Tacoma shuffles its firefighting resources under tight budget
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TACOMA, Wash. - Some families will have emergency crews a little closer - and others a little farther - come next week in Tacoma.
It's all part of the fire department's creative way to shuffle service under a tight budget.
For the first time since 2007, cars are crossing Tacoma's Murray Morgan Bridge. And starting next week - so will fire trucks.
Now that the bridge is open, the Tacoma Fire Department says it needs to shuffle service to save on cash.
"Because of the budget, Station 6 will close. That's the one on the other side of the bridge," says Tacoma Fire Chief Jim Duggan.
When Station 6 closes, Duggan says there will be more city to cover by fewer stations.
So the department created a diagram showing how many vehicles can arrive within a four minutes of a 911 call - the darker the color, the shorter the wait.
Duggan says getting service to the lighter areas starts with revamping Station 13 in the Proctor District. As of Friday it will return to 24-hour staffing - back up from just 12 hours a day. But it still won't be fully equipped.
"I want to be clear - we're not returning the fire engine," says Duggan.
Still, Duggan says a fully staffed Station 13 improves emergency medical service coverage and allows other nearby engines - like Engine 9 - to pick up calls from places that Station 6 used to cover.
Chief Duggan admits it's not ideal - but says it will have to do.
It's all part of the fire department's creative way to shuffle service under a tight budget.
For the first time since 2007, cars are crossing Tacoma's Murray Morgan Bridge. And starting next week - so will fire trucks.
Now that the bridge is open, the Tacoma Fire Department says it needs to shuffle service to save on cash.
"Because of the budget, Station 6 will close. That's the one on the other side of the bridge," says Tacoma Fire Chief Jim Duggan.
When Station 6 closes, Duggan says there will be more city to cover by fewer stations.
So the department created a diagram showing how many vehicles can arrive within a four minutes of a 911 call - the darker the color, the shorter the wait.
Duggan says getting service to the lighter areas starts with revamping Station 13 in the Proctor District. As of Friday it will return to 24-hour staffing - back up from just 12 hours a day. But it still won't be fully equipped.
"I want to be clear - we're not returning the fire engine," says Duggan.
Still, Duggan says a fully staffed Station 13 improves emergency medical service coverage and allows other nearby engines - like Engine 9 - to pick up calls from places that Station 6 used to cover.
Chief Duggan admits it's not ideal - but says it will have to do.
It's OK, life will go on. We don't need a station on every other corner (yes, I am exaggerating a little). If you choose to live far away from a station, you are simply more careful and have insurance. Your important papers are in a fire-proof safe, and your kids know how to get out in an emergency.
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My point is, we CAN do with less in these lean times. And when the good times return, we don't need to add 3 more stations if we're getting by just fine the way it is now. Until we can prove that lives are lost with this new system, I'm fine with it.
REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!........until lives are lost you're fine with it???  Put your papers in a fire-proof safe?????? Teach your kids to get out???? Let's hope those kids aren't asleep when the fire starts and they're not cut off from the escape route they were taught to use. But it's ok because YOU'RE FINE WITH IT.
Yep, really, I'm fine with it. Ever heard of a fire alarm? Ever heard of an outside window? 2nd story? No problem. Get a rollout ladder. What's wrong with a fire proof safe for important paperwork and computer back up drives?
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Better yet, ever heard of personal responsibility? It's what this country needs more of, instead of this ever increasing nanny state.
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If you really think we need more fire stations, why stop at one every mile? Why not one every half-mile, or one every quarter-mile? Would that make you sleep better at night, despite the fact that your wallet is empty? When does the spending end?
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The city council has done some really amazing things in the past few years: They spent $760,000 on advertising the city the same time they were making cuts two years ago. The were able to find $3,000,000 of HUD money to help build the car museum (Which is privately owned by a family which is quite wealthy), They decided to build a "reconcilliation park" to atone for for travesty of what the city did to it's chinese immigrants in the late 1800's- did I mention the park costs 3.4 million dollars, per acre, to build? The park alone cost the city a bit over $12,000,000. Meanwhile after school programs that are needed on the east side are told they have to shut down because there is no money. Here's one more thing that just chaffs me to no end: The city decided to accept a "free gift" of a pagoda, and also decided to spend over $600,000 on paint alone for the "free gift". If the budget is so tight, how on earth can a mook such as myself find about $15,000,000 in what appears to be such discretionary spending?  Sorry kids, we don't have the money for your after school program but the city has a nice pagoda that cost over $600,000 to paint-- go hang out there..."
My wife works for the county in juvenile services and I can tell you her department is overworked. Even with the union she and others, work free time. Give a little thought to how much paperwork it takes with a child. If you do not have documentation and something happens.....well you can figure it out.Â
On these posts I say over and over again if you want the service you have to pay for it. Instead people pay Tim Eyman to cut the funding to the DARE program.
By the way, there is a fire department program used in the mid west in rural fire districts. You but a tag, if the fire department responds to a fire and you do not have a tag, they have the option to watch your house burn. There is no public funding in these districts.
 @whitewings2003 the old "fire mark" system.... there was a reason America went away from that.Â
Why is it, that our budget is always tightest when it comes to schools, public programs, public protection, and public awareness, but yet, the government can always seem to find enough cash to vote themselves raises, pay for overseas trips to countries they're going to outsource jobs to, pay for their dry cleaning, personal limos, bodyguards (WITH those evil guns) and limitless vacations? Does anyone ELSE here see a serious problem that must be dealt with, or is it just me?
 @Harley-H.S.C. I think we need a $5M study to determine where that money is going.
unfortunate to say the least