Excerpts from the nwitimes.com:
City leaders expect a modern new fire station to rise this coming year in the Glen Park neighborhood, despite doubts about the future of the fire department as a whole. Officials broke ground near 49th and Pennsylvania Street for construction of $2.8 million facility. About a dozen young firefighters were on hand for the ceremony.
It will replace Station 5, which has been closed since 2012. Its crew has been housed in a section of the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center, 1900 W. 41st Ave., a homeless center.
The fire department’s staff of 163 firefighters and 13 paramedics must cover the city’s 52 square miles and beyond. They have responded to more than 5,200 fire calls and more than 13,000 requests for emergency medical services service calls since Nov. 30.
The department’s website lists 14 fire stations, but a 2009 Gary financial assessment report stated too many stations were obsolete, in disrepair and in need of significant renovation.
Gary FD Captain John Leslie Jr., president of the firefighters union, recently complained publicly about firefighters being overworked at scenes due to lack of manpower that could get worse in the coming years as more veterans retire and the city struggles to retain new hires who leave for better pay in other communities.
The mayor is proposing budget cuts for most departments in 2019 — including public safety — as part of a long-term plan to put city government on more stable, financial footing.
The new station will be built on the site of the old Pittman Elementary School. It is being financed with a loan from the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development.
thanks Dennis
