Editor's note: The following letter was submitted by Avon Lake City Council's seven members.

We are writing to express our support for the level of service the Avon Lake Fire Department provides to the City’s residents and businesses, and the efforts made by its leadership to find efficiencies and generate cost savings. When you head to the polls on Aug. 7, we hope you’ll consider the following.

1.  Unlike many fire departments in surrounding cities, each Avon lake firefighter is required to be a licensed paramedic. This means vital life-saving techniques can be employed when you call 911, increasing the possibility of a positive outcome;

2.  2. The firefighters union agreed to a three-year pay freeze during its lat round of contract negotiations with the City;

3.  Upon urging by City Council, the Fire Chief investigated the possibility of entering into a regional cooperative for dispatch services. Due to the Chief’s recommendation to utilize the Lorain County 911 system, three additional firefighter/paramedics a day (one per shift) will be relieved of dispatch duties and available to respond to calls – improving the level of service without increasing payroll or the number of employees;

4.  Call volumes have grown as our City has grown, up 59 percent since 2000. Specific to the last four years, requests for service are up 13 percent. Despite the fact that the Fire Department is responding to more calls, overtime has decreased 18 percent due to diligent personnel management.

A well-trained and equipped safety force is a main reason why families and new businesses choose to move to Avon Lake. We hope you will join us in ensuring our firefighter/paramedics have the tools they need to ensure our health and safety. Please vote yes on Issue 3 on Aug. 7.

Marty O’Donnell, Council President

Dan Bucci, Council At-Large

John Shondel, Council At-Large

Rob James, Ward I Councilman

Jennifer Fenderbosch, Ward II Councilwoman

Larry Meiners, Ward III Councilman

David Kos, Ward IV Councilman