Richmond Fire Station Closures
Due to budget cuts, the Richmond Fire Department has been forced to make staffing cuts. When staff is sick, takes vacation or has other absences, they are not paying overtime to fill in the absence. Because some firehouses are already low on staff, they simply close entire firehouses – sometimes for 24 hours.
These closures result in fewer companies to respond to emergencies and requires other companies to travel further distances. You see where this is going – Richmond fire coverage is suffering, and it could get worse.
The The Richmond Firefighters Association, I.A.F.F. Local 995, has created a blog to list all fire house closures, and to educate citizens on this critical issue. They suggest citizens contact their councilman to let them know we’re not happy about these closures.
For those of us in the 5th District, you can contact our Councilman, Marty Jewell at 804-646-6050 or email him at marty.jewell@richmondgov.com
Important Links from this article
Richmond Firefighters Association Blog (Lists all fire station closures)
Posted: November 8th, 2009 | Author: Morgan Porter | Filed under: 5th District, News | Tags: budget cuts, closed, closure, fire, firefighters, RFA, richmond, Richmond Firefighters Association, staffing problem | Comments Off on Richmond Fire Station Closures