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| Public Safety Alert | |
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We, the Chelmsford Firefighters, I.A.F.F. Local 1839, are writing to you to state our vehement opposition to the Town of Chelmsford and the Chelmsford Fire Chief’s plan to close two of the town’s five fire stations, and to ask for your support. Engine companies on Old Westford Rd. |
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| and Riverneck Rd. are to be closed at the Fire Chief’s discretion during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., reducing the total number of firefighters available for emergency response by 38 percent, from the current level of 13 to eight. This decrease in manpower will compromise response time, posing a grave danger to Chelmsford residents. While some may consider the facts in this packet scare tactics, they are nonetheless documented facts. | |
| Current response time for the Chelmsford Fire
Department is 3-4 minutes, but with two fewer engine companies, that number will grow to 7-8 minutes in some locations. Fire doubles its own energy every 30 seconds. Heart attack and stroke patients who stop breathing suffer irreparable harm in a short period of time, as brain damage begins 4-6 minutes after the body stops breathing and biological death occurs within 10 minutes. If this time frame seems acceptable, try holding your breath for eight minutes. |
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| In addition, research by Michael Hendges, Chief of the Fire Department in Jackson, Michigan in conjunction with several cities and universities, has shown that if sixteen trained firefighters are not operating on the scene of a working fire within the critical time period, then dollar loss and injuries are significantly increased, as are the square feet of fire spread. The research also analyzed fire ground tactics and found that five-person fire suppression companies were judged to be 100% effective at carrying out their vital tasks. Four-person companies were 65% effective and three-person companies were found to be 38% effective. The Town of Chelmsford allows two-person engine companies. | |
| The Chelmsford Fire Department has already experienced one firefighter injury this summer as a direct result of a lack of manpower. With a decrease in manpower, more injuries are sure to follow. | |
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The stations in question, East (Engine 4) and West (Engine 3), each answered over 350 emergency calls in 2000, and with the growth Chelmsford has experienced, the 2001 call volume has already surpassed last years’ totals. In addition, Chelmsford has experienced five major structure fires, including a three-alarm fire and two two-alarm fires since the middle of June of this year. Four of those fires occurred during the hours in which the Chief will have closed stations. |
| In a study contracted by the Town of Chelmsford in 1989, the MMA Consulting Group stated “stations are strategically located to give the community and its citizens the most effective response to emergencies by the department.” It further recommended that “no station be closed” and that the town should “maintain the present 14 person staffing available for emergency response.” Since that time, the amount of emergency responses in the Town of Chelmsford has risen dramatically, making manpower issues even more crucial. | |
| Local 1839, the Fire Chief, and the Town Manager have discussed this issue at length and it is our opinion that we are in agreement as to the cause of this situation. The retirement of several senior firefighters this year in conjunction with a number of serious injuries and illnesses to a number of our brothers has created a shortage of manpower. | |
| This is not a labor/management or a compensation issue. This is a safety issue, and these stations can be kept open without a tax increase should residents of Chelmsford and their elected leaders recognize the gravity of the situation. The Chelmsford Firefighters know from experience that manpower is an essential part of effective emergency response, and that injuries and damage increase substantially with response time. The fire department is considered by many to be the first line of defense against any natural or man-made disaster, and we believe that the public’s safety should be given a higher priority in the eyes of the local government. While the entire country is in a state of high alert, the Chelmsford Fire Department is moving in the opposite direction by cutting manpower. How much money has the Fire Department saved by closing stations, and is that worth risking the possible loss of life these closings may incur? | |
| Enclosed you will find evidence to support keeping the
Chelmsford Fire Department staffed at 14 firefighters full time while manning it’s five strategically located stations. |
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Sincerely,
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