Posted by frappyjohn (Msg) on 2009-01-07 03:38:05:

OLNC Appeal for Support to Save Engine Company 7

Mayor Jerry Abramson is closing our Engine 7 downtown firehouse at 821 S. 6th Street near York this Saturday, January 10 without public discussion or input from Metro Council

• TO: All Who Expect Quick Emergency Response When You Dial 911
• DATE: January 6, 2009
• SUBJECT: 911-URGENT: ACTION NEEDED TO STOP LOSS OF YOUR FIRE PROTECTION!

Without public discussion or input from Metro Council, Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson is closing our Engine 7 downtown firehouse at 821 S. 6th Street near York this Saturday, January 10.

He is moving our twelve EMT firefighters to others of the 22 firehouses scattered throughout the Urban Services District (USD), thus rationalizing the claim that he is not cutting our fire service – a promise made repeatedly during 2000-2003 when promoting City/County merger…despite the fact that Engine 7 made 2,085 emergency response runs in 2008 and has always been one of the busiest in the Department.

The Metro Mayor announced this unilaterally in mid-December, telling the press he was closing the firehouse to help balance an anticipated Metro Government budget shortfall of $20 million this fiscal year due to lagging occupational and business profits taxes. The Metro Mayor told the press we all “…should have skin in the game” of balancing the Metro budget. But Urban Services District taxpayers pay for our firehouses with a special tax on real estate, levied exclusively on USD taxpayers!

You may already be aware from press accounts that residents, taxpayers, property owners, businessmen/ women, and institutions (churches, schools, social services agencies, etc.) throughout the area served by Engine 7 are extremely disturbed by this obvious disregard for our safety as well as the security of our properties. What you may not know is that the Mayor’s “21st Century Fire Plan” also calls for the downtown Squrt 9 firehouse at 617 E. Breckinridge to be shut down in 2011, and the Engine 15 firehouse at 1328 S. Preston to be closed in 2012. If all this occurs as planned, our area in Fire District 2 will have suffered the loss of three firehouses, their firefighting apparatus and equipment, and 36 firefighters – all in the space of three years.

Are you -- especially those of you charged with responsibility for others’ welfare -- concerned about this loss of fire protection, emergency rescue, and medical response in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods? If so, please take action immediately to encourage the Mayor to reconsider and reverse this unjustified decision. (As this notice was written, a neighbor called to report a multi-alarm incident at the Housing Authority’s 15-story St. Catherine Court tower on 4th at St. Catherine; he noted that the first responder on the scene was our own Engine 7.)

Now that you’ve gotten this “911” memo, PLEASE ANSWER THE BELL! PHONE, WRITE, EMAIL Metro Mayor Abramson, Chief Greg Frederick of the Louisville Fire Department, Members of Metro Council and other Elected Officials urging them not to close Engine 7, which has been continuously manned 24/7/365 since 1871 -- through the hell of the Great Depression, the high water of 1937, and two World Wars.

Jump quick NOW! The alarm has sounded! Respond immediately! For to delay is to lose our fire and emergency response protection! See attached sheet for complete contact information for local government officials.

Finally, please share this 911 call with your workmates, policy-makers, family, your circle of friends and associates. Ask them to answer the bell! Thank you for your support. Let’s get it done!!!

The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council is an umbrella civic organization representing fifteen neighborhood associations in Limerick/Old Louisville’s portion of Engine 7’s service area. For an electronic version of this Call, for further information on this crisis, or to finds ways for deeper involvement in this effort, email ERG7CRN12@INSIGHTBB.COM .

CONTACT INFO FOR LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS

Mayor Jerry Abramson Tel: 574-2003, 574-5079

Metro Hall

527 W. Jefferson St. Email: Jerry.Abramson@Louisvilleky.gov

Louisville, KY 40202

Fire Chief Gregory Frederick Tel: 574-3701, 574-2909

Fire Headquarters

1135 W. Jefferson St. Email: Gregory.Frederick@Louisvilleky.gov

Louisville, KY 40203

************************************************************************

Metro Council
Metro Hall

601 W. Jefferson St.
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 574-1100 (Address postal mail to individual Council Member at the Metro Hall address above. See list below for phone

1. and email address

style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"> for each Member by District.)

6th District Metro Councilman George Unseld

george.unseld@louisvilleky.gov

http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/Members/06/councildistrict6.htm

You can webmail collectively all 26 Members of the Council by sending a single message via this hyperlink: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCouncil/emailmcmembers.htm

[Those Council Members whose Districts include portions of the Urban Services Tax District (USTD, formerly City of Louisville) are highlighted in bold type below.]

Be sure to express your concerns to those Council Members (in bold type above) whose Districts may include portions of the Urban Services Tax District (USTD, formerly City of Louisville):

Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 15, 21 http://www.lojic.org/mylouisville/viewer.htm

Also be sure to share your thoughts and concerns with Members of the Metro Council Public Safety Committee [Note: Four of the five members of this Committee represent districts totally outside the Urban Services Tax District. The USTD’s sole voice on the Committee is that of Mary Woolridge (3), who represents a relatively small portion of the former City of Louisville residents.]

Hal Heiner (R-19), Co-Chair--- Hal.heiner@louisvilleky.gov
Madonna Flood (D-24). Co-Chair --- Madonna.flood@louisvilleky.gov
James Peden (R-23) --- James.peden@louisvilleky.gov
Rick Blackwell (D-12) --- Rick.blackwell@louisvilleky.gov
Mary Woolridge (D-3) --- Mary.woolridge@louisvilleky.gov

PLEASE HELP SAVE FIRE ENGINE COMPANY NO. 7, which plays a vital role in fire suppression and emergency response in the downtown area and in downtown neighborhoods

YOU CAN HELP by writing a letter to the Editor of the Courier-Journal. It’s really quite easy, using the web form provided by the newspaper (URL below).

Guidelines: Letters intended for publication must include your full name, address

(e-mail address also, if you have one), and a daytime phone number. Please also type your letter's topic or subject in the space provided. We ask that letters be 200 words or less.

Submit your letter via email:

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=999980212021