A petition started circulating through the city's firehouses Thursday. They're urging council to reconsider Jerry Crawford.
One page of a petition circulating its way around the Memphis Fire Department urges the city council to reconsider its decision to reject Jerry Crawford as the city's Fire Services Director. Lt. Jim Covington, Memphis Fire Department said, "Well, it hurts. It hurts because when you know a person like Chief Crawford that I think has the qualifications." Turns out a lot of Crawford's colleagues think so, too. By Thursday afternoon, the petition showed up on the firefighter's unofficial website . There are dozens of electronic signatures so far. Some included comments like, "Jerry is hands-down the best person for the job. The City Council is a joke," and, "What the council did to Chief Crawford is a tragedy. From the time we first heard that Chief Crawford was nominated for Director the morale on the job increased."
Council rejected Crawford's nomination Tuesday primarily because member's weren't convinced if confirmed, he'd move to Memphis from Fayette County. Right now, Crawford commands Tennessee Task Force One, an elite search and rescue unit which headed to the Pentagon, within hours of the September 11th attacks, to assist rescue and recovery efforts. After learning of the petition, Crawford told Action News Five, "I am overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support by the community and especially the firefighters that are rallying around me at this time."
Firefighters say they aren't sure exactly when they'll present the petition to council, but it could be at the next council meeting.
