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TONIGHT, A LOCAL FIRE
DISTRICT SAYS IT HAS RUN
OUT OF MONEY, AND
WON'T BE ABLE TO PAY ITS
FIREFIGHTERS!
THE CENTRAL COVENTRY
FIRE DISTRICT PLANS TO
FILE FOR RECEIVERSHIP
TOMORROW.
WE WANTED TO KNOW
WHAT THE FIREFIGHTERS
UNION PLANS TO DO, IF
THE PAYCHECKS STOP
COMING.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KATHRYN
SOTNIK IS LIVE IN THE
NEWSROOM WITH THE
DETAILS THAT ARE NEW AT
ELEVEN.
(KS)
THE FIREFIGHTERS WON'T
BE PAID AS OF THIS
COMING FRIDAY..
AND TONIGHT THOSE
FIREFIGTHERS SAY THEY
PLAN ON COMING TO
WORK ANYWAY..
THE FIRFIGHTERS AT THE
CENTRAL COVENTRY FIRE
STATION SAY THEY WON'T HANG
UP THEIR COATS FOR GOOD - -
DESPITE NOT TAKING HOME A
PAYCHECK..
"if you're not a firefighter
than you
really wouldn't understand.it's
in our
blood.it's what we do."
THE 52 FIREFIGHTERS COVER 26
SQUARE MILES OF
COVENTRY..
THEY SAY THEY CAN WORK
ABOUT TWO WEEKS WITHOUT
PAY.
"I have members that I represent
that
are already two months behind on
their mortgages.as it is for
those
people it cant go on much
longer."
RIGHT NOW THE DISTRICT IS 1.6
MILLION DOLLARS IN THE
HOLE..
AND NOW THE BOARD PLANS
TO FILE FOR RECEIVERSHIP.
JUST LAST WEEK - -ANGRY
TAXPAYERS CAME OUT TO A
BOARD MEETING SAYING THEY
WOULD NOT VOTE ON A NEW
BUDGET WITHOUT KNOWING
HOW MUCH IT WOULD HIKE
THEIR FIRE TAX BILLS.
They asked the taxpayers to vote
for
a budget without telling them
what
the budget was...sheer madness."
JOHN ASSALONE - - A
CONCERNED TAX PAYER TELLS
US - -- - ALL OF THIS SHOULD
NOT HAVE BEEN A SURPRISE....
"the board has been living in
denial
for the first year.they don't
want to
listen."
ASSALONE AND MANY
RESIDENTS ARE ALSO ANGRY
THAT DESPITE A FIRE STAION
MERGER FIVE YEARS AGO - -
THE NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS
HAS INCREASED - ALONG WITH
SPENDING..
THE UNION DEFENDS THAT....
"what seems to be left out of
the
equation by the taxpayer group
that's
attacking the fire department is
the
amount of service or type of
service
that is provided."
(KS)
WE'VE ALSO LEARNED
THE FIRE DISTRICT HAS
NOT BEEN PAYING THEIR
BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD
HELATH INSURANCE
BILLS.
BUT THE FIREFIGHTERS
SAY THEIR HEALTH
INSURANCE HASN'T BEEN
CUT OFF YET.
LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM,
KATHRYN SOTNIK,
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(SR)
NEW AT ELEVEN--