Fire safety concerns

by Kevin Smith
Pharos-Tribune staff writer

July 05, 2009 07:29 pm

— A large turnout is expected at today’s Logansport city council meeting by both Logansport firefighters and residents who are worried about the future of fire protection.
Despite a potential solution found last week to the problem of funding the fire department, Capt. Rex Danely expects as many as 200 people to attend and voice their concerns.
“There are still a lot of other things that have to be to be talked about,” Danely said. “We are being asked to change our vacation, our longevity payments and clothing allowance. These still need to be discussed, but hopefully we can get out on the good side of that, too.”
Danely is selling T-shirts to publicize the firefighters’ position. Demand, he said, is greater than he could have imagined.
“I bought 130 shirts and we went through that in about two days,” Danely said. “So I bought another 120 and we soon sold those, then another 70 and we have about 40 or 50 T-shirts left.
“We have had a real good response from the people to back us. Some admit if they have to pay more taxes they would be willing to do that to keep us on. It’s nice to know that people respect what we do to keep them safe.”
While the city council will not be voting on any issue related to funding fire protection, there is time allocated in the agenda for citizen comments. Danely is encouraging those who plan on attending to congregate outside the city building at 4:30 p.m.
Those who might turn up include a portion of the 801 members of a Facebook group formed to protest the city’s proposal to cut 10 firefighters.
In an interview last week before the announcement that the jobs might now be saved, the group’s creator, Katie Hopper, said she formed the group as a public forum for people to express their concerns.
Among the suggestions for cuts in the city government outside of the fire department highlighted in the group profile is eliminating both the deputy mayor’s position and health insurance for city council members. The profile also questions the wisdom of restricting fire protection on the city’s south side when a train might be blocking the railroad and in attracting the business investment that the city needs.
“My husband and I have two small children, and we want to know that, heaven forbid, if we ever needed to call upon the fire department in event of an emergency, there would be adequate personnel and quick response time,” Hopper said.
“I want to know that the firefighters are of sufficient numbers to ensure our safety as well as their own. From what I have read, a cut in the number of firefighters would compromise both.”
The T-shirts are priced at $6 to $7 dollars each depending on their size and include the slogan “Save our Logansport firefighters.” They can be purchased from the Logansport Fire Department’s central station on High Street, or by calling (574) 721-1268.
“We hope that if people see the shirts it will raise awareness,” he said.
• Kevin Smith is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at (574) 732-5148 or kevin.smith@pharostribune.com

Want to go?
What: Logansport City Council meeting
Where: City council chambers, City Building
When: 5 p.m. Monday

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