Quick note for anyone who’s been following Memphis Fire Services’ alternative response vehicles (ARV) saga: It won’t be discussed again until April 15.
The issue was supposed to be revisited during today’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee meeting at City Hall but the committee didn’t meet.
The group’s chair, city councilman Jim Strickland, said through an aide that the item was tabled because Memphis Fire Association members had to go out of town. (They’re in Nashville protesting recent anti-union legislation.)
As last week’s Flyer cover story noted, the ARV issue first came up on Jan. 4th. The fire department wants to buy eight of the vehicles, which handle medical emergencies, to save fuel and other costs, but union members have raised safety and job concerns.
They insist full-fledged fire trucks are the answer most of the Bluff City’s emergencies. Fire administrators, however, contend that about 75 percent of the department’s cases are medical calls and not fires.
Stay tuned for the next installment in what has become the quintessential ongoing issue.
