HYPERLOCAL NEWS HUB BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM
Cooper-Young Still Left with Questions about Fire Services
By Latresia Sutton/MicroMemphis reporter
February 1, 2012
Residents from the Midtown area gathered at Peabody Elementary School for a town hall meeeting about possible cuts to fire services in their neighborhood.
The elimination of a fire truck that responds directly to their neighborhood has some residents concerned that in an emergency occurs, there will be more wait time for a fire truck to arrive .
The audience asked questions about fire calls, fire hydrants, where fire trucks would be dispatched if an emergency happens, and why the Memphis Fire Department was considering cuts.
Their main concern- could the budget be cut without affecting the safety of the people, and the welfare of the Firefighter's.
Memphis City Councilman Kemp Conrad representing-District 9 stated, "The world changed in 2008 and a lot of financial issues were exposed. That's one thing that changed. We still have a $40 million structurally that will go into effect in July."
The MFD has considered withdrawing three trucks in the Midtown area: trucks 4, 7 and 14.
They have even considered modifying equipment already in service for every station to help save money and use fewer firefighters. An efficiency study recommended the MFD reduce the number of ladder trucks by seven and firefighters by 230.
Director of Fire Services, Alvin Benson, assured residents that a fire truck would come from the next closet station available in that area. Benson said regardless of the situation, a fire truck with appropriate staffing should arrive within four minutes of the call.
Benson showed the audience a coverage map of Memphis fire stations. There are 4.4 stations per 50,000 population and they have a built in redundancy. This means that Memphis actually has more fire services than it actually needs. If an emergency should happen, the Lamar station would be the first to respond to the Midtown area.
But Cooper-Young business owner Leah Roen says the only information that will make her feel better is knowing cuts won't be made. "I'm horrified, horrified, absolutely. I mean, I've been thinking about this over a month, so I'm very upset about it."
Although a final decision has not been made, one resident expressed her gratitude to the firefighters at the meeting. "I want to thank you for your services, because I could not imagine doing that job."
Relevant Articles:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/01/fire-truck-loss-raises-alarm/
http://lamplighter.cooperyoung.org/2012/01/16/cooper-young-concerned-about-possible-fire-department-cuts/
Meeting Live Tweeted by Alice Hart/MicroMemphis reporter
Residents from the Midtown area gathered at Peabody Elementary School for a town hall meeeting about possible cuts to fire services in their neighborhood.
The elimination of a fire truck that responds directly to their neighborhood has some residents concerned that in an emergency occurs, there will be more wait time for a fire truck to arrive .
The audience asked questions about fire calls, fire hydrants, where fire trucks would be dispatched if an emergency happens, and why the Memphis Fire Department was considering cuts.
Their main concern- could the budget be cut without affecting the safety of the people, and the welfare of the Firefighter's.
Memphis City Councilman Kemp Conrad representing-District 9 stated, "The world changed in 2008 and a lot of financial issues were exposed. That's one thing that changed. We still have a $40 million structurally that will go into effect in July."
The MFD has considered withdrawing three trucks in the Midtown area: trucks 4, 7 and 14.
They have even considered modifying equipment already in service for every station to help save money and use fewer firefighters. An efficiency study recommended the MFD reduce the number of ladder trucks by seven and firefighters by 230.
Director of Fire Services, Alvin Benson, assured residents that a fire truck would come from the next closet station available in that area. Benson said regardless of the situation, a fire truck with appropriate staffing should arrive within four minutes of the call.
Benson showed the audience a coverage map of Memphis fire stations. There are 4.4 stations per 50,000 population and they have a built in redundancy. This means that Memphis actually has more fire services than it actually needs. If an emergency should happen, the Lamar station would be the first to respond to the Midtown area.
But Cooper-Young business owner Leah Roen says the only information that will make her feel better is knowing cuts won't be made. "I'm horrified, horrified, absolutely. I mean, I've been thinking about this over a month, so I'm very upset about it."
Although a final decision has not been made, one resident expressed her gratitude to the firefighters at the meeting. "I want to thank you for your services, because I could not imagine doing that job."
Relevant Articles:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/feb/01/fire-truck-loss-raises-alarm/
http://lamplighter.cooperyoung.org/2012/01/16/cooper-young-concerned-about-possible-fire-department-cuts/
Meeting Live Tweeted by Alice Hart/MicroMemphis reporter