Fire Chief Says City Still Vulnerable With Cutbacks

ATLANTA -- It's been tough 19 months for Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran. It's meant budget cuts, brownouts, and furloughs and closed fire stations.

"Those were some very intense days for me as the fire chief, but thank the Lord nothing happened that was bad enough that it had a negative impact on lives or property, but it very well could have happened," Cochran said.

"About 15% of the time during the last 6 months, 2 engines and 2 truck companies and 5 engines on the brownout list were completely out of service. It placed the city's fire and rescue services at a very low level and we were extremely vulnerable," he added.

Although two Atlanta Fire Stations -- 12 and 23 -- are now reopening, and furloughs are coming to an end, Cochran admits the city remains vulnerable.

"The brownouts will continue in fiscal 2010 but they will be far less frequent then we experienced in the last six months," he said.

Do continued brownouts and lower staff levels make Chief Cochran nervous?

"Nervous to me has a connotation of fear associated with it. Anxiety is kind of the edge of the seat thing that you know you can do something but you know you can't do all you think you can do," he said.

But Cochran admitted that his anxiety does lead to nervousness. He said there is now a plan in place to call in fire companies and emergency equipment from surrounding counties if Atlanta cannot fully staff an emergency. He cites the Spring Street parking deck collapse as an example where other services joined the effort.

For Kelvin Cochran, looking ahead to becoming the Nation's top Fire Chief means looking back.

"Even a poor kid on welfare at five years old can dream dreams and with faith, hard work, education and perseverance, dreams can come true. When I became a firefighter that was it," he said.

He rose to chief in Shreveport; then Atlanta; and with Senate confirmation, next will be the nation.