DES MOINES, Iowa — It’s a battle that has been going on for over 10 years: whether to keep Des Moines Fire Engine 8 in service or not. The tension continues this week, now with focus on Station 9 as well.
This friction over the last decade has been between the Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe and the Des Moines Firefighters Union. Tekippe said he has been trying to manage a budget, but the union disagrees with some of his decisions.
The union posted on Facebook saying they were blindsided to find out five people had been moved out of Station 9. It reads in part: “A little disappointed to wake up this morning and see that the Chief has moved 5 people out of Station 9 on the NW side of Des Moines. Essentially taking Engine 9 out of service full time. We’ve been fighting so hard to keep the SW fire apparatus in-service that we didn’t expect the Chief to gut another station.”…