Fire Staff Shifting Upsets Iowa Residents

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Dec. 06--CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Leaving the North Cedar fire station largely unstaffed did not sit well with several of the neighborhood's residents.

Fire chief John Schilling is proposing a swap between Fire Station No. 2 on Lone Tree Road and Fire Station No. 3, at South Main Street and Blue Bell roads.

On Monday more than 80 people packed into the North Cedar Elementary School gymnasium to hear his presentation and ask questions during a town hall meeting, sponsored by the North Cedar Neighborhood Association. Mayor Jon Crews attended, along with City Council members Susan deBuhr, Frank Darrah and Tom Hagarty.

Hagarty's Ward 1 district includes North Cedar.

According to Schilling, the Lone Tree Road station is manned with a minimum of three firefighters. Station No. 3 only is staffed when the number of firefighters on duty allows, which has not been often, he noted. The city moved its seven volunteer firefighters into part-time roles in October to help solve the department's staffing struggles.

North Cedar has experienced a significant decrease in call volumes since the 2008 flood -- 208 incidents in 2006, 235 in 2007, 307 in 2008, 88 in 2009 and 49 in 2010.

The growing population in the southern portion of the city has generated a need for increased services, Schilling said.

The switch would mean the North Cedar station likely would not be staffed unless 10 firefighters are on duty.

"We're not looking at closing it down permanently, getting rid of it or selling the property," Schilling said. "It creates a great base of operation when there's a flooding event."

The response time from the main fire station, at 18th and Main streets, to the intersection of Lone Tree Road and Center Street takes between 4 minutes, 50 seconds and 5 minutes, 10 seconds, Schilling said. Crews strive to arrive at a scene within 4 minutes 90 percent of the time, 5 minutes 95 percent of the time and 6 minutes 98 percent of the time, he added.

Mark Miller, chairman of the North Cedar Neighborhood Association, doesn't like the outlook, but understands the reasoning.

"We're asking the city to help us out and improve our neighborhood, and I think it has to be reciprocal back to them," he said. "If the money needs to be reallocated or population supports moving a fire station, then you have to look at it that way. It's not what I want, but at the same time, a budget's a budget. Everyone has to have one."

Some neighbors expressed concerns about emergency vehicles being delayed at train crossings into North Cedar. Laura Terpstra noted a longer response time for accidents along the U.S. Highway 218 corridor and County Road C57. Gary Froyen, a North Cedar Neighborhood Association board member, emphasized that response time is critical.

"A few years ago when my chimney was going up, it was comforting to know that these boys were right down the street," he said.

Curt Gravatt, another board member, said police and fire protection ranks among his top priorities for the city. He suggested hiring a consultant to look at staffing needs.

"I don't like higher taxes any more than anybody else, but if I had to write a check, I would hire more firefighters," he said to a round of applause.

John McSweeney, who has lived in North Cedar for about 30 years, said the city has not been good about keeping promises.

"The fire station was one of them," he claimed. "I don't think they care about us. They're just doing every little thing they can to push us all out."

The fire station "is part of our infrastructure out here," Terpstra added. The site was a community hub during the flood and has played a role in the rebuilding, she said.

"We want to keep as much constant as possible, and that's a sense of security," she said.

Nine full-time firefighters would need to be hired to maintain a third fire station, according to Schilling.