Syracuse fire chief, union debate closure of Station No. 7 at council meeting

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Due to budget issues in the city of Syracuse (NY), the city has been forced to close the firehouse for Engine Co. 7. The firehouse reportedly is in dire need of repairs and the city would rather close the house than to fix it.

Engine 7 and its mini-pumper is/was the busiest in the city and often responded 2nd, 3rd and RIT to structure fires.

The crumbling station needs $1.26 million to make it comparable to the city's other fire stations, said City Engineer Mary Robison, quoting an engineering report by C&S Companies. Repairing the weakened floor would cost $185,000 for a seven- to 10-year fix, or $300,000 for a 20- to 25-year fix.

The station's fire truck and mini-pumper were among the busiest in the city, due to its central location and ability to provide back-up to stations in all four directions.

Fire Chief Paul Linnertz said closing the station would not significantly impact response time to the major institutions on University Hill. The fire engine would be moved to Fire Station No. 1 downtown, which could respond in roughly the same amount of time.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/syracuse_fire_chiefs_union_deb.html

Edited April 10, 2013 by peterose313

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Interesting article, especially the facts and figures. Seems like part of the government there is pro-firefighter. Syracuse FD has some great leaders, it will be interesting to see what happens.