Atlanta City Council members concerned about number of fire engines out of service
How short on fire trucks is the city of Atlanta?
There is a shortage of working fire equipment in the city of Atlanta. The fire union notified Atlanta City Council members of the problem and they want to know how critical fire service is being impacted. City Hall officials, who are responsible for servicing those vehicles, say they are making headway in getting those engines and ladder trucks back on the road.
ATLANTA - The city of Atlanta is struggling to keep enough fire trucks in service.
At the beginning of the week, council members learned in a memo from the union that fourteen pieces of equipment were sidelined at the city garage.
"Yes, we have some challenges," said James McLemore, a deputy chief. "We are working with fleet to get the problem resolved."
Atlanta's managers have worked to increase the mechanic staff. It has not been easy because the complicated machinery requires a highly specialized technician.
Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who brought up the union memo during a meeting, wanted to know about a workaround while the equipment is in the shop.
Norwood asked, "How are we able to get fire service to the neighborhoods?"
McLemore explained fire managers distribute resources daily equidistant from one neighborhood to the next.
It is not an optimum plan. Depending on where you live, minutes can be added to your response time when there are up to a dozen trucks backed up in the garage.
In some cases, mechanics must wait for replacement parts to arrive.
At week’s end, city managers say the number of sidelined trucks had been trimmed from fourteen to four.