Even though she knew she was dying,
my mother’s last year was one of her happiest. She lived in a small apartment
on Downing Street with tall windows. She slept a lot that last year. Many times
I came to visit and found her snoring peacefully across her bed in the living
room, bathed in sunlight. One of the things that added significantly to her
sense of security was the knowledge that the police and fire stations were just
a few blocks away. Although she always phoned me for medical emergencies, I
often redirected her to call the 911 guys because their response time was
quicker than mine would have been. They were stronger than me, too. When she
became so weak that she slid down onto the the floor, they treated her with
respect when they helped her back up, often joking with her and flattering her as
if she were their mother. When her oxygen condenser shut off late one night
during a power outage, she called me in a wheezing panic, too frightened to
remember how to hook up her portable oxygen tank. I called 911 for her, and
within a very few minutes she was back to normal. More than once a police
officer willingly went to do a safety check on her at my request when I was
unable to drop by.
Although she had friends,
caregivers, and family, there was no one on this earth who could have done for
her what they did that last year of her life, and I will be grateful till the
end of mine.
Unfortunately, budget cuts now threaten
the ability of these members of public safety services to provide this kind of personalized
attention. State funding reductions have left police officer and firefighter
positions unfilled and equipment replacement delayed. Although a few years ago the
city received a non-renewable SAFER grant – Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response – it is due to expire early next year, and Piqua will likely
lose six of its firefighters. Statistics show that communities with a decrease in
crew size experience an increase in loss of life and property. Few people are
aware that Piqua has the highest rate of forcible rape in the nation for a city
our size, according to City Manager Gary Huff, and ranks abnormally low in
police staffing. Having more police officers patrolling the streets would mean
higher visibility and greater availability to protect citizens against crime. Adequate
staffing also improves a department’s ability to conduct timely investigations
and lessens the demand for overtime. Strong police presence improves the local
economy because people feel safer going out.
Tuesday is Election Day. Piqua
citizens will have the opportunity to vote FOR the Police and Fire Public
Safety Levy, improving emergency services to the community. The levy asks for a
0.25% increase: one fourth of one percent, equal to twenty-five cents out of
every hundred dollars, to be collected only from citizens earning at least
$30,000 annually; social security, pensions, military pay, and public assistance
will remain unaffected. Voting for the Public Safety Levy means that for less
than the cost of a Netflix or Hulu subscription, you can count on getting
life-saving help when you really need it the most.
And make your mother happy, too.
To learn more, check out City
Manager Gary Huff’s blog at http://piquaohcm.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/police-and-fire-public-safety-levy/
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