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THE RAMS AREN’T THE ONLY TEAM THAT IS BACK!
Station 172 back open for business!
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Click on images for larger version
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Inglewood Fire Station 172 re-opened for business on March 1, 2016 at 0800 - bringing the LA County Local 1014 team back into the community to serve the folks we have come to know and love like our own.
Our crews proudly moved back into 172’s, removed the closed sign and brought the life safety, fire, and paramedic services back into alignment. This will provide better service to all the residents of Inglewood, along with better safety for our members as we get out there and do our jobs.
I would like to extend special thanks to the entire Executive Board of Local 1014. The next time you see them, tell them thank-you for the long hours spent on this project. Another thank-you to the Membership for your tireless effort, hitting the streets and engaging in numerous community meetings and events, which propelled us to where we are today.
Additionally, we thank Fire Chief Osby for putting together an expert team of extremely driven individuals to help accomplish this task. Battalion Chief Jim Robinson and Heidi Olivas and their staff worked with Director Lew Currier to pull off yet another SAFER ACT Grant award, infusing this engine with two years of funding. Lorraine Buck and the staff of Planning put the numbers together and crunched cost shares, carry overs, assumptions, caps and more. I know this because I spent many hours in the small offices of Planning preparing to work with the Mayor, and without the preparation we could not have achieved our goal. We all thank you, for a job well done! It was a wonderful example of true teamwork and collaboration in the trenches.
This has been a difficult fight, but once again, political action combined with establishing relationships with elected officials and with our communities pays off. This re-opening did not happen by accident, and without our direct involvement it may have never happened at all. Fire Station 172 became an unfortunate pawn in the economic downturn, and within the political landscape affecting elections in Inglewood. We must work diligently to avoid both of these aspects, which remain realities at this time.
With the Executive Board leading the charge, the membership of Local 1014 put in countless hours and a good deal of financial support to help elect this City Council. They care not only about their community, but about their firefighters, paramedics and fire personnel, along with every other public sector worker in town and the businesses that help drive the economy of the city.
We maintain a special relationship with Inglewood Mayor Jim Butts and with the City Council, especially Council member Alex Padilla, from District 2 where Fire Station 172 is located, and with District 3 Council member Eloy Morales Jr. Council members, George Dotson and Ralph Franklin also came to realize the extent of our value to the city. I recently spent quite a bit of time with Mayor Butts, who happens to be a former Police Officer and Swat Team Leader with a Bachelor’s degree from Cal State LA and an MBA from Cal Poly Pomona, and I can tell you he drives a hard bargain for his city, as he should. However, when treated like our customer, given some direction and targeted discussion on the numbers and the critical needs of the city, the Mayor is a partner to us. In my view that will enable long term progress for all issues affecting the City of Inglewood. The Mayor worked tirelessly to bring back two financial engines to the City of Inglewood and I am proud to say we have part ne red on the projects heavily. For example, The Madison Square Garden owned Forum is rockin’ the streets of Inglewood to warm up for the Los Angeles Rams’ return to a new stadium, along with a business and entertainment complex that will truly be the envy of the world.
We must express our gratitude to our Labor partners from the LA County Federation of Labor, who will build and staff the venue with Union workers, providing jobs with good pay and benefits. Finally, without the Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke, we would not be getting the team and 172’s would not be opening back up. He provided necessary funding to the project after Local 1014 met with him and his team personally to garner his support. We look forward to a long standing and fruitful relationship with the Rams organization as we move into the future.
One last congratulations to us all, and let’s go serve the city of Inglewood with Pride!
Dave Gillotte
IAFF Local 1014 President
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