When a big fire occurs in Garner, the Raleigh Fire Department sends three firefighters to help.
That move was part of a verbal agreement created between both fire departments’ former chiefs years ago, that the current Raleigh fire chief says he will put an end to. It’s move that could cost Garner taxpayers either $500,000, or a lower level of service.
In a letter written to Garner Fire Chief Matt Poole, Raleigh Fire Chief John McGrath said the fire department there will no longer respond in support of the GFD, effective July 1.
“As you may recall, our response to the City of Garner was a temporary agreement which was supposed to be terminated upon completion of Station #4,” the letter reads. “Due to increased call volumes and workload in the service areas of the units that are responding into Garner, the Raleigh Fire Department cannot compromise the level of care that is afforded to our residents.”
In his letter, McGrath says his department will respond on a case by case basis, for extraordinary circumstances or events. Poole said he requested the Raleigh Fire Department give them 12 months to prepare for the change, but McGrath gave them four because he felt Raleigh’s call volume was too high.
“I’m not sure where it came from, but he was adamant about it,” Poole said.
This news puts the town council in a tough predicament: Either fund more firefighters, which could raise taxes, or risk longer response times to calls and less qualified help.