http://www.new.syracusefire.com/
Derrick Johnson still remembers 20 years ago when his grandfather forgot to turn off an electric paint stripper and accidentally set on fire the wooden wall of his home at Ashworth Place in Syracuse.
Firefighters from nearby Fire Station No. 7 arrived so fast that the fire did little damage. “They came really quick,” recalled Johnson. “It was less than five minutes.”
Johnson is among the neighbors of Fire Station No. 7, at 1039 E. Fayette St., who worries about what will happen if the city carries through on a proposal to close the station. The station was built in 1974 and now requires substantial renovation. But faced with the steep budget deficits, city officials are considering shutting down the station.
Many supporters of keeping Station No. 7 say its geographical location is crucial. The firehouse protects mainly the University Hill and the downtown area. And it is near some medical services, including Crouse Hospital. In addition, some supporters say the city’s fire department is already understaffed. Closing Station No. 7, supporters argue, will further undermine efficiency and endanger public safety
The mayor’s chief of staff, William Ryan, did not respond to interview requests for this story. It’s unclear when the decision of whether to close the station will be made. The renovations are estimated to cost about $1 million, according to fire officials. The full market value of the building in 2012, according to property and tax information on Onondaga County’s website, was $417,751.
Carlton Collins, 76, is owner of Collins Barber Shop at 309 S. Crouse Ave., about 500 feet away from the station. Collins is a 43-year resident in the neighborhood. The potential closing, he said, is upsetting.
“It’s kind of stunning to me. There are so many hospitals, student houses, and other different places that need to be protected,” said Collins. “They should try to find money from somewhere to help protect the area.”
Fire Station No. 7 is a two-story 8,712-square-foot building. It has 16 firefighters — four firefighters on duty per shift — and is equipped with one minivan and one fire engine. In 2012, Station No.7 responded to 5,931 calls, including 253 fires alarms. Those fire alarms accounted for a quarter of all fire alarms received by 12 stations in the city.
Lonnie Johnson is president of the Syracuse Firefighters Association Local 280 and a firefighter for 23 years. The union is fighting to keep Station No. 7 open. If Station No.7 is closed, Station No.10 would be the house that’s nearest to the same neighborhood, he said. A fire engine from Station No.10, compared with Station No.7, needs to travel around three more blocks to get to the University Hill area. The difference of response time, Johnson estimates, is about two minutes.
“Two minutes is a long time, especially you got a person in sudden cardiac arrest,” said Lonnie Johnson. “That could be a matter of life or death.”
The survival rate of a sudden cardiac-arrest victim drops 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute a heart defibrillation is delayed and the first three to five minutes after a strike occurs is considered to be crucial, according to statistics from the American Heart Association.
For Lance Denno, a Syracuse common councilor and a former firefighter, closing Station No.7 will jeopardize public safety and endanger the already understaffed fire department.
“My biggest concern is by closing the station or some other means, there will be cuts to the on-duty number of firefighters,” said Denno “In a time when the alarms are increasing dramatically, the workload of the firefighters is increasing constantly, I don’t think it’s safe for either the public or the firefighters to further reduce the number of firefighters.”
Twenty years ago, Syracuse had about 500 firefighters, according to Denno. Now, because of financial restraints, it has 357 firefighters, with 69 on duty per shift.
Denno calls for keeping Station No. 7 open. “It is essential for public safety that we have a fire station located in that immediate vicinity,” he said. he added, “Quite frankly I don’t think we can afford closing anymore firehouses.”
At Ashworth Place, neighbor Derrick Johnson, 55, is still grateful to the firefighters who saved his grandfather’s home 20 years ago. Without Fire Station No. 7, he said, his community will not be well-protected anymore.
“That’s the only fire station that’s around the neighborhood.” said Derrick Johnson. “They’ve been here for a long time, ever since I was little. I don’t think it’s fair.”
(Maya Gao Qian is a graduate student in magazine, newspaper and online journalism.)
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