Riverdale fire department closure proposal: New details emerge

RIVERDALE, Ga. - It was another fiery meeting on Wednesday evening at Riverdale's City Hall.

City Manager Scott Wood presented his plan to hand the keys to the fire department over to the Clayton County Fire and EMS. 

He said the plan comes down to dollars and cents.

"To stay where we are would cost an estimated $750,000 to $1 million a year plus the acquisition of two new firetrucks," he said.

One resident opposed to the plan was unmoved.

"I don’t really feel safe knowing that they’re taking things from us," said Josie Singletary, who said she's lived in the city for about 23 years. "Lackluster. It still didn’t answer a lot of questions that the citizens have, we never really talked about how it would impact the citizens of Riverdale."

On Monday, the council meeting went off the rails. Amid jeers from the crowd, Wood abruptly left when it came time for him to present the proposal. 

He said on Wednesday that he left because he was sick.

At Wednesday's meeting, he told the crowd that Clayton County Fire’s equipment and staffing levels are rated higher than Riverdale by the nonprofit Insurance Services Office, which could mean lower premiums for some overtime.

According to the city’s website, the fire department’s budget this year is about $2.2 million.

The plan is for the fire stations themselves to still remain open – just with the county running them.

As for the firefighters, the city says they’d be "encouraged to apply" for their current positions, but there’s no guarantee.

The city plans to hold a forum on the matter on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Riverdale City Hall.