ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 29, 1997 TAG: 9703310019
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: W. ROBERT HERBERT
AT THE Roanoke City Council meeting on March 17, council approved the recommended purchase of two "quint" fire trucks. The quints would replace two aged aerial ladder trucks that were taken out of service. The quint truck is called that because it has five functions - a water tank, water hose, ground ladders, pump and aerial ladder.
These trucks will be located in city neighborhoods, and they are designed to increase public safety. This is possible because when a quint is the first fire truck on the scene, it will not only have an aerial ladder but will also carry water to use in starting to put out the fire.
The purchase of the quints became controversial as local members of the International Association of Firefighters distributed fliers in some city neighborhoods insinuating that the purchase might be part of some bigger plan to reduce public safety.
I can tell you unequivocally that we have no intention of recommending any changes that will decrease public safety in Roanoke city. To understand why the confusion exists, it's helpful to know the background.
The Roanoke Fire and Emergency Medical Service departments merged in 1995, and since that time a number of positive changes have occurred. Since 1991, our firefighters have been performing as emergency-medical technicians, and now EMS employees are being trained as firefighters. This increases not only the diversity of our employees, but also the number of people on the scene of a fire.
Fire-EMS Chief Jim Grigsby is working with department employees to improve fire safety by making innovative changes that will allow the department to conduct safety inspections at 3,000 additional city businesses per year. A new focus is also being placed on year-round fire-prevention education in our city schools.
So, why all the controversy? As city manager, I've asked Fire-EMS and every department of the city to explore ways they may be able to work more efficiently. In the area of public safety, we have stressed that such efficiencies must improve, not reduce, services to citizens. As part of the work at the department level, the Fire-EMS chief has looked at current locations of the city's fire and EMS stations and has seen some areas where changes could actually improve services. His discussions of these ideas, as well as some misleading information from others, have created concerns in some city neighborhoods that fire stations will be closed and safety put at some risk.
To set the record straight, the only policy decision made by City Council regarding fire stations is to build a new station once the Peters Creek Road Extension project is completed. This new station will combine the rental stations on Salem Turnpike and on Aerial Way Drive into a city-owned station to serve both areas. Funding for this new station was included in the 1994 bond referendum approved by voters.
Regarding other stations, I do not believe there is currently the level of community support or understanding to move forward with additional changes. Accordingly, I will not recommend to City Council that any additional stations be consolidated in the next year or as part of the city's capital-improvement program. Before making any such recommendation, we would need to provide an extensive community-education and information program that would allow citizens to not only understand the issues, but be involved in the specific recommendations.
In Roanoke government, we believe we have an ongoing challenge to find ways to operate more efficiently with the tax dollars paid by our citizens. Clearly, efficiencies must be balanced by the wants and needs of the people of Roanoke. As we move ahead, both of these concerns will remain in the forefront.
W. Robert Herbert is Roanoke's city manager.
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