West Side Sun Station #21

Compliments of the West Side Sun

Fire station may have two weeks left

Thursday, October 02, 2008

By Ken Prendergast kprendergast@sunnews.com

West Side Sun News

In less than two weeks, city officials may decide whether to "brown-out" Fire Station 21, idling one fire engine and the city's only fire boat.

The fire station, located at 1801 Carter Road in the Flats, houses pumper engine No. 2 -- usually first on the scene of structural fires in Tremont and Ohio City. That was the case two weeks ago during an arson against an occupied duplex on Starkweather Avenue.

Engine No. 2 was first on the scene at that fire. In fact, its four-man crew was inside the house when a propane tank exploded, causing minor injuries.

Safety Director Martin Flask said Chief Paul Stubbs staff is reviewing whether the station should be "browned out" -- meaning Engine No. 2 and boat Anthony J. Celebrezze (called Engine No. 21) remain at or near the station, but aren't staffed.

As part of their review, the fire department will look at how other fire stations might cover Station 21's assignments if it is browned out, Flask said. He added that it costs about $1.8 million per year to run the fire station, including labor, amortization and fuel expenses.

"We're facing a tight operating budget," Flask said. "Tough times require tough decisions."

But union officials say the fire station is too important to become inactive, and cited the Starkweather arson as an example.

"Every unit is essential," said Chester Ashton, president of Local 93 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

"The assumption is that if it (Station 21) is gone another unit will cover," he said. "But if the next closest unit is on a call, the next-due's response time may be eight to 12 minutes."

He added that the city is trying to operate 41 fire stations on a 40-station budget. To the fire union, that means the city's budget needs to be increased to fully fund all 41 stations. To city officials, it may mean the number of fire stations needs to be reduced to 40.

City Council wards directly served by the fire station are Wards 13 and 14. Station 21 is in Ward 14, where Councilman Joe Santiago said he is talking with Mayor Frank Jackson to keep the station.

"I'm going to really fight to keep it open," Santiago said.

Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman said he is trying to find ways to keep the boat financially afloat, including a possible public-private partnership similar to those being used to support fireboats in New York City and Boston.

"I've seen public-private partnerships work in other cities," Cimperman said. "We need to look at all ways to operate leaner and better."

Plain Press Station #21

Arson fire intensifies efforts to keep Fire Station #21
by Joe Narkin

(Plain Press, October 2008) Residents had already started to place over 300 lawn signs encouraging Tremont residents to call the Mayor’s Action Line to stress keeping Fire Station #21, 1801 Carter Road, open when two suspected arson fires, at the same structure on the same day, pointed out the validity of their efforts. The fires destroyed an occupied double home at 1500 Starkweather Avenue, east of Scranton Road, on the morning of Sunday, September 14, 2008.

Henry P. Senyak, who is taking a leadership role in the Save Fire Station #21 sign campaign and is the Secretary of the Lincoln Heights Block Club, was on the scene as fireman from Station #21 responded twice to extinguish the fires at the structure. “These latest fires represent yet another wakeup call to Tremont residents that Station #21 cannot be closed without placing the lives of Tremont families and neighbors at great risk,” said Senyak. Tremont has been hit with a series of suspicious fires in the past two years, including an arson fire that destroyed the occupied home of Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman on July 28, 2008.

Firefighters of Fire Engine 2 from Station #21 were first on the scene for the initial fire. Upon entering the dwelling at approximately 2:00 a.m., firefighters found a “hissing propane tank and threw it out a window” before a second tank exploded, propelling five fireman backwards several feet and causing a sudden collapse of the roof. The building exploded with such force that fire fighters and safety officials with other responding units outside the structure were blown off their feet. Three firemen sustained minor injuries.

Fire officials believe that the fire was intentionally set and said that there were several propane and oxygen tanks, likely complicit in the arson attempt, within the structure at the time of their response. Firemen also responded to a second blaze at the structure at approximately 6:50 a.m. Senyak reported that the smell of an accelerant, possibly poured across the front of the property, was evident at the time.

“The fire fighters that responded this morning are our heroes; they risked their lives to check for people inside and almost got killed,” said Senyak, referring to the first of the two fires. “The difference of just a few minutes in response time to a fire like this can mean the difference between life and death” he said, adding, “This is why our Tremont community needs Station #21 to stay open.”

Firemen found a man sleeping in the downstairs unit and safely escorted him from the home just prior to the explosion within the structure. This man left the scene of the fire before he could be interviewed by fire officials and remains unidentified. The residents of record in the lower unit were not at home at the time of the fire. Upstairs tenants, Brian Dunn, his wife, Tracy Bettis, and their three children were alerted to the fire by a neighbor and escaped unharmed prior to the arrival of firefighters.

Lieutenant Jim Hogan was one of three firefighters in the home at the time of the explosion. “It is getting really dangerous now,” said Hogan, since the Cleveland Fire Department “has been cut to the bone” through budget reductions and is “now cutting into the bone.” Noting that even a routine residential fire, absent an explosion or accelerant, can double in size every 4 to 6 minutes, he emphasized that a rapid response is imperative to best protect both occupants and responding firefighters. “This guy could have been killed and firefighters placed in even greater danger if Station #21 had been closed,” said Lt. Hogan. The response time of Engine #2 was about 2 to 3 minutes in this fire and the maximum response time should be under 6 minutes in order to prevent fatalities,” he said.

Station #21 firemen are also cross-trained to operate the Cleveland Fireboat on the Cuyahoga River, the only fireboat run by Cleveland, a major port city. The closing of Station #21 would prevent or greatly impair response to fires best suited to water-based firefighting, said Hogan.

Chester Ashton, President of Cleveland Firefighters Union Local 93, noted that budget cutting in the fire department budget began in 2004 and was supposed to be temporary. When Ladder 42 in Old Brooklyn was restored to service in response to community complaints about increased response times that would be made even worse by the closing of the Fulton Road Bridge, the Fire Department budget was not adjusted accordingly and the City has been trying to “operate 41 companies with a budget proving for 40,” said Ashton. Prior to restoration of Ladder 42, Station #21 had never been mentioned as a candidate for closing in fire department strategic plans, added Ashton.

Ashton is not aware of any specific, “imminent plans” to close Station #21, despite widespread rumors to the contrary, but says that the Union is “continuing to be proactive in keeping the issue in the forefront” and strongly believes that public safety and the safety of responding firefighters require that the City maintain the operational status of the unit. A failure to keep Station #21 open would place firefighters “at a tactical disadvantage” that could be the difference between “rescue and recovery” in responding to a fire,” said Ashton. Accordingly, he urges the Tremont community to continue to press the Mayor’s Office and City Council to keep the station open and fully operational.

The phone number for the Mayor’s Action Line is (216) 664-2900. Ward 13 Councilman Cimperman can be reached at (216) 664-2691. Ward 14 Councilman Joe Santiago can be reached at (216) 664-3706.

Nice article in The Plain Press. Thanks to Henry Senyak for his efforts to help keep Station #21 open, and to Amy Weahry of Merrick House for facilitating the funding and printing of the Save our Fire Station signs.

As this article clearly shows, the neighborhood is a safer place with 21 open. I think Merrick House still might have some yard signs if anyone wants one.

Sandy Smith

When you call the Mayor's ACtion line, April will tell you that the station is going to remain open. She has been instructed to respond to all callers with this information.

bUt, upon further inquiry you will find that does not relate to permanent plans, rather the decision to keep the station open temporarily. As to the long term plans, they simply do not know.

Station #21 it has come to my attention and others in Tremont that starting tomorrow 10-11-08 Station #21 will be on brown out status again.

 Basically closed as before. We need to keep calling the mayor's line and the council members.

Your insurance rates will be effected by these issues with the Fire Station. Let this be known.

Look for media coverage real soon!!!!

Everybody out there,  It's time for a more drastic approach.  How about instead of closing Station #21 - we call for a closing of the station closest to the Mayor's house and closest to Martin Flask's home.  I'm sure that will leave enough cash to keep #21 running - I'm also sure that there will be some faster number crunching as well.  Also, folks, BROWN OUT means closed.  I love the way they use colorful words - that way it doesn't sound so harsh.

Sun News - Sta. #21

Reposted compliments of Cleveland.com and West Side Sun

Fire station closure could hurt west-side response times
by Ken Prendergast

Friday October 10, 2008, 6:05 PM

Fire Station No. 21, which serves the Cleveland neighborhoods of Ohio City and Tremont, will be "browned out" starting Saturday, according to the firefighters union.

A brown-out means a fire station's vehicles and equipment remain at or near the station but will not be staffed. Fire Station No. 21 is located at Carter Road and Scranton Avenue. It has fire truck Engine 2 and the city's only fire boat, the Anthony J. Celebrezze, called Engine 21.

Chester Ashton, president of Local 93 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, got word of the brown-out Friday from fire Chief Paul Stubbs. Calls to the chief's office and to Safety Director Marty Flask weren't returned as of Friday afternoon.

Ashton said he is concerned that the fire station's brown-out, combined with several bridge closings on the near-west side, could seriously impact response times. The next-closest fire stations are No. 4, 3136 Lorain Ave. in Ohio City, and No. 20, 3765 Pearl Road in Brooklyn Centre.

"There's a real possibility of response delays for other (fire) companies that might be filling in for Engine 2," Ashton said. "With the Inner Belt bridge (ramps) out, traffic is a nightmare not only on the bridge and on the highway itself but on the secondary arteries that are now being clogged because of the alternate routes that people are taking to avoid the bridge."

He added that the Fulton Road bridge's closure is what ultimately prompted Mayor Frank Jackson to keep Fire Station No. 42 in Old Brooklyn open full-time. Ashton left a message with one of Jackson's assistants to consider the same argument with station No. 21.

Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman said construction and repairs to the Columbus Road bridge over the Cuyahoga River and the Abbey Road bridge over the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's Red Line tracks are also a complicating factor.

"Now is not the time to pull back on needed resources," said Cimperman. Several new real estate developments, including the $500 million Flats East Bank project, could be affected by the brown-out.

Also, his Tremont house was firebombed July 28. Then, on Sept. 14, an occupied Starkweather home was hit by an arsonist. Engine 2 was first on the scene. Four firefighters from Engine 2 were slightly hurt when a propane tank in the house exploded.

"From a business standpoint it's a huge safety issue," said Chris Leib, owner of the Tremont Tap House on Scranton Road. "Now we have to rely on the station over in Ohio City. What happens if there's two incidents happening at once? I don't know if they can fill it safely."

Cimperman has asked Ward 9 Councilman Kevin Conwell, chair of council's Public Safety Committee, to hold special hearings at City Hall and in the neighborhood on the Safety Department's budget to look at a proper amount of funding for the fire department.

Recently, Flask has said that the fire department can't keep 42 stations open when there's only enough money for 41 fire stations.

PD - Station #21

       Reprinted from Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer

Fire Station 21 in the Flats serving Tremont, downtown may close

Posted by Mark Puente/Plain Dealer Reporter October 10, 2008 22:59PM

A fire station in the Flats serving Tremont and portions of downtown could be idled starting today if the Fire Department shifts firefighters to other stations.

Cleveland's Fire Station 21, which houses a pumper truck and fire boat on Carter Road, will be closed when staffing levels dip below 187 firefighters on daily duty. On those days, firefighters assigned to the station are sent to other fire stations and Station 21 closes for the day.

Recent arsons in Tremont and traffic congestion from bridge closings on the Inner Belt, Columbus and Abbey roads make this a dangerous proposition, the firefighters union says.

Chester Ashton, head of the union, said response times would increase because bridge problems clog traffic. The city, he said, is putting citizens in danger, and it's premature to close the station until bridge issues are resolved.

Fire Station 21 was closed intermittently between January and May because overtime costs associated with sick time, injuries and vacations caused staff levels to drop below the required level. Ashton said the station was closed more days than it was open during that period.

The station was staffed over the summer because of more downtown activities and the boating season.

Safety Director Martin Flask said the average response times could increase by 40 seconds. The Fire Department, he said, analyzed the data from calls when the station was idled earlier this year and is still within national standards.

He noted that there are two stations less than two miles away from Station 21, which is on the west bank of the Flats, to cover the area.

Fire Chief Paul Stubbs will review bridge-closing issues on a daily basis before deciding to idle the station, Flask said. He added that Stubbs made the decision because the neighborhood is less populated than others.

"I have the utmost confidence in Chief Stubbs and his command staff," Flask said.

He commended firefighters for reducing sick time, but said the department still has to meet its budget and cannot pay overtime to cover shifts.

Councilmen Joe Cimperman and Joe Santiago represent the neighborhoods served by Fire Station 21. Cimperman, whose house was destroyed by an arsonist in July, objected to the closing.

He said more fires occur in winter months because of heaters and holiday lights, and the city needs to find other ways to meet the Fire Department's budget. Cimperman plans to ask the council's Public Safety Committee to hold a hearing about the station.

"It's the wrong move," he said. "It's disappointing."

Santiago is in Puerto Rico accepting an award and was unavailable to comment.

Five residents and dozens of firefighters escaped serious injury last month when an explosion destroyed a two-family home in Tremont while firefighters were fighting a fire there. Four firefighters were treated for injuries.

Lt. Jim Hogan, who was one of the firefighters inside the house searching for victims when it exploded and works at Fire Station 21, said the station protects some of the highest-priced real estate in the city and is vital to the neighborhood. He said Fire Department leaders are acting irresponsibly.

"This is about the citizens and the firemen," he said in an interview conducted while he was off duty.

"That is not right."

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/10/fire_station_21_in_the_flats_s.html

Well folks, brown out or not.  The sign in front of the fireststion says "STATION CLOSED."  I personally drove down there this morning myself just to get a look see at how ignorant our local government can be.  No, I don't think ignorant is the correct word.  Plain stupid is the term I believe will describe this action.  One truck, one firefighter, one second can mean the lives of many.  I believe the information provided by the Mayor's Action Line was just a smoke screen. I was told weeks ago that they were working on a resolution and trying to rework the budget.  This wasn't even something to be considered.  If the city wanted a new arena, a new profit making business in town they would find the funds to make it happen - stop giving tax abatements to so many rich folks and profit making developers and there might be enough money.

WJW- TV 8 Sta. #21

http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7626697&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Find your Fire Station

 This will give residents a idea over the years how we lost coverage in the Tremont neighborhood.

  For newer residents we had Engine #8 right on Scranton Rd., which actually I used have fun playing on when I was a kid. Also Ladder #5 on west 25th. Street just north of Clark.

So now with the Tremont Community growing in size both with new construction, new businesses, and more residents Paul Stubbs bases this decision on Tremont's population. This is very short sited.

Please review all of local 93's web site. Its great.

 http://www.iafflocal93.org/stations.htm

WOIO-TV 19 - #21

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=9165671

you mean April at the Mayor's "Action" line LIED to me when I called Thursday???? Oh - "say it aint SO joe!"

I guess we're lucky the mayoral election is only a few years away........