Fire Districts - in Danger - December 6, 2005

Readers Forum - Provide fire department with resources it needs

Mayor Jerry Abramson sent a letter to all the firehouses in the Urban Service District. His request for creation of a fire department for the 21st Century is structured around modernizations and fewer firehouses.

While new safety tactics and equipment are developed every day, the general concept of fighting fire and saving lives is still the same as it was years ago....

Firefighting is not a one-or-two person job. It's a profession ... that few people will accept due to its physical demands - all the more reason to provide a department with the resources and staffing it needs.

The proposal is a contradiction. Most fire departments in the United States and Canada have evolved into firehouse-based EMS departments.... In fact, one of the tables in the recent Tri-Data study shows that 11 out of the 15 fire departments listed provide EMS transport. We have taken a step back. We all need to question the response times of the new EMS system. The results are going to be costly in dollars and lives.

The Mayor pledged the plan will not raise taxes and will not lay off any firefighters. Our department had not had a recruit class prior to last year's since 2002. How long will it be before the next time? Will the "no layoffs" become attrition?...

Our citizens deserve the best, and with a growing population, our 21st Century fire departments should not be defined by the architecture of the buildings. They should provide a good living and working environment, and the emphasis should be on what's needed for staffing, training and operations....

ROXANNE HACK

Louisville Professional Fire Fighters

Louisville 40214

David P. Harpe, Special to The Courier-Journal

In September, firefighters battled a blaze in two houses on Lee Street.