Courier Journal - Firehouse overhaul proposed, 11/11/05

Proposed closings, relocations or rebuildings

Two firehouses would be closed and 12 others would be relocated or rebuilt under a $39 million proposal for overhauling Louisville Fire & Rescue over the next 15 years.

A study done for Louisville metro government calls for cutting the number of firehouses within the old city limits to 17 from 22 in an effort to modernize the department and improve response times.

"This study shows that our capabilities and our response times are limited by current locations of our firehouses, their age..and their conditions," Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson said yesterday.

One of the firehouses recommended for closing - at 1761 Frankfort Ave. - dates to 1909, and the study said it was in poor shape, but Helen Ellis was dismayed when told it might shut down.

"Oh no! I'm very sad. It's wonderful to see the firemen over there. It makes us feel safe...It's a huge asset to the neighborhood," said Ellis, the co-owner of Cafe Lou Lou nearby on Frankfort.

Ellis and others, including firefighters, will have opportunities to express their opinions to Abramson and other administration officials over the next several months so the mayor can put together a plan for his budget proposal in the spring.

Fire Chief Greg Frederick said at a news conference on the study that he is looking forward to the chance to improve conditions and service for firefighters and the community.

The study, which was done by TriData of Arlington, Va., at a cost of $135,000, "gives us a baseline to work from," he said. "It gives us an opportunity to assess ourselves from within."

Closings, moves backed

The study found that the 1761 Frankfort Ave. firehouse and one at Sixth and York streets could be shut down immediately without harming service.

Other recommended changes include consolidating six existing firehouses into three stations and moving three others to new locations.

The report also recommends renovating or rebuilding three other firehouses in or near their current locations.

Eight existing firehouses will remain unchanged.

"It is not the number of stations you have in a community but how they are strategically situated and staffed..that truly creates the best fire protection system," Abramson said.

Closing and consolidating firehouses would eliminate four front-line firefighting vehicles, which could reduce the number of firefighters, although the administration pledges that there will be no layoffs.

Paul Routon, president of the firefighters' union, said he's "cautiously optimistic" about the study's findings, especially because there are no plans for layoffs.

"I don't have a problem with them consolidating houses," Routon said. "I do have a problem with them cutting companies."

But Routon said he'll need some time to go through the more than 150-page report to see exactly where his concerns lie.

Reactions mixed, Causes for concern, Staff cut reversed...

Initial reactions to the study were mixed, both among firefighters and those living near firehouses that could be affected.

Maj. Dan Kuster, a district chief with the department, listened to Abramson's announcement yesterday at a firehouse on Grade Lane.

"It's a good thing to update the houses like we should have done 20 years ago," he said.

But "I haven't seen the study and I don't know where it's all going."

He wondered exactly how much firefighters' opinions would factor in to the final plan.

"My thing is, yeah, they're going to sit down with us, but really, how much input do we have? Is it just more icing on the mud pie, so to speak, or is it really going to make a difference?"

Some business owners and residents who live near firehouses were concerned to hear about the proposed changes, saying the stations make people feel protected.

"I really feel rather safe with it over here," said Barbara Nathan, who lives near the station at 2900 Hikes Lane, which would relocate to an area near Newburg Road and Dunbarton Wynde under the proposal.

Metro Councilwoman Tina Ward Pugh, D-9th District, said she was not surprised by the report's recommendation to close the firehouse at 1761 Frankfort Ave. because of its age and condition.

Ward-Pugh said there is an interest on the council to improve the fire stations.

"We also..have a realization that there are not unlimited funds," she said.

'Cause for concern'

Councilman Kelly Downard, R-16th, who is an announced challenger to Abramson in next year's election, said he plans to review the study, but is disappointed that firefighters did not have more input.

He also wonders if cuts will leave the city short on service. "When somebody tells me that we're going to downsize, that gives me some cause for concern," Downard said.

Councilwoman Ellen Call, R-26th, said she needed more time to review the study.

"But I do have some initial concerns about the plan to move the Hikes Lane fire station," she said. "I'm concerned perhaps that service may be spread too thin."

Staff cut reversed

One immediate change stemming from the study is that the station at 501 W. Ashland Ave. again will have eight firefighters stationed there each shift.

In August, the department reduced the number of firefighters to six, expecting to put in a piece of equipment that required two fewer workers.

The study recommends against the equipment change, and Abramson said the two firefighting positions will be restored in the next two weeks.

Kuster said that's good news. "For the Beechmont area and all the South End, that's definitely welcome."

Many of the changes recommended in the study will be far slower in coming.

The study projects that the first new firehouse wouldn't be built until 2008, with others not opening until 2020.

It calls for the $39 million cost of the overhaul to be distributed over 15 years.

While the new firehouses are expected to cost about $2 million each, the majority of the proposed spending would go for new firefighting vehicles, eventually replacing 17.

INFORMATIONAL GRAPHIC; STRUCTURE FIRES, 1982 - 2004; (SEE LIBRARY MICROFILM OR LIBRARY KIOSK PDF PAGES)

LOUISVILLE FIREHOUSES IN THE PAST See these and other photos of historic Louisville fire houses at www.courier-journal.com: