Closure of Fire Companies Cited as Factor in Detroit Fire Loss

It took Detroit (MI) firefighters 21 minutes to travel from their southwest station to a Saturday house fire on the city’s northwest side, which gave them little chance to save the occupied home. Juanita Burgess, 85, had lived in the home for almost half her life.

On firefighter told WXYZ Action News (http://bit.ly/WG29NP) that he couldn’t believe the length of the response time, calling it “the longest ride of my life.” Fifteen fire companies have been closed in the city since June. Firefighters say the fire, which began in the home’s basement, could have easily been contained with a proper response.

Fire Commissioner Don Austin said part of the reason firefighters had to travel such a long distance is that there were three other fires taking place at the same time, stretching available firefighting resources.

Read more about the incident and situation at http://bit.ly/WG29NP.

Detroit isn’t alone in suffering reduction in fire protection services; many departments around the nation are feeling the squeeze, which often taken the form of layoffs, station brownouts or rolling closures, or outright shutdowns of entire companies. For more on how the financial crisis is affecting the fire service, consider Budget Cuts Have Detroit Fire Official Offering New Ideas, , Are We Short -Staffed or Just Short -Sighted?, Should We Train with One- and Two-Person Companies?, and Inside A Budget Fight: A Captain’s Perspective.

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