By Kevin Johnson
Mayor of Sacramento
Walking through the charred wreckage of the apartment house on Amherst Street in South Sacramento with Councilmember Bonnie Pannell, my first thought was about blessings.
It was a blessing that 24 families escaped without serious injury from a fire that broke out at 2 a.m. and required a four-alarm response by more than 100 firefighters.
It was a blessing that those firefighters, who rushed from across the city and from neighbor agencies in Elk Grove and Sac Metro, all went home safely.
Finally, it was a blessing that Truck 16 was first on scene, arriving approximately four minutes after the fire erupted. The truck raced from its station on 24 Street.
Companies from Truck 16 and Engine 16 made sure the residents escaped their burning homes in the crucial first minutes.
It was not without irony that hours later, Truck 16 would be part of the discussion by city officials to “brown out” more fire equipment to balance our budget.
Sacramento currently operates with one fire company “browning out” on a rotating basis to save money. City Manager Gus Vina is proposing another three “brown outs” to help erase a $43 million deficit
.
The City Manager has tough choices. But ultimately, those choices will need approval by the city council.
I have total respect for the City Manager and his duty to balance the budget. But I believe we must draw the line at public safety.
The devastating Amherst fire Thursday morning (June 3, 2010) proved what’s at stake.
If we “brown out” fire companies such as Truck 16, we pull emergency equipment off our streets. Reduced equipment means other fire companies will need more time to arrive at emergencies.
Devastating as it was, the Amherst fire only destroyed part of a large complex. Thanks to those fire fighters, the blaze was contained within an hour.
I don’t want to think about what might have happened if the response time had been delayed because equipment was out of service.
We must preserve public safety.
And we must help those 24 families. I ask you dig deep and contribute. The Red Cross is collecting donations to find new homes for our impacted neighbors, and one thousand dollars has already been raised. Please contact them at
sacsierraredcross.org.
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