 |
| Fire Chief Tidwell |
I attended the recent Public
Safety budget hearing—the police, fire, and signal divisions, which
take up the greatest amount of your tax dollars every year. The Fire Division
under Chief Frank Tidwell did themselves proudly. They always show up polished
and well-prepared and are able to answer the questions from council members
easily and in detail. This year, the chief pitched a proposal for the East
End firehouse near the Netherwood Train Station to be replaced by a new
structure. The old station has serious structural issues, including a failing
floor that is unable to support heavier modern firefighting equipment.
 |
| Firehouse #4 |
Under the fire division's
proposal, the present building would be demolished and a new facility would be
constructed using the bonding authority of the Union County Improvement
Authority on a larger piece of land. The capital project would improve
firefighting capability in the East End and would be reflected in better ratings
by the insurance companies. This proposal would obviously benefit the
community, but there are other issues that we need to examine as well regarding
public safety, such as how the fire division can be a resource to help meet
Plainfield residents' emergency medical needs.
There is also the question
of how the mayor intends to pay the additional costs in deferred pensions that
are due after she accepted a deferral plan a few years ago.
Next up (on Wednesday): Budget hearings are scheduled for Recreation, Inspections, the Mayor's Office, and City Administrator's Office. I will keep you
posted.
Yours truly,
Roni
Roni, The fire house should be a priority and not wait until a new administration. It could be part of a disaster waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteAt the last Council meeting I believe that I suggested that a Division of Health Care including operating the emergency ambulance services be set up under the Department of Public Safety where it would logically belong. It should not be a Fie Department role although it can be handled
Correction, it was at the 2nd Ward Town Hall meeting that I made the comment about Rescue Squad services.
ReplyDelete