14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-Some neighbors upset about fire station closings

Some neighbors upset about fire station closings

By Becky Graham - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Sarah Harlan - email

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - This week, the Evansville Fire Department announced it's closing two houses.

Officials said it will provide better fire protection around the city.  

Station 10 on East Columbia will close and combine with station 9 on Keystone.  

Station 14 will close at South Willow and combine with station 16 on Washington Avenue, but neighbors and firefighters are having a hard time accepting this.

"They're always busy," resident Kristie Ladd said. "They always somewhere and there are always wrecks at the University of Evansville and they're there as quick as possible."

"They're more then just firefighters," resident Patty Ebert said. "They're our friends, our extended family."

So, learning Thursday their fire station and another neighboring stations would close left Kristie and Patty scratching their heads.

"There's no reason for them to close it," Kristie said. "They're an asset."

"It's going to be devastating for us," Patty said.

Evansville Fire Chief Keith Jarboe cited a slipping insurance rating as the reason for the proposed closures.

On the bright side, the decision to close would allow firefighters from stations 10 and 14 to keep their jobs and be transferred.

Jarboe explained the slack left behind would be picked up by these stations.

Residents see two problems with this plan.

"Yes, there's other fire stations, but not the response time of these guys," Patty said. "If you have to wait four or five minutes for someone to get in your neighborhood, it's a little scary."

On top of a increased response time, fire crews are doing more medical runs.

Some firefighters feel not having immediate backup is dangerous.

"We're going to be putting a lot of firefighter lives at risk because it's going to be longer putting companies in there to support them, especially if you put more companies out on these medic run we're making, and now we're waiting for a company that's further out there to help us on a fire," Shawn Oglesby with the Evansville Fire Department said.

There's still time for them to act, and Patty said she will.

"We're going to fight for them because they're more than just firemen, they are our friends," Patty said.

Hose house 14 is slated to close in January.

Hose house 10 will close after the north side annexation is complete.

Neighbors said they'll fight against the closures.

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