Atlanta closes another fire station
December 2, 2008 at 8:00 pm by Scott Henry in NewsIt’s now official: Fire Station #23 on Howell Mill Road near Chattahoochee Avenue will be “temporarily decommissioned” around the end of the month.
What that means is, the single-engine firehouse will be shuttered for an indefinite period of time and the firemen sent to other stations as part of a citywide effort to slash spending. Apparently, the 54-year-old station on the edge of the Berkeley Park neighborhood was singled out by a study that considered such factors as coverage area, response times and the volume of 911 calls.
Councilwoman Clair Muller, who represents the area, is withholding judgment on the decision – which was ultimately made by Mayor Shirley Franklin – until she sees the results of the study.
“I don’t know how the neighbors will react, but they are at least owed a good explanation based on firm data,” Muller says.
The last time the mayor closed of a fire station, it touched off, well, a firestorm of protest. In early summer, Franklin announced the immediate – and permanent – closing of Station #7 near the West End. The city’s oldest working fire station, it was built in 1910.
Two local council members and many community residents vigorously opposed the closing of #7; Franklin was even shouted down at an appearance she made at the station. But, in the end, it was shut down as planned.
Now that city revenues are even tighter, it’s no surprise that Franklin would look to cut more spending. Last month, she ordered that all city employees, including firefighters, would work 36-hour weeks. Shutting down some fire system operations will allow the department to fully staff other stations, Muller was told.
Michael Wagoner, incoming president of the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association, says the group has been contacted by the fire chief about arranging a community meeting to explain the closing. It’s encouraging that the firemen from #23 aren’t facing layoffs, he says, but neighbors will need convincing that the closure is only temporary.
Wagoner notes that #23 had previously been closed for a number of years before it was finally recommissioned in 1995 after much community pressure.
“This is a huge issue for us,” he says. “The BPNA was created in part to reopen that fire station.”
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Then why are they wasting their money building a new Fire Station in Atlantic Station at Fowler and 16th?
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:57 am
A petition to protest the closing of Station #23 can be signed here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/FS23/petition.html
Sure hope no one gets trapped by fire in an Atlantic Station high-rise. Who can say where F&R will come from between now and whenever the Mayor has to cut the funds for the station under construction at 16th.
Plenty of OUR money still available for numerous “consulting” gigs at the airport though! And for the Beltline, of course. And making Peachtree Street all pretty and stuff.
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
As a resident in this n’hood I am appalled. I understand that budget cuts are necessary considering the current economic situation, but why are fire stations one of the first budget cuts? Shouldn’t our safety be first priority compared to other city spending items?
December 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am
fOULTON COUNTY OWNS LAND IN DAWSON.WHY DONT THEY SELL IT INSTEAD OF CLOSING 23 . ITS KNOWN AS DAWSON FOREST