Upon hearing the news this morning of two fires in the downtown area, Chief Operating Officer Lynnette Young said, “Our hearts go out to the businesses and employees that were affected by the two very serious fires that occurred today on Howell Mill Road and Cheshire Bridge Road.” In response to staffing concerns raised by firefighter union leaders, Ms. Young stated, “ We are confident in the abilities of our Fire Department to protect the residents and businesses of Atlanta. Interim Fire Chief Kenneth Allen has worked aggressively since assuming leadership of the Atlanta Fire Department to address staffing issues.” In support of Chief Allen’s request, submitted in 2003, the city authorized approximately 1.6 million for overtime to address concerns regarding the number of firefighters per truck. Overtime is used to augment staff when firefighters are out on leave or vacation as needed.
Chief Allen says, We are able to staff our single and double engines with the appropriate number of firefighters and our incident commanders are able to dispatch additional units if needed. Today’s fires were adequately staffed, although we did encounter some difficulty with a faulty hydrant at the Cheshire Bridge location.”
The Water Bureau was called to the scene and discovered that the hydrant had recently been hit by a car. Water Bureau crews repaired the hydrant immediately and it was put into service during the fire. The Atlanta Fire Department inspects fire hydrants twice a year in October and in April. City records did not indicate that a problem had been reported on this particular hydrant.
Chief Operating Officer Young concluded, “We have discussed staffing concerns with union officials on numerous occasions and we remain committed to seeking additional funding for more firefighters. However, this must be done in the context of the overall city budget. In the meantime, I want to reassure the public that the City has an adequate number of firefighters to protect our community.”