Sandy Springs officials said the city needs to replace Fire Stations 1 and 4, but acquiring a suitable, affordable property has delayed plans to relocate Fire Station 4 into the city.
“We have flooding in the back that we try to mitigate,” Fire Chief Keith Sanders said about Fire Station 1, telling the council that the station at 1425 Spalding Drive, east of GA 400, was at the end of its life.
Studies by the department have shown Fire Station 1 needs to stay in its current location, Sanders said.
Fire Station 4 is in the City of Atlanta at 4697 Wieuca Rd. NE. A search for suitable property in the south side of Sandy Springs has fallen short, Sandy Springs City Manager Eden Freeman said.
“We have been working for the better part of two years to try to find a location for a station on the south portion of the city. Thus far, we’ve been unsuccessful because of current uses or cost,” Freeman said.
Sanders proposed a $20.2 million capital request through a debt issue during the council’s first budget workshop on May 6.
Freeman said staff will bring a debt issue proposal to fund the construction of a new Fire Station 1. The proposal also would fund an addition to Fire Station 3 that would include a decontamination station.
The city would retain its AAA bond rating after the bond issue, according to its financial consultants, Freeman said.
Sanders also asked the council to approve changing firefighters’ shifts from 24 hours on, 48 hours off to 48 hours on, and 96 hours off. He proposed a six-month trial period for the shift change.
“Keep in mind, I’m amazed of how many counties our fire personnel drive through to come to work with Sandy Springs,” Sanders said. “We have people who work that live in Ellijay, Covington, Dawsonville, Social Circle, Rome, Georgia, Gay, Georgia. Jefferson, Macon, Rockmart, Rome, Sharpsburg.”
One firefighter spends $400 a month on travel between home and work. The new schedule would cut his commuting costs in half, Sanders said.
The new schedule would increase family time and reduce commuting, Sanders said. It also increases the number of consecutive days off by 60 four-day off periods. The shift change should also help with recruitment and retention, he said.
Johns Creek, Roswell, and Perry fire departments in Georgia have switched to the 48 hours on, 96 hours off schedule.
Making the change would cost the city an additional $175,200 in salaries and benefits as each firefighter would work more overtime hours. City spokesperson Carter Long said that based on the Fair Labor Standards Act, the city pays overtime after an employee works 106 hours in a pay period. With the 48/96 schedule, they would work 28 hours of overtime in six weeks, 10 more hours than under the 24/48 schedule.
