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Juniata May Lose Local Fire Company

By Patrick Gordon

With the city facing a $227 million deficit, Mayor John Street and retired Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston announced plans in June to slash the Philadelphia Fire Department's budget in half, eliminating four engine companies and four ladder companies citywide.

The proposed cuts are the largest in Philadelphia Fire Department history.

Along with the eliminations, Street and Hairston also proposed relocations of three ladder companies, including Ladder 10, which is located at Kensington and Castor avenues in Juniata Park.

Under Street's plan, Ladder 10 will relocate to Belgrade and Ontario streets in Port Richmond.

To make up for the changes, the city plans to add eight additional medic units to the current fleet of 40, each costing roughly $263,500.

"The city is in financial straits and no one wants to take resources away from the fire department," said Barbara Grant, the mayor's chief spokesperson. "We have tried to devise a means to keep firehouses open but research has shown that the city has had a significant increase in medical responses and a decrease in fire runs."

City fire statistics show that since 1990, there has been a 46.8 percent decrease in structural fires while the demand for emergency medical services has increased 80.5 percent.

Street's proposal to close and relocate the 11 fire companies would save the city upwards of $6.77 million.

Local 22, the city's firefighters' union, claim fewer fire companies will result in extended response times which could lead to greater property loss and more fire related deaths.

Tom O'Drain, president of Local 22, recently told supporters at a rally outside Engine 38 in Tacony that seconds are crucial when it comes to fire response time. O'Drain also stated that the proposed cutbacks would jeopardize the safety of firefighters and the public.

If the proposed cutbacks are passed and the relocation of Ladder 10 was approved, the nearest ladder company to Juniata Park would be Ladder 22, located at Front and Luzerne Streets.

According to Philadelphia Fire News , Ladder 10 was called out over 1,000 times and was placed into service 105 times in 2003, ranking it as the 10th most active ladder company in the city.

The Street Administration believes the closings and relocations will not delay response times.

"The city has received recommendations from some of the best, talented and most experienced firefighters in the country," said Grant. "There isn't going to be a delay in response time from the next closest firehouse that will make a difference."

Firefighters disagreed.

"The average response time for a ladder is five minutes," said firefighter John Walker, a 16-year veteran of the department. "The average response time for an engine is three to four minutes but with these proposed changes those numbers will easily double."

Walker, a member of Ladder 16 in Port Richmond, one of the companies Street plans to put out of service, vehemently disagreed with cutting department services and spending.

"For the city to cut ladders or anything from the fire department is just ridiculous. If anything, the city should be increasing in some locations and a post 9/11 fire department needs more instead of less," said Walker.

Walker pointed out that the fire department would be adequate at best in handling a possible terrorist attack.

"I don't know what the city is counting on," added Walker. "The city seems to be trying to do more with less and it just isn't feasible. It's insane and dangerous, not just for the people, but for firefighters as well."

Councilman Rick Mariano did not return phone calls to discuss the cutbacks.

The city had planned to close the eight companies on July 1, but Common Pleas Judge Matthew Carrafiello issued a preliminary injunction, claiming Street's proposal would violate the collective bargaining agreement.

Firefighters in Philadelphia are not alone in taking their city to court to fight cutbacks.

Earlier this year, firefighters in Cleveland sued to save 150 positions within the Fire Department that were originally proposed to be lost due to cost-cutting moves. Union President Bob Fisher said the number was eventually reduced to 70 after a court battle and mediation.

Firefighters in Pittsburgh also filled a grievance earlier this year, fighting city plans to cut 168 of the city's 816 firefighters.