WSBtv
ATLANTA — Some Atlanta firefighters believe the units closest to emergency calls are not always the ones dispatched, and they believe that could put public safety at risk.
The Atlanta Fire Department adamantly refutes that claim, saying their response to service is based on an abundance of hard data and research. “In an emergency, seconds count,” said Stephen Borders with the Atlanta Professional Firefighters Union. Borders said dispatch is not always sending the closest piece of the equipment to calls for service. He said he’s heard that continuously from fellow firefighters.
“Especially in a downtown area, one to two miles, you’re looking at three to four to five minutes, in heavy traffic,” he told Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh. Borders says problems lie with the department’s mapping of response districts that determine who responds where.
Full story: Atlanta firefighters: Dispatchers may not send closest truck