RIVERDALE, Ga. — The Riverdale City Council is discussing the possibility of consolidating Riverdale Fire Departments to instead join with Clayton County Fire.
Over 80 residents showed up to Monday night's heated meeting.
Citizens fired back, saying they were worried it would slow EMS response times and leave firefighters unemployed.
So many people spoke against this idea that the public comments section was reduced from three minutes to one minute to give more people time to speak. All those who spoke opposed the idea.
Terri Benn said she's lived in Riverdale for almost 20 years.
"If we're not paying taxes for Riverdale Fire, then is my tax bill going to go down? Are those tax dollars going to be funneled somewhere else?" Benn said.
Benn and several others tell 11Alive they weren't notified until Sunday. Benn said the fire department solicited support from the community.
"My mom lives with me. She's 88 years old," Benn said. "I have a sister who's diagnosed with scleroderma. She has lung issues. And so, she's on oxygen. I have a 30-year-old diagnosed with autism. And so, when it comes to response time, and we need people to get to the house, we need people to get to the house quickly."
Passionate residents spoke out of turn several times during the meeting, not understanding the reason behind this discussion.
Mayor Evelyn Wynn-Dixon was overwhelmed with the response.
"I'm going to tell the truth. It could have went better," Wynn-Dixon said. "And I was really shocked at the fact that it was so much erroneous information out there."
For example, Wynn-Dixon said the rumors that firefighters would be without a job aren't true. She said they would join the Clayton County fire without a pay cut. Also, nothing is final. It was simply a discussion.
Wynn-Dixon said Riverdale is growing and needs EMS to back it up, but it's getting expensive, such as the city's need for more trucks, which cost millions of dollars and planning years ahead. And the county will rent the current facilities, bringing the city more money.
"We'll have more access to firemen, ambulances—we don't have no ambulances here," Wynn-Dixon said.
Wynn-Dixon said she'd support the decision when the time comes to vote, as she sees the positive.
"IOS ratings will go up which helps with your car insurance and house insurance," Wynn-Dixon said.
A presentation during the meeting was supposed to give residents more details. However, when the council voted to postpone the motion to discuss, the presenter—the city manager—left the meeting.
The plan, now, is for a town hall to hear from the people.
Wynn-Dixon said she was all for the city having its own fire station until she weighed the pros and cons.
"I'm hoping it comes to fruition and everybody can see what I see," Wynn-Dixon said.
Since there was no presentation, residents approached the city council and mayor to ask their questions directly after the meeting.
Meia Ballinger is a Clayton County activist who kept hearing about the issues.
"People's lives are at stake. You know, you have our elderly—our senior citizens who are vulnerable," Bellinger said. "And long response times could be in a life or death situation. So, this cannot happen."
The town hall is set for Saturday, Apr. 20, at the Town Center on Church Street.