Hundreds of people on the city's north side are upset about losing a ladder truck from the nearby fire station. They fear the move will jeopardize their safety.
Hundreds of people on the city's north side are upset about losing a ladder truck from the nearby fire station. They fear the move will jeopardize their safety.
The Indianapolis Fire Department is moving the ladder truck from Station 21 at Keystone and 71st Street to Station 36 at Oaklandon and East 75th Street.
Suze Stamm, who lives in the Ravenswood area, said of the switch, "We think it's a public safety issue, a big-time public safety issue."
She and other nearby residents and businesses worry the loss of the truck will mean a loss in response time, especially in a dense, highly populated area with lots of commercial development.
Paul Schneiders, a manager at the nearby Sullivan Hardware store said they're worried "Not just as merchants, but people who live in the area, as many of us do."
He worries that losing the ladder truck will mean "an extra 8-10 minutes before any ladder gets to a fire" in the area.
Ladder trucks are often responsible for search and rescue and ventilation efforts. They work in conjunction with engine trucks, which spray water on the fire.
IFD Chief Brian Sanford said the move of Ladder 21 was prompted by several things. For one, it will save budget-strapped IFD $1.5 million a year. Sanford said it's also going to an area where it's needed. Only 22 of IFD's 44 stations have ladders.
"Without that ladder in that station, we have no other apparatus that can serve that area," he said.
Sanford maintains through the recent township mergers IFD operates more efficiently and effectively. He said there are two other stations less than five miles from Station 21, keeping response times within the eight-minute standard.
"We think there will be a minimal impact, but not enough to put the public at any undue risk," he said.
Republican City County Councilor Christine Scales isn't convinced.
"I'm so angry I can hardly contain myself," Scales said.
Scales has been fighting to keep Ladder 21 for more than a year. She cites the "proliferation of nursing homes, hospitals, apartments, high rise buildings and large shopping malls" along 86th Street and the Keystone/Allisonville corridor, noting many "are not fit with automatic sprinkler systems."
She said it's a situation made worse with all the nearby road construction - particularly the closing the Allisonville Road bridge at I-465. After going back and forth with the mayor's office last fall, Scales received an email from then-Chief of Staff Chris Cotterill just a few weeks before the mayoral election.
"After much work, we have identified funding for Ladder 21 for the next fiscal year and are committed to keeping the truck in place," Cotterill wrote.
While Cotterill made no promises for after 2012, Scales was surprised to learn in mid-June that the ladder would be moved July 1.
"They're breaking their promise, their word and written commitment and, most important to me, is it puts everyone at risk, families and properties," she said.
Stamm also questioned the lack of public input.
"There was a two-week notice," she said, "But not one chance to voice an opinion."
Scales collected more than 1,000 signatures during that two-week period from people wanting to see the ladder remain. She said she's not done. She plans to encourage opponents of the move to testify at the upcoming public safety budget hearings.
She also plans to hire a fire safety consultant to do an assessment. Sanford maintains the area will be well-covered.
