'Disaster waiting to happen': Union City firefighters warn of station closing
UNION CITY, Calif. - Fire Station 30 in Union City closed Wednesday after a study showed the station was handling less than two calls a day at a total cost of $3.2 million a year.
While the city said the move was made to save money, the firefighter’s union said the closure will leave residents unprotected.
“This decision to close Station 30 is a disaster waiting to happen, and it does not have to be this way,” said Sean Burrows, president of Alameda County Firefighters Local 55.
Closing Station 30 at 35000 Eastin Court, he said, will take an entire fire truck and its crew off the street and out of service, drastically reducing the number of firefighters available to respond to emergencies. This means that other fire stations from miles away will have to fill the gap. The result will mean slower response times across the entire city, Burrows said.
“Those precious seconds count in any emergency, in a house fire, in an auto accident or whenever one of your neighbors is experiencing a medical emergency,” he said.
The mayor disagreed.
“The reality is that Fire Station 30 was underutilized at a high cost to residents,” Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci said. ”We are confident that we made a decision that was in the community’s best interest.”
The mayor said the city has looked at all services in the last year to try to increase efficiency throughout Union City. A city council's job is to make prudent fiscal choices, she said.
The city said that “extensive public outreach” was carried out over the closure. More than 30 community presentations and meetings were held on the topic; a citywide mailer was sent out to all residents; and, a website was set up to serve as a resource for those interested or concerned and to capture feedback.
Fire Station 30 in Union City 30 operated by the Alameda County Fire Department is set to close Wednesday after an independent study showed that the station was handling on average only 1.7 calls per day at a total cost of $3.2 million a year. Firefi
The independent analysis of the fire station was conducted by the Center for Public Safety Management, an organization that helps local government agencies to improve their public safety service delivery model.
City Council gave direction to staff to craft a closure plan at a July meeting. A closure plan was developed in coordination with the Alameda County Fire Department and was formally approved in a 5-0 vote by the City Council on Oct. 8, 2019.
Personnel and equipment from Fire Station 30 will be transferred to other fire department locations within Alameda County.
Fire Station 30 in Union City 30 operated by the Alameda County Fire Department is set to close Wednesday after an independent study showed that the station was handling on average only 1.7 calls per day at a total cost of $3.2 million a year. Firefi