Slay: Is it time for regional fire protection?
Time for a merged fire department?
ST. LOUIS — Mayor Francis Slay, whose second term was dogged by unrest in the fire department, floated a novel idea on his website today: What about a regional fire department?
“There are 23 fire protection districts and 20 municipal fire departments in St. Louis County,” Slay wrote. “If the county got its fire services in order, I would consider discussions to include the more widely experienced St. Louis Fire Department in a regional fire service.”
Slay’s repeated suggestions for combining services with the county have been, to this point, just that — suggestions. The mayor’s call for greater cooperation with the county at his 2005 inaugural address — repeated again in 2009 — yielded little tangible results.
However, a merged department would certainly have the support of the union if it meant lifting the residency requirement for city firefighters.
Slay’s call comes a day after the Post-Dispatch’s Elizabethe Holland continues her reporting on questionable practices in some of the county fire districts.
Holland reported that the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District paid a $120,000 legal retainer to attorney Elbert Walton Jr., well beyond what other districts pay.
Walton is the husband of former State Rep. Juanita Head Walton and father of current State Rep. Rochelle Gray Walton.
Good thinking. I’m sure the City FD would love to get out from under the sweetheart pension and pay deal they have now.
The answer to the initial question is NO! NoEast FPD constituents need to get off their collective you-know-whats and rid themselves of the 3 Robin “Hood”s who take from the poor and give to themselves.
Hey Slay!
What? You have yet another relitive in need of a job… a job for which they are totally un-qualified for, and know nothing about?
How about an idea that does NOT involve you taking money from other people?
Oh yeah… that’s what you do… take other peoples money. Sorry… my bad… I forgot.
This, people of the St Louis Metro area, is what Mayor Slay specializes in… finding a problem that does not exist, “fixing” it… with a massive amount of other people’s money, put a relative in charge, and declaring victory.
Remember that as you watch the Fair St Louis Air Show this 4th of July.
What a master stroke from tsquare, from fire protection to Fair St. Louis. has always been good at throwing out thinly veiled attacks. now it revolves around Fair St. Louis. Dude, why don’t you say what you mean, instead of trying to hide your attacks under not-very clever sarcasm? I know for a fact that you probably don’t know what you are talking about.
brobill:
You know for a fact? Really? And how is it that you know… this or anything else for that matter?
Fair St Louis was a very successful regional effort that was ‘fixed’ by the Mayor and a Slay relative placed in charge. These are the facts, they are a matter of public record and are beyond dispute.
So tell me brobill, what is it that you know?
more allegations, tsquare. Where’s the beef, bro? Put is up there or shut it up.
County reorganization is not a novel idea. It was attempted in the mid 80’s, and a vote at the union level squashed it. If the county fire service were a business, it would have folded long ago due to repitition of administrations, and dispatching. Some of the county departments are only running 1 or 2 trucks and an ambulance–why do you need a full administration of chief, assistant chief and seceratary for every truck or 2???