ATLANTA PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS

FY09 Budget - The FY09 budget crisis keeps getting worse and worse for public safety in Atlanta. After the initial shortfall, the mayor submitted a budget proposal that eliminated 95 sworn firefighter positions. That was bad enough, but through elimination of vacancies, creating attrition through retirements and transferring 18 positions from the field to the airport, the department was going to be able to hold onto all its sworn personnel and the recruits at the fire academy.

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by Jim Daws

Dear Editor,

When President Lisa Borders says, in her July 8th letter, that Atlanta City Council raised public safety spending, she is referring only to a very small budget increase for police. She is excluding the much larger budget cuts to fire and rescue, which resulted in a net decrease in public safety spending.

Although normally considered an integral component of public safety, President Boarders apparently considers fire protection, disaster response and emergency medical services outside the definition of the term.

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By Lisa Borders
For the Journal-Constitution

Published on: 07/08/08

City must clean up own mess

The Atlanta City Council faced a simple choice in passing this year’s budget: Who should pay for the city’s financial mismanagement?

We started the budget season with the administration delivering a surprising and partially avoidable $140 million budget shortfall. Mayor Shirley Franklin’s team put together a proposal of job eliminations and tax hikes to balance the budget.

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By Jim Daws
For the Journal-Constitution

Published on: 07/01/08

One of life’s great truths is, “You reap what you sow.” Atlanta citizens should be aware that, with budget cuts to Atlanta Fire Rescue, the Franklin administration and Atlanta City Council are sowing a very bitter harvest indeed. That harvest will likely yield a bumper crop of property loss, fire injuries and deaths.

The budget that City Council passed on Friday cuts at least 10 percent from the department’s budget and abolishes 94 firefighter positions, equal to about 12 percent of its staffing. That will leave fire protection, disaster response and emergency medical service in Atlanta dangerously short-staffed. The increased risk will be borne by citizens, property owners, visitors and, most of all, the firefighters who will find themselves repeatedly forced to confront life-and-death situations with inadequate staffing.

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FY09 Budget - Yesterday, Mayor Franklin and the Atlanta City Council dealt a major setback to public safety in Atlanta. Not only did council pass the mayor’s budget proposal that abolished 94 sworn firefighter positions, but they added an additional 2.5% cut to departments in the general fund. As a result the citizens of Atlanta will suffer longer emergency response times to fires and medical emergencies, and less effective emergency services. Firefighters will be asked to assume even greater risks as they respond to dangerous calls for help without the minimum staffing to safely and effectively do the job.

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Greg Giornelli
Chief Operating Officer
City of Atlanta

Dear Chief Giornelli:

It’s two weeks short of one year since a pay step for sworn firefighters was authorized in the FY08 budget. Despite numerous notifications to the Human Resources and Finance Departments, there are still many firefighters who have not received their pay step and/or back pay. Our organization has asked on several occasions that Finance and Human Resources set up a temporary customer service center where employees with pay discrepancies can meet with the personnel who can address their pay issues. Additionally, we have repeatedly provided the names of those members with pay discrepancies.

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The Department has asked for volunteers from Local 134 for the Open House weekend. This is a very important effort that will garner positive public relations and build community support for firefighters during these trying budget times. All members are encouraged to participate.

Volunteers are needed to serve as Fire Station Ambassadors during the upcoming Friends and Neighbors in the Stations weekend a.k.a. “Open House”. The ambassador’s primary role will be to assist in giving station tours and take a lead role when the on duty crew is called out for an emergency response.

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By Jim Daws for the AJC

Published on: 06/02/08

Can we please get two things straight? City of Atlanta workers do not enjoy lavish retirement packages, and pensions are not the cause of the city’s budget shortfall. Here are some facts:

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by Cynthia Tucker for the AJC

Published on: 05/28/08

Atlanta city officials have finally begun to examine the budget mess, looking for ways to avoid either steep cuts in service delivery or a property tax hike. If those officials had immersed themselves as deeply in financial matters two or three years ago, they might not be in such a fix now.

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The impacts of the Franklin Administration’s proposed FY09 budget cuts on fire protection, disaster response and emergency medical services for the City of Atlanta.

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