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Dear Board of Supervisors, (Please read to the bottom) On behalf of the Citizens of Clayton, I am writing to convey our deep concerns with the shutdown of our fire station (Station 11) along with other stations throughout the county. In short, implementation of the current practice could seriously jeopardize the safety and well being of not only the citizens of Clayton but others throughout the county as a whole.
Unfortunately, it appears from the closures and proposed closures—and the lack of sustained formal public engagement with stakeholders—that the best interests of the citizens have not been adequately heard, much less ascertained. The safety and well-being of our citizens, including their ability to obtain emergency medical services, should be foremost considerations in any reasonably deliberative policymaking process. Placing money before safety just isn't, an option.
Continuing down this path has no apparent solution in site and as responsible leaders and citizens we must make some hard choices. Those choices are quite obvious; and the way we conduct business with ourselves and the unions needs to stop.
Recognizing all stakeholders have rights, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we must first meet our responsibility to the communities we serve, employees must come second. What this means is that we need to remember that the entities that we are managing are in the public sector and not the private. Wages and benefits have clearly been pushed beyond what our resources will allow. Had these decision i.e., wages, benefits, and expansion been made in the private sector, we would have been out of business long ago.
The station closures are just not acceptable and create a "risk" we just cannot afford.
At a time when budgets face ongoing dramatic reductions and the local economic picture continues to wane, it’s truly perplexing that the Board of Supervisors is considering a policy framework that will put our citizens at risk and in harms way.
Policy making should be responsive to the reality on the ground, in the communities, and in the county. The Clayton citizens and the rest of the Contra Costa Community deserve political leadership and policy stewardship that understands that reality.
The citizens are watching. It's time to start doing what is right rather than what is political acceptable or considered the norm.
Based on where we are today, we would respectfully request the following course of action be taken until we can get the rest of our (county) affairs in order,
1. Reopen all the fire station and file bankruptcy.
2. Fire all county employees and hire them back at public wages, not private wages.
3. Recall all supervisors and look into campaign financing and spending.
Sincerely,
Gary Hood
Fire Services Ad-Hoc Committee
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Update: CLAYTON, Calif. (KGO) -- With the closest station five miles away, one East Bay community is celebrating the return of its own fire house. Fire Station 11 in Clayton reopened quietly Friday morning after being shut down since 2012 because of budget cuts during the recession.
Station 11 in Clayton is back in business after being closed down over two years ago. The station is now staffed with one engine and three firefighters, 24 hours a day seven days a week. Click on the following link to learn more. https://abc7news.com/clayton-fire-station-11-reopens-closed/478742/
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