Comments on: Standing Room Only For Ladder 42 Meeting http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/ one woman’s view from a place by the zoo in the city Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:50:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: norm ezzie http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-33 norm ezzie Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:55:28 +0000 http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/12/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-33 The next meeting very well be our very own "Alamo"....after reading todays Plain Dealer Metro Section(Jan17thpageB3)....a "closed door meeting" with our elected councilman not having access to it? The meeting that I am speaking of here is the planned-upcoming one with the two consulants from Phoenix Arizona!!Imagine that,two cowboy fire-fighters that can just hobble in here and comprehend it all...in a matter of days! My fear is here that both councilmen will be intimidated by the Jackson Hit-Squad (ala like the dayz of Frank Nitty,the Capone enforcer)-----My question is,will the constituents of Wards 15&16 just fold up or stand up?I welcome your comments at www.storminnorm.com The next meeting very well be our very own “Alamo”….after reading todays Plain Dealer Metro Section(Jan17thpageB3)….a “closed door meeting” with our elected councilman not having access to it? The meeting that I am speaking of here is the planned-upcoming one with the two consulants from Phoenix Arizona!!Imagine that,two cowboy fire-fighters that can just hobble in here and comprehend it all…in a matter of days! My fear is here that both councilmen will be intimidated by the Jackson Hit-Squad (ala like the dayz of Frank Nitty,the Capone enforcer)—–My question is,will the constituents of Wards 15&16 just fold up or stand up?I welcome your comments at http://www.storminnorm.com

]]> By: Denise http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-32 Denise Thu, 12 Jan 2006 20:38:55 +0000 http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/12/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-32 What stood out so glaringly to me during the meeting was the incisive, thoughtful questions that the residents posed, versus the extremely vague, patting-on-the-head answers our current officials gave. Acting Safety Director Flask said at one point that the fate of Ladder 42 isn't just a question of budgets, it's a question of safety. But when people asked why, then, is the city considering browning out Ladder 42, the only answer Flask or anyone else gave was, "lack of money." As several residents pointed out, the city wastes a lot of money in areas that aren't vital, so there's no reason that the mayor and finance staff can't find the money for assuring the safety of Old Brooklyn and surrounding neighborhoods. Someone at the meeting mentioned the "domino effect," and that's something the city doesn't seem to be considering at all. Not only the area covered by Ladder 42 will be affected by the browning-out. If Ladder 20 must respond to an emergency in Ladder 42's coverage area, that leaves Ladder 20's area unprotected, and if other ladder companies must respond to a fire in Ladder 20's area, then their areas go unprotected. This is a very real danger, considering the number of emergencies that each company responds to every day. I agree, Gloria, that we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg, but I think the iceberg is bigger than the city's safety. I think the most important part that never shows above the surface is the city government's lack of accountability to the people who elected them. How can it be that the mayor can say, "We aren't going to spend money to keep Ladder 42 in operation?" It's his job to prioritize so that essential services (those involved in the safety of residents most of all) aren't slighted. There's no way he should be able to make the decision to endanger Cleveland residents. And it looks as if, finally, the people of this city are angry enough about government arrogance to fight back. What stood out so glaringly to me during the meeting was the incisive, thoughtful questions that the residents posed, versus the extremely vague, patting-on-the-head answers our current officials gave. Acting Safety Director Flask said at one point that the fate of Ladder 42 isn’t just a question of budgets, it’s a question of safety. But when people asked why, then, is the city considering browning out Ladder 42, the only answer Flask or anyone else gave was, “lack of money.” As several residents pointed out, the city wastes a lot of money in areas that aren’t vital, so there’s no reason that the mayor and finance staff can’t find the money for assuring the safety of Old Brooklyn and surrounding neighborhoods. Someone at the meeting mentioned the “domino effect,” and that’s something the city doesn’t seem to be considering at all. Not only the area covered by Ladder 42 will be affected by the browning-out. If Ladder 20 must respond to an emergency in Ladder 42’s coverage area, that leaves Ladder 20’s area unprotected, and if other ladder companies must respond to a fire in Ladder 20’s area, then their areas go unprotected. This is a very real danger, considering the number of emergencies that each company responds to every day.

I agree, Gloria, that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg, but I think the iceberg is bigger than the city’s safety. I think the most important part that never shows above the surface is the city government’s lack of accountability to the people who elected them. How can it be that the mayor can say, “We aren’t going to spend money to keep Ladder 42 in operation?” It’s his job to prioritize so that essential services (those involved in the safety of residents most of all) aren’t slighted. There’s no way he should be able to make the decision to endanger Cleveland residents. And it looks as if, finally, the people of this city are angry enough about government arrogance to fight back.

]]> By: Jill http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-31 Jill Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:50:32 +0000 http://www.gloriaferris.net/2006/01/12/standing-room-only-for-ladder-42-meeting/#comment-31 Gloria - you have me on pins and needles following this. Cheers to you for getting this going and I'm praying that no brown outs are necessary. How frightening. And, if I may be so progressive as to suggest this (or just stupid), what's so ironic to me and says Regionalism over and over? News the Pepper Pike is able to afford to train all of its CITIZENS in CPR. Not that I don't want to know CPR, but when there are places like Old Brooklyn facing the loss of first responder services, the inequity of it all. Yeah, sure, it's my taxes. But I'd happily designate that money to an effort to create a longterm solution so that neighborhoods like yours won't go unprotected. Sometimes the world makes so little sense. Gloria - you have me on pins and needles following this. Cheers to you for getting this going and I’m praying that no brown outs are necessary. How frightening.

And, if I may be so progressive as to suggest this (or just stupid), what’s so ironic to me and says Regionalism over and over? News the Pepper Pike is able to afford to train all of its CITIZENS in CPR. Not that I don’t want to know CPR, but when there are places like Old Brooklyn facing the loss of first responder services, the inequity of it all. Yeah, sure, it’s my taxes. But I’d happily designate that money to an effort to create a longterm solution so that neighborhoods like yours won’t go unprotected.

Sometimes the world makes so little sense.

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