme. Citizen’s lives weigh in the balance.

Firefighters are being asked to perform their jobs under unprecedented stresses by responding to more calls with fewer personnel and resources. At the same time, firefighter’s pay has been slashed so deeply - about 18 percent - that many are unable to provide for their families. Pay was already so far below the market that most firefighters had to work a second full-time job, now they have to take on a third.

All of this is a recipe for a public safety disaster. In our past, Atlanta Fire Rescue has responded effectively to many major incidents, like the Peachtree 25th and Fulton Mill fires, saving scores of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property. But the staffing, resources, and morale of Atlanta Fire Rescue have been damaged so greatly that it is a real question whether the organization could now adequately cope with one or more major incidents.

When you took office, you inherited a Fire Rescue Department that was understaffed, under resourced and suffering from poor leadership. During the first six years of your administration, you made real progress by improving staffing, expanding programs, and recruiting progressive leadership. But now all the staffing and programmatic improvements have been swept away and you stand to leave a Fire Rescue Department in even worse shape than the one you inherited.

The current conflict between yourself and City Council has created a toxic environment where Atlanta’s elected officials are spending more time and energy blaming the other than creatively addressing the public safety crisis in the Fire Rescue and Police Departments.

I appeal to you to use your last year to restore public safety in Atlanta by rising above past differences and working cooperatively with City Council and fire and police labor representatives. Atlanta’s citizens, firefighters and police officers deserve nothing less. I believe you will find overwhelming support for yourself and council when you do.

Please be aware that the International Association of Fire Fighters is doing everything in its power to secure federal assistance for public safety staffing by supporting legislation that will provide direct aid to municipalities for firefighters, police officers and teachers. We are also asking that matching requirements for Homeland Security grants to fund firefighters be waived during the current economic crisis.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that firefighters have the necessary resources to perform their sworn duty to protect citizens and return home to their families at the end of their shifts. I hope you will share that goal with us.

Yours for a safer Atlanta,

Jim Daws
President
Atlanta Professional Fire Fighters Association
IAFF 134

http://www.atlantafirefighters.org/wordpress/
ATLANTA PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS