May 14, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Fire Chief Concerned about Firefighter Safety at Stations

Driving by fire station thirteen at North Market and North Common Street it is easy to see why safety concerns are on the mind of department officials in relocating the 45 year old station. When firefighters pull the fire engine out from the station’s garage area to service or clean the truck, its large frame barely fits onto the driveway and firefighters must actually step out onto North Market to get around the front of the vehicle. Because of the location slated for the new Central Fire Station, North Common and Cross Bayou, the department plans to close and relocate station thirteen to the Western Hills area of town, in the vicinity of West 70^th and Pines Road, should voters approve the city’s upcoming bond proposal.

At station three, 1421 East 70^th, and station fifteen, West 70^th and Despot, increased traffic is the major problem. Even coming out of the station with lights and siren blaring, motorists whiz by as if nothing is happening, leaving the engines to sit and wait for a brake between cars to squeeze onto the congested thoroughfare. Much of the problem lies in the fact that when these structures were built in the 1950's and 60's, the roads in front of the stations were two lanes, and people traveled at a much slower speed. Seventieth Street, once considered the outer loop and located at what was the periphery of the city limits, now lies in the middle of town. With the additional construction boom to Southeast Shreveport, traffic problems have become a nightmare for emergency responders. We dodge cars, barrels, construction equipment, and people crossing the street on a regular basis in this part of town, said one fire department driver.

Other stations that the department has to deal with face the same or similar problems. Station fourteen, 3830 Greenwood Road, faces the same short driveway scenario. Additionally, the Queensborough station is in the middle of a slow curve, where motorists often hamper the firefighter’s ability to back the engine into the station. Cars can be seen driving at 45, even 55 miles-an-hour while firefighters try and block traffic to get the engine back into the station after an emergency call. The department has a policy on trucks returning to the station, where firefighters must exit the truck, block traffic, and spot the driver into the station. Despite their reflective vests, firefighters have had several close calls with motorists too busy to pay attention. If you have to stop traffic for 20 seconds so we can get into position to respond to the next emergency (backing the truck into the station) some people act like it’s the end of the world, says one firefighter. We have had them literally drive through the station’s yard to get around us.

Station fourteen and fifteen are slated in the department’s master relocation plan to be moved within the same areas of town but are not listed on this bond issue. National statistics in 1999 showed that 23 percent of firefighters deaths, the second leading cause overall, were related to incidents responding to or returning from an incident. It is a priority of Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran to provide the safest work environment possible for firefighters. "We realize the dangers that are inherent at a house fire or other emergencies, but there is absolutely no reason a firefighter should feel threatened leaving, returning, or working at the fire station," says Cochran. Adding, "we will do everything we can to ensure our members safety, including relocating, rebuilding, and or remodeling these stations, but we also ask for help from the public in recognizing our personnel and equipment, on or off an emergency call.

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