Baltimore mayor okays one truck closing but decides not to shut two other companies. Chief sees a positive sign as leaders look for a way to fund fire department’s overtime.
Baltimore City Fire Chief Jim Clack tells STATter911.com that at a meeting this evening he learned the City Council and Mayor Sheila Dixon are trying to come up with money for the department’s overtime for the rest of the year. This comes at a time when Mayor Dixon has modified the chief’s plan to close three fire companies and continue rotating closings for two others.
The mayor’s decision to permanently close only one of the three companies means the department, without approximately $3.5 million in overtime between now and June 30, 2010, would still have to close at least four companies each day.
Before that meeting occurred this statement from Mayor Dixon was issued from City Hall in the afternoon:
“Yesterday, I listened to Chief Clack’s proposal to permanently close fire companies, and we had a follow-up meeting again today. Both the Chief and I are confronted with the difficult challenge of keeping the residents of this City safe during difficult economic times. We simply do not have the funds to maintain every City service at our historic levels.
Baltimore City Fire Department photo of Chief Jim Clack.
However, I support Chief Clack’s recommendation to close Truck 16 at 405 McMechen Street because that fire station will remain open and will continue to be staffed with a fire engine and a medic unit on site. The nearest truck company to Truck 16 is Truck 10 at 1503 W. Lafayette Avenue, which is 0.76 miles away from the station housing Truck 16. The closure of this truck company will decrease the number of citywide rotating closures from five to four per day.
To be clear, we are facing unprecedented deficits heading into the next fiscal year. Budget cuts to the Fire Department and every other City department will be on the table as we work to develop next year’s budget.”
