For many years, firefighters and EMTs in Columbus have been taking care of the lawns around their fire stations themselves. This is because their stations were not included in the list of properties maintained by city crews. However, things are changing now.
During a meeting on July 25th, the Columbus Council unanimously agreed to add $100,000 to the budget for this year. This money will be used to include the city’s 14 fire stations on the list for maintenance. Councilor Judy Thomas proposed this motion, and she expressed her concern that firefighters and EMTs were spending their Fridays on duty doing yard work. They were even buying gas for lawnmowers and paying for equipment repairs out of their own pockets.
Thomas found this situation unacceptable, especially considering the city’s budget of $334 million for the fiscal year 2024, with a significant fund balance. She believed there should be enough funding to ensure firefighters don’t have to handle yard work.
City manager Isaiah Hugley informed the council that firefighters had been taking care of their station’s lawns for over 40 years, and there had been no request for a change until now.
Thomas made the motion to add the funding to the budget, and it was supported by Councilor Pops Barnes. Fire & EMS Chief Sal Scarpa shared his thoughts on this matter. He found it unusual that Columbus firefighters were responsible for their station’s yard work, a practice that had been in place for decades. He shared that his department had requested $50,000 in the previous fiscal year to replace lawn equipment, but it was not approved.
Scarpa mentioned that his staff did not complain about this duty, but they would appreciate having someone else take care of it. He pointed out that showing up to emergency calls covered in grass clippings didn’t look good. The council voted 9-0 in favor of the motion.
Scarpa expressed gratitude for the council’s support in transferring the responsibility of lawn maintenance to the city. He believed this change would benefit both the department and the citizens.
He emphasized that firefighters and EMTs were not required to bring their own equipment, although some did because the city’s equipment wasn’t always the best. Scarpa anticipated that the transition to having landscaping crews maintain the fire stations’ grounds would be completed by next month.