A home destroyed by flames just feet from a Central Florida fire station has raised concerns about the department's ability to protect the community, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.
The report featured Joe and Rhonda Quirk, who lived just a few yards from a fire station in Longwood, Fla., for the last 10 years.
"You can go in my back yard and throw a baseball and hit the fire station," Joe Quirk said.
The couple said they felt safe from fire because of their proximity to the station -- until recently.
"Longwood is not safe as far as fires go," Joe Quirk said. "I mean, look at my house."
The fire that destroyed the family's home began as a grease fire that spread quickly through their kitchen.
When the fire sparked, Quirk ran to the Longwood fire station located next door.
"I ran over there and beat the door and two firemen came to the door," Quirk said. "And I said, 'My house is on fire, right over there."
Quirk said he was shocked when one of the firefighters jumped into a rescue truck. The fire truck went nowhere because there were not enough firefighters on duty to man it, Problem Solver Nancy Alvarez said.
"I was yelling, 'Wait, I don't need an EMT truck, I need this fire truck,'" Quirk said. "And the other guy just shut the door and went back inside."
Several fire trucks, including units from Seminole County and Casselberry, arrived at his home minutes after the call was dispatched but the house was completely destroyed.
Quirk said the fire station next door let him down.
Logs obtained by Local 6 News showed that on the night of the Quirk fire, only two firefighters were at the station.
The logs showed that two people would often be on duty even though national guidelines called for at least four people to be on duty, the report said.
Firefighter Michael Resnick, who has worked in Longwood for more than 17 years, said recent staffing and equipment problems have put residents and firefighters at risk.
"We've been lucky for a long time and the only reason things are the way they are is because none of us have been killed," Resnick said.
Resnick told Local 6 News that Longwood's only ladder truck is apparently for sale because the city does not have enough firefighters to man it.
"We agreed with them, 'Hey, if you're not going to staff it, why risk our lives being on a truck with two guys when it really needs five?" Resnick said.
Resnick said the city has been left with a fleet that is falling apart, Alvarez said.
He said one rescue truck has more than 100,000 miles on it and another truck is a 1985 model in bad shape.
"We cross our fingers and do a little dance hoping it will start in the morning," Resnick said. "We don't turn it off at scenes or at the hospital because we don't know if it will start again."
City administrator John Drago, who served as acting fire chief for two months after Longwood's longtime chief retired, refused to speak with Local 6 about the concerns raised by Resnick and the Quirk family.
The investigation found that the city of Longwood, Fla., has a first-response agreement with other agencies, meaning whoever is closest to a fire will respond and jurisdictions do not matter.
Still, Resnick said Longwood's lack of resources could take its toll on other departments who have to pick up their slack.
Since Local 6 began its investigation, the city has put a plan in place to purchase two new rescue trucks and create six new firefighter positions.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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