Resident: Can No Longer Accept Status Quo With Fire Services

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The following is a letter to the editor submitted by resident Linda Breeden*:

At recent public meetings the city of Canton and Cherokee County officials came together to hold a public deliberation on the feasibility of a city-county cooperative for the Laurel Canyon fire station.

Everyone had the opportunity to articulate their thoughts on this initiative. Since that time, there has been active citizen and government dialogue, with the most recent city council meeting voting to hold a final vote on this matter.

I have been absorbing information from all and am thankful that everyone cares enough to put their voice to this issue. I would like to be part of this caring group.

As a citizen of the city of Canton, a city I’ve grown to love since I moved here about five years ago, I want only the best for our community now and in the future.

I moved from Rockdale County Georgia. In 1990, the city of Conyers and Rockdale County combined their fire protection services under (a) Fire Rescue (department), serving both the city and the county equally. Today this structure is still in place, with both the city and county governments remaining as distinct governing bodies. I give this example, not as a suggestion that we do this, since both city and county have been very clear that consolidation is not up for discussion. I provide it only as an example of a cooperative effort working quite well on a single service to their citizens.

As a resident of Rockdale County, I experienced this effort when my husband suffered a heart attack. The paramedics from the fire station arrived quickly and stabilized him for transportation to the hospital. Some of the finest heart doctors in the world (Emory) were amazed that he lived long enough to make it to the hospital, saying, “Most die at home when this occurs.” I remain grateful that the efficiency and training of the paramedics gave him this opportunity.

Fire services have changed dramatically since Sept. 11. You may recall that New York suffered 2,977 casualties on that day. 414 were emergency workers, 341 were firefighters, 2 were paramedics and 8 were emergency technicians from commercial ambulance services called in under mutual aid. These numbers included the FDNY chief, FDNY commissioner, FDNY marshall and FDNY chaplain.

I provide this information as a relentless reminder that the city and the county can no longer continue to operate as it always has and we, the citizens, can no longer accept the status quo. We must prepare for the here and the now as well as for the future. While maintaining fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers is important -- saving lives is non-negotiable.

A cost cannot be attached to a life of a citizen or of emergency personnel.

My points of support:

1. The city owns a ladder truck and needs personnel to staff it. Idle equipment and the safety of our rescue personnel (city and county), along with the welfare of the citizens they serve, is jeopardized because of this. The proposal to cooperate on the operation of this station could allow the city to reallocate the budgeted headcount in the 2015 budget to ensure the ladder truck is staffed with trained personnel. This will help ensure the welfare of both the city and the county safety personnel, thereby that of people’s lives and property they serve.

2. The Laurel Canyon fire station serves an area that has a high concentration of senior citizens in Soleil. This area is in rapid growth, perhaps the fastest growing area of the city or county, with the final number of houses expected to be about 938; home to approximately 2,000 residents clustered at the doorstep of this station.

While we must remain mindful that all citizens, city and county, deserve equal protection, we cannot ignore the fact that this group, statistically, have a more frequent need of paramedic services, and rapid response is critical. Additionally, resources from other stations would experience less strain if one primary station can meet the primary needs, that of paramedic services, of this dense, high risk population. This is the heart of strategic planning for today and for the future.

At a recent meeting I heard someone say that the citizens of the city are also citizens of the County. I support this cooperative effort so that we may be stronger, quicker and resilient in our fire and EMT efforts at Laurel Canyon, and to the citizens of Cherokee County and the city of Canton.

My life, and yours, may depend on it.

Linda Breeden

Editor’s note: Linda Breeden served as the facilitator of a joint meeting in November between city of Canton and Cherokee County leaders to discuss a possible joint venture.