Meanwhile Over In Baltimore......Naming Rights for Fire Stations

While Colorado is in desperate need of every firefighter they can find, a completely different story is playing itself out on the East Coast of the United States.  Faced with falling tax revenues, Baltimore is preparing to ax three fire stations and associated personnel later this summer. But like the response to the Colorado wildfires, desperate times, bring desperate measures. Thus, one solution under consideration for Baltimore - selling advertising/naming rights to fire trucks, fire stations, and maybe even fire hydrants. To learn more, click the link below to read a recent article by the New York Times:

Your Ad Here, on a Fire Truck? Broke Cities Sell Naming Rights

Comment: Last October this blog featured a news article about how Baltimore Fire was using GIS to try to keep costs under control (See: GIS Technology at the Baltimore, Maryland, Fire Department).  It's truly sad to see the situation has now developed to the point where even use of the best possible technology is not enough to preserve an essential public safety function for the City of Baltimore.  One can only hope that if the cuts do take place, they won't lead to a repeat of the Great Baltimore Fire.


Lead photo credit: abc2news.com