Union leader: Mayor’s Office playing “deadly experiment” with cuts to Fire Department

Arsons are sweeping across Detroit at an alarming rate.

But fighting those fires is becoming an increasingly difficult task because of recent budget cuts that have trimmed personnel, rigs and new equipment.

Firefighters, who also are facing pay cuts and demotions, are angry and worried that soon the cuts will cost lives.

Perhaps the timing, then, is perfect for “Burn,” an intimate documentary about the hazards facing Detroit firefighters and city residents. Our friends at DeadlineDetroit.com take us deeper inside the struggles and the documentary’s timing.

Below is a letter to Deputy Mayor Kirk Lewis from Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association.

Good Morning Mr. Lewis:

My question is a very simple one. When is this deadly experiment with the members of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association going to end? The leaders of this city certainly are aware of what is really happening on the streets and to us but choosing to ignore the escalating challenges and threats.

Evidence is mounting, property destruction is escalating and civilian safety is compromised as seen in the fatalities realized by the DFD’s callous closings of fire companies. Besides the destruction going on I am sure that the city of Detroit is aware of the incredible possible insurance rate increases to residents, businesses and property owners of Detroit caused by mistaken and purposeful actions that ignore national standards like NFPA 1710.

Mr. Lewis this has to cease immediately before anything else happens. Hockeytown was saved from the DFD’s disastrous decision making by the great work of Detroit Fire Fighters. FIres seem to be escalating throughout the city.

I continue to warn the leaders of Detroit that a catastrophe is in the making. Our members have, through their dedication and professionalism, stopped some potential catastrophes already but the leaders of Detroit cannot continue to expect this level of service as our ranks continue to thin and more of us are getting seriously hurt.

I ask that the city of Detroit’s leaders protect its residents and fire fighters proactively. I do not wish to see “Nero fiddle while Rome burns” any longer. Our history should be seen as a city that protects its residents and fire fighters, not ignore them and face the usual “crisis management” style which permeates Detroit government.

I look forward to your answer but I must also say that any excuse about the budget does not work. This city must have public safety and the budget must be adjusted to do so. So far, we have received silence on our challenges.

Our membership bent over backwards to assist the city and keep out and Emergency Manager. All parties freely signed and agreed to the Tentative Agreement that, as devastating as it is to our membership, provided the dollars requested from us, preserved a modicum of safety with minimal company closings and no lay offs.

We deserve more than this and so do the residents we protect. Detroit Fire Fighters are not a grand experiment nor are we to be ignored.
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  Arson, Burn, Dan McNamara, detroit, Detroit Fire Fighters Association, Documentary, Firefighters, Fires, steve

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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