Slash and burn

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For Philadelphia Firefighters Union Local 22 President Brian McBride, firefighters throughout the city and no doubt many civilians, it was a chilling case of deja vu.

Drawing more than 200 people, an hour-long rally Nov. 13 outside Ladder 11, Engine 10, at 12th and Reed streets was organized in response to Mayor Michael Nutter’s plan to slash many city services, including doing away with seven fire companies — two ladders, including 11, and five engines, including 1. Ladder 5, housed with Engine 1, is slated to remain open.

The following night, another protest took place at Engine 1, at 711 S. Broad St. Firefighters at the affected companies would be transferred to slots across the city and equipment relegated to storage, Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison said.

"Not one firefighter is being laid off and not one fire station is being closed," Gillison told the Review.

But for McBride and others at the rally, it was 2004 all over again when then-Mayor John Street wanted to do the same thing to the same companies. Then a councilman, Nutter stood alongside the union chief and other opponents at Ladder 11, Engine 10, protesting the move, then voted against the closures, McBride recalled while trying to reconcile the two scenarios.

"I’m very confused, very troubled. It’s very irresponsible to cut fire services without an independent scientific impact study and community input," McBride told the Review at the rally as protestors around him chanted, "Save our firetruck" and brandished signs with a skull and crossbones saying, "Fire Department cuts will place you in danger. Help save Ladder 11."

Anthony Cedrone, a 1st Ward/11th Division committeeman and resident of the 1400 block of South 12th Street, said the mayor is "messing with lives as far as we’re concerned. You don’t get rid of policemen or firemen."

While hard to swallow for many, Gillison said the cuts are necessary because the city is facing a budget gap of at least $108 million for the fiscal year. Eliminating fire companies, in his opinion, will not jeopardize safety because South Philadelphia has a plethora of them and, at many, calls are not as plentiful.

"Fires are down in the city, in over the last 10 years some 60 percent. Where we’re seeing a need is for EMS runs, which are actually up. We are trying to retool the fire department to meet the needs of the community," Gillison said.

Engine 1 responded to 35 structural and 52 non-structural fires last year, Gillison said, adding the numbers were just one factor used in determining which companies to close. Location, district size, workload and abundance of companies in the immediate area also were taken into consideration.

But that’s not good enough for many, including McBride and a Ladder 11 firefighter who wished to remain anonymous.

"If something happens we need to be able to get people out of a house or tall building, but that’s not all we do. We open up buildings for engine companies," the unnamed firefighter said, citing how ladder companies vent a structure to make it safe for hoses and other equipment.

Many like McBride and the firefighter are adamant shutting down Ladder 11, which like similar companies is equipped to do what engines cannot such as bringing height by way of ladders and other apparatus, is detrimental to the surrounding area, but Gillison strongly disagrees.

"It’s actually a misnomer. The national standard is five minutes; we are given one minute to answer a call and four minutes to get to a location. In Engine 1’s example, there are five engine companies in a very small area surrounding Engine 1. No particular engine is going to be responsible for the Engine 1 area," Gillison said. "Engine 43, Engine 20, Engine 11, Engine 10 and Engine 24 will be expanding their district to monitor and respond to fires. We are meeting the national standards and no one is in danger."

Engine 43, at 2108-14 Market St., and Engine 20, at 133 N. 10th St., are based in Center City.

Still, in the business of saving lives, every moment counts and, as McBride put it, "those three to four minutes could make the difference between life and death."

Cedrone, who helped organize the rally, believes losing Ladder 11 could endanger the lives of hundreds of schoolchildren. Five- to six-stories high, Annunciation BVM, located next door to the engine company, would require a ladder to rescue those on the upper floors as would St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Ninth and Watkins streets, and Jackson School on 12th near Ellsworth streets, the committeeman said.

Sarah Pachler, from 13th and Latona streets, agrees safety should be the city’s primary concern.

"I think the City owes it to their local neighborhoods to keep their fire departments open. I feel like saving [Ladder 11] is very important to this neighborhood," she said at the rally.

It’s not just fire companies in jeopardy. Nutter wants to close libraries, rec centers and end snow removal on smaller streets, as well as funding to some time-honored traditions like the Mummers’ Parade. In addition, the mayor plans to slash overtime for city employees, including police. Lt. Frank Vanore of the Police Public Affairs Unit said he couldn’t comment on the reduction in overtime and the Review’s attempts to reach out to area districts, even on promise of anonymity, were not accepted.

The backlash has the administration calling eight citywide Town Hall meetings to address the financial crisis and its ensuing concerns. All start at 7 and last until 8:30 or 9 p.m. with the local one planned for Nov. 25 at South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St. An hour-long Q&A; will follow the mayor’s opening remarks. City officials from various departments also will be on hand, including Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson and Fairmount Park Commission Executive Director Mark Focht.

A public hearing on the cuts was slated for Nov. 19 at City Hall, but the 2009 budget was approved in May, Gillison said, adding Council does not have to vote on Nutter’s proposed cuts. According to Brian Abernathy, director of policy and public affairs for 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco, the mayor has sole authority on whether or not to spend budget funds allocated to him by Council.

That leaves Cedrone and others hoping for the best come Jan. 1, when everyone will find out what will be left standing and what won’t.

"We pulled a lot of votes for Nutter out of this ward. I hope he don’t let us down because we put him in," the committeeman said.

Next week, a look at how recreation centers and libraries will be impacted.