City of Vancouver vs Fire Fighters

Consider this a personal commentary.

I find it curious that the current diminished state of fire protection in the City of Vancouver has direct correlation with the election of Mayor Tim Leavitt.  Mayor Leavitt was openly endorsed by the Vancouver Police Officers Guild in the election against incumbent Royce Pollard who was openly endorsed by IAFF Local 452 (fire fighters). 

In the period since his election there has been the loss of fire fighter positions and one fire station has been closed.  Negotiations with IAFF Local 452 have been ongoing without any sign of the City giving way and it may come down to arbitration.  There have also been other such sleights by the Mayor and other (but not all) council members in their conspicuous absence from Vancouver Fire events.

The most recent sleight was to crush a 57 year tradition of fire fighters taking to the streets in Vancouver to “fill the boot” for Muscular Dystrophy fundraising.  The City of Vancouver ruled that the fire fighters would be in direct violation of a city ordinance that would label them aggressive panhandlers.  In the past the intersections where fire fighters would be (off duty fire fighters on their own time) were publicized, signs warning of the event were erected prior to the intersection and each team working there had a safety person watching for light changes and signaling fire fighters with whistle blasts when it was safe and when it was not.  All money raised went to helping people with a ravaging disease.  Clark County allowed fire fighters to use areas outside city limits this year showing that there is some compassion and common sense in SW Washington.

As the contract negotiations drag on and on, staffing levels plummet on city fire equipment.  Rescue units are no longer take non-fire calls, they were disbanded and the vehicles were sold off.  One such unit was in the busiest station in the city, which now has to cover the same amount of calls with one less crew.  Only three fire fighters occupy an engine making entering a burning building to save lives impossible unless another unit is present because you need two in and two out to ensure safety.  Also there is a “doughnut hole” of 33,000 citizens in east Vancouver who, because of the fire station closure on January 1, 2011, are experiencing up to nine-minute response times.  The national acceptable recommendation is four minutes.  These 33,000 residents pay the same property taxes and in return receive sub-standard service from the city.  A person not breathing is dead in just over four minutes; a fire can double in size every minute it is left to burn.

It is obvious that this Mayor and some city council members have a vendetta against the Fire Department and it goes back to election money and placement of support.  Maybe they do not realize that no one is going to want to live here or move their business here if basic safety considerations cannot be meant.  Especially if you are in manufacturing and you need to know that if something did happen unexpectedly that you know you have plentiful first responders to contain the situation.

In the Libertarian scheme of things we do expect some things from our government and one of those things is to ensure our safety from harm.  Certainly fire protection is one of those things.  We, as residents, cannot be fire fighters; we have neither the training nor equipment.  Cities and Counties across this country former considered it taboo to slash the budgets of fire and police but today it is routine to rape their budgets to the point where you are no longer trimming the fat, you are cutting into muscle and bone.