On Monday, May 20th, the Council approved a budget that included the Fire Chief's plan to decommission Engine 1. In the days leading up to that meeting, I received a slew of emails and phone calls about the Chief's proposal, so first I want to thank everyone for reaching out. It was clear from the communications just how valued the Munjoy Hill Fire Station and the people that operate it are. I am gratified to see the community's passion around ensuring not only that our firefighters are treated fairly, but that the residents of the Hill and beyond are appropriately protected by our local Fire Department.
It does appear, however, that there was some confusion about the Fire Chief's proposal and about the role the council would play in making this decision. This was evidenced by the number of people who called, wrote, or testified publicly to protest the closing of the Munjoy Hill station, something that was never being considered. To be very clear on that point:
The Munjoy Hill Fire Station is not closing.
I also heard from many people who were concerned that 12 firefighters would be losing their jobs. That is also not accurate.
There will be no reduction in force at the Fire Department, and no one is losing a job. There are 226 full-time employees in the Fire Department now, and there will be 226 on July 1st, when the new fiscal year and the new budget kick in.
And after the vote, I heard from people who wanted to know which councilors had voted against keeping the engine. It seems that a lot of people were under the impression that the council would be taking a direct vote on Engine 1, which was not the case.
So what exactly was proposed, how did the vote go down, and what does it all mean for Munjoy Hill and the rest of the city? Good questions. Here's the deal.
It does appear, however, that there was some confusion about the Fire Chief's proposal and about the role the council would play in making this decision. This was evidenced by the number of people who called, wrote, or testified publicly to protest the closing of the Munjoy Hill station, something that was never being considered. To be very clear on that point:
The Munjoy Hill Fire Station is not closing.
I also heard from many people who were concerned that 12 firefighters would be losing their jobs. That is also not accurate.
There will be no reduction in force at the Fire Department, and no one is losing a job. There are 226 full-time employees in the Fire Department now, and there will be 226 on July 1st, when the new fiscal year and the new budget kick in.
And after the vote, I heard from people who wanted to know which councilors had voted against keeping the engine. It seems that a lot of people were under the impression that the council would be taking a direct vote on Engine 1, which was not the case.
So what exactly was proposed, how did the vote go down, and what does it all mean for Munjoy Hill and the rest of the city? Good questions. Here's the deal.
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