Mayor Washington,
The Presidents of Local 14, BRAVE, and the FOF are writing you this letter to make you, council members, and the great citizens of Pine Bluff know that the men and women of our organizations greatly appreciate the acknowledgement of the needs of the Fire Department. Our men and women of the Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services come to work every day, proud and grateful to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of Pine Bluff. The need for a permanent tax for Emergency Services has been needed for a long time. In passing this tax, the Fire Department will be able to retain highly trained and qualified personnel by having an opportunity to compete financially with other cities with pay increases for department members. It will also allow the department to bring on and properly train new personnel with the addition of a new burn facility. Also, without proper working equipment, members cannot provide the services the citizens want, need, and deserve. This permanent revenue stream is the first step in the right direction and will allow the department to be better in all aspects of service to its members and to the citizens of Pine Bluff. For this reason, we want it to be known that the Local 14 Union, BRAVE, Fraternal Order of Firefighters fully endorse your tax proposals and look forward to working with Mayor Washington, City Council, and Fire Chief Howell to continue to improve Fire and EMS services within the City of Pine Bluff.
