The Northwest Indiana Gazette had an article discussing the dire conditions facing the Gary Fire Department last week:
Gary activist LaVetta Sparks-Wade has confirmed that Gary has just three working fire trucks. That is 50% better than a day ago, when just two fire trucks protected the entire City of Gary while the mayor and about 100 other paid consultants were at IUN discussing the airport. Sources confirm that poor maintenance is the primary reason for the lack of fire trucks. The city has relied on mutual aid agreements for any fires which require more than two trucks.
Mutual aid agreements are intended to cover only extraordinary circumstances, however, and there is no possibility that Gary could provide aid to a neighboring community under any circumstances. Indiana Law states that mutual aid agreements are to “more adequately address emergencies that extend or exceed a jurisdiction’s emergency response capabilities . . . ” (See IC 10-14-6.5: Chapter 6.5. Interstate Mutual Aid Agreements)
Last year Mayor Freeman-Wilson cried at the county council, urging passage of the County Option Income Tax. The mayor stated that she needed the money for fire equipment. Since that time, the city has given $3M to Vance Kenney for a private land deal at 504 Broadway, hired Mary Cossey as a contractor for $7,000 per month, and provided another contract to Don Vicari at the airport. Additionally, the City of Gary agreed to pay over $800,000 in consulting fees that the airport board refused to pay.
Police vehicles are also in a state of total disrepair according to my sources. One source stated that Gary police officers were considering filing a complaint with OSHA due to the vehicles being unsafe.
The mayor, fire chief, chief of police and several other city officials drive new Chevy Tahoe hybrid vehicles which appear to be in good working order.
While the Gazette does not have access to Gary’s Mutual Aid Agreements with other municipalities, the following agreement is illustrative of one:
MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
This agreement is entered into between _________________________ County Fire Protection District
No. _______ and _________________________ County Fire Protection District No. _______, municipal
corporations of the state of Washington.
This agreement is entered into under the authority of RCW 52.12.031.
1. Each of the parties owns and maintains equipment for the suppression of fires and for the
supplying of emergency medical services. Each of the parties also retains firefighting personnel
who are trained to provide various levels of emergency medical services.
2. In the event of a major fire, disaster, or other emergency, each of the parties will need the
assistance of the other party to provide supplemental fire suppression and emergency medical
service equipment and personnel.
3. Each of the parties has the necessary equipment and personnel to enable it to provide such service
to the other party in the event of such an emergency.
4. The geographical boundaries of each party are located in such a manner as to enable each party to
render mutual aid service to the other.
thanks Dan
More from the Northwest Gazette:
Just a day after the Gazette reported that just three fire engines protect the 54 sq mile City of Gary, a house fire required mutual aid from Lake Ridge, Hobart and Merrillville departments. The fire at 19th & Delaware was in an abandoned home. LaVetta Sparks-Wade was on scene and stated “They didn’t have the equipment they needed but they got it done. Prevented the fire from spreading to neighboring structures. Thanks guys!”
The City is expected to take delivery of two leased fire trucks this week bringing the total to 5. Fire safety standards call for the City of Gary to have 13 available engines at all times.
thanks Scott
#1 by GFD213 on June 23, 2014 - 5:07 PM
The ALF Ladder is not in service.
#2 by GFD213 on June 23, 2014 - 5:06 PM
The ALF Ladder is being stored at station 7 service.
#3 by Region Rat on June 23, 2014 - 5:03 PM
Here is a break down of the Gary Fire Dept.
Sta. 1 Ladder 1 Squad 3
Sta. 2 Ladder 2 Squad 2
Sta. 3 Closed
Sta. 4 Engine 4
Sta. 5 Engine 5
Sta. 6 Training Center
Sta. 7 Engine 7
Sta. 8 Engine 8
Sta. 9 Prompt Ambulance Service
Sta. 10 Closed
Sta. 11 Closed
Sta. 12 Engine 12
Sta. 13 Engine 13 Squad 1
Sta. 14 Gary Airport
The ALF Ladder is at Sta. 7 and out of service.
#4 by Erik H on June 21, 2014 - 9:57 PM
Actually I think all three Sutphens were out of service for various reasons. Recently an ex-Hammond Pierce engine was in service. The two trucks are the new HMEs at stations 1 and 2. Squad 2 runs the ex-engine 1 2000 Ferrara that has a broken pump I believe. For a while engines 4 and maybe 10 or 12 had 2000 Ferrara engines originally assigned to engines 2 and 3. The two light duty squads were assigned to stations 1-as an EMS assist vehicle and 13- as a brush truck. But that may have changed. It’s hard to keep up with a lot of the apparatus assignments. All of the 1989 Seagraves and 1990 Pierces are done with I think. Truck 13s Spartan/Ferrara is broken too and truck 1s 2007 American LaFrance has been missing for a while. Every morning at 7 Gary dispatch does a line test and announces in service/out of service companies. That’s the best way to know what stations are running that day.
#5 by MABAS21 on June 21, 2014 - 5:08 PM
Mayor Freeman-Wilson should be criminally charged for misusing $3M for her political patronage projects. Hopefully the Indiana State’s Attorney Office gets involved with all of Gary’s financial disregard and blatant mismanagement of public funds.
#6 by Michael M on June 21, 2014 - 9:38 AM
I am guessing the three fire engines that are working in the city of Gary are the three Sutphen’s that they took delivery of in 2013?
If the two trucks and squads are included that brings Gary’s fire apparatus total to 7. Even with the ladders and squads that is still not enough apparatus to cover a city the size of Gary.
#7 by Ken on June 21, 2014 - 7:53 AM
The number refers to engines. A commenter also pointed out that there are 2 ladders and 2 squads. I should have made that more clear.
#8 by Gnarldtoad on June 21, 2014 - 7:18 AM
this situation is a lot like Detroit and Flint Mi. In Detroit “Broken, or poorly maintained, fire trucks forced at least one of Detroit’s 71 fire companies to close on 220 days last year.” A few years ago it was published that some of Flints engines would not hold water in their tank. I sometimes wonder what they do with all the Tax money they collect.
#9 by 0.03 on June 20, 2014 - 10:20 PM
By trucks is this ladder companies or total apparatus. The article doesn’t say