By Eric Stirgus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine said Wednesday that Atlanta’s plans to weather a budget crisis by reducing fire service in some neighborhoods could put public safety at risk.
“If the response time goes down, the safety of citizens will be substantially reduced,” the commissioner said in an interview. “I think fire and police services should be the last places to be cut.”
Atlanta fire Rescue Chief Kelvin Cochran said Tuesday that Fire Station 23, at 1545 Howell Mill Road, will be closed from Christmas Day to June 30, the end of the city’s budget cycle. Fire Truck 12, which operates at Fire Station 12 at 1288 DeKalb Ave., will not operate during the same time period.
Oxendine said he’s asked an agency that rates the preparedness of fire stations across the country for an “impact evaluation” of how Atlanta’s changes will affect service, particularly response times.
Any negative rating changes by the Insurance Services Office could increase homeowner insurance premiums, Oxendine said. Oxendine’s staff said Atlanta currently has a rating of 2 on a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 the highest rating.
Mayor Shirley Franklin said she tried to avoid public safety cuts in May when she proposed what she has described as a “modest” property tax increase. The average city homeowner would have paid an extra $30 in property taxes under Franklin’s plan, city officials said at the time.
Franklin warned that if her tax increase was not approved, police officer layoffs and several fire stations closings might occur.
“I agree that public safety should be the last place for cuts, which is why I recommended a modest tax increase dedicated to public safety,” Franklin said in a statement Wednesday. “The City Council voted unanimously against it and rolled back the [property tax] rate, exacerbating the problem.”
To date, no police officers or firefighters have been laid off, but the mayor closed Fire Station 7, near the Mall West End, in July to balance the budget.
On Tuesday, Franklin announced that 222 city workers would lose their jobs to help fill a projected $50 million to $60 million budget shortfall. Most remaining city workers, including firefighters, will work fewer hours and suffer a pay cut as part of the budget cuts.
Cochran decided to close down Fire Station 23 and stop using the truck at Station 12, a strategy he calls “blackouts.” He also has instituted “brownouts,” meaning some equipment might be unused during holidays or other times when a significant number of employees are not working.
The “brownout” plan includes Fire Station 26, at 2970 Howell Mill Road, which is 3 miles away from Fire Station 23.
Councilwoman Clair Muller, who represents the area, said she feared the impact of the service reductions in the area. Cochran has agreed to a meeting with area residents, Muller said.
“I need [Cochran] to explain to me and the surrounding neighborhoods that there is sufficient backup to each [station] so we can be assured that there is an adequate level of service.”