Budget priorities in Baltimore: Police get extra $7.5 million for OT. Fire loses $3 million, an engine and a truck. Chief explains on Internet forum.
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UPDATE: Chief Clack responds to STATter911.com about his sound bite used in the WJZ-TV story
It is a fact of life that most people are much more worried that a burglar will break in and shoot them than they are that a fire will happen in their home. That’s why you will often find three locks on a door and bars on the windows, but no batteries in the smoke alarm.
I imagine the mayor of Baltimore, like most political leaders, knows this. As long as the neighborhood fire station stays open, the public most likely won’t be that outraged if you move some equipment and firefighters around. My experience is that with a particularly active and well informed citizens’ association, city hall might catch a little grief over fire department cut backs that don’t mean firehouse closings. That’s nothing compared to what elected officials will hear if they cut the police department’s budget and there is even a hint that fewer cop cars will be riding down the street.
On Wednesday, once again, these guiding rules for politicians faced with budget cuts held true. Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon took from the fire department and gave to the police. Here is what reporter Annie Linskey of The Baltimore Sun wrote:
One of the hardest-hit city agencies is the Fire Department, which would absorb a $3 million cut and plans to close one truck company and one engine company. No firehouses would close permanently, but houses would close on a rotating basis to reduce spending on overtime. “It was tough,” said Fire Chief Jim Clack, who added he will seek some stimulus funding to offset the cuts. “I don’t want to close any companies. I’d like to have more.”
Fire union officials cried foul yesterday, saying it is unwise to cut a truck with a 110-foot ladder in the city’s downtown. “That ladder is critical if you have a fire in a high-rise,” said Bob Sledgeski, head of the firefighters union. About the rotating closures, he said: “I would advise everyone to make sure their emergency fire plans are up to date because we never know whether or not we will be open.”
Emerging relatively unscathed is the city’s Police Department, which would receive a slight bump in funding, including an additional $7.5 million for overtime. Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said the increase would help the department maintain the “momentum” that has led to double-digit percentage reductions in shootings and many other categories of crimes.
Closing on July 1 are Truck 2 at the Steadman Station at 15 South Eutaw Street in downtown and Engine 36 at 2249 Edmondson Avenue in West Baltimore. While there are multiple companies at the Steadman firehouse, a truck company is scheduled to move into Engine 36’s quarters to keep it open.
The sign in front of Engine 36 at 2249 Edmondson Avenue reads BELIEVE. It sounds like you are going to have to believe in miracles if Engine 36 is to survive past July 1. The firehouse will stay open with a truck company replacing Engine 36. Click the image to tour the neighborhood with Google Maps Street View.
As we have pointed out in previous stories here, here and here, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief Jim Clack has been a somewhat prolific writer to the Baltimore forum on the Internet site thewatchdesk.com (TWD). Chief Clack started answering questions and responding to concerns and criticism on TWD while still in Minnesota, shortly after his appointment was announced. He uses the screen name Baltfirechief.
Like most Internet forums (including STATter911.com’s comments section) the large majority of the writers remain anonymous and say rather bluntly what is on their minds. TWD one at times has the tendency to be quite profane and possibly intimidating if you are not prepared for it (even if he can’t get his $3 million back, maybe the chief can borrow a ballistic vest from the police commissioner).
Chief Clack appears to have generally answered the questions and taken the biting criticism with a sense of humor and by presenting the facts as he knows them. We did spot one series of exchanges in October where the chief seemed to be defensive and threatened to stop writing by saying, “there’s a limit to what I will put up with”.
From our readings of the Baltimore forum, the chief has since raised that “limit” a bit and has answered some postings that are even more biting.
Chief Clack has been back on TWD the last few days with brief explanations about the budget cuts. The chief makes it clear that the buck stops with him. Here are two of the recent postings (double click the one above for the third):
March 18, 2009 8:59 PM
I was on a truck company most of my career, so you got that part right. I don’t enjoy figuring out how to cut my budget, especially when the cut is 7.5 million dollars, but that is my job as Fire Chief and will be the job of the next Fire Chief as well. I just hope we don’t have to cut more.
I don’t think the Commissioner will give up any of his department’s money just like I would not give him any of ours if the roles were reversed.
March 18, 2009 9:07 PM
Both Bob Sle
dgeski and Steve Fugate have been very clear that do not support my solution to these budget cuts. I don’t expect them to support unit closures, station closures or layoffs. Both unions have fought very hard to maintain both the no layoff and no unit closure provisions in the MOU’s.
The responsibility for figuring out how to meet that budget is my responsibility alone. If you want to be mad at someone, I’m your guy. Elected Officals tell me how much money I can have to run the department. If I overspend my budget, I get fired and they find someone else who will do the job. That’s reality; that’s the way things work.
Click here, and here to read the complete exchanges on two threads Chief Clack has participated in, so far, since the closings were announced.
You may also note on these threads, and one here, that IAFF Local 964 (fire officer association) president Stephen Fugate contributes to TWD. Like Chief Clack, Fugate and IAFF Local 734 president Bob Sledgeski are getting a lot of criticism over the budget issue.
As of this writing, Chief Clack has posted 377 times on TWD since his first posting on March 25, 2008.
