FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, Ind. (WTHR) - Neighbors in Franklin Township came out Monday night to hear directly from the chief of the Indianapolis Fire Department.
They wanted more details on IFD's consolidation plan, which calls for closing Franklin Township's two fire stations, Stations 52 and 54, and replacing them with a new firehouse built midway between the two.
The people who gathered Monday want to make sure they're protected in case of fire. But IFD's plan to consolidate operations in fast-growing Franklin Township has them worried.
"The proposed station is going to be ridiculous for us in that southeast quadrant. We'll have nothing," one resident said. "There are a lot of homes there!"
"I just am worried about the response time from the new station. I understand they want to centrally locate it, but that doesn't help the far corners of the county," added resident Nancy Boaz.
IFD says its plan will save money overall, while investing $6.5 million in the township. They say it will keep response times under four minutes - which is the national standard - to anyone's home.
Under the proposal, two fire stations would close and a new station would be built somewhere near Hickory and Southport Roads. (Station 54 would be turned into a health and wellness center.) An exact location for the new firehouse is still being determined.
Chief Malone says a computer analysis of the township, along with in-person surveys from fire crews, made sure they'd get to every fire fast.
"By moving this station in the anticipated location, we'll have a quicker response time to that area and to the potential growth in Franklin Township," Malone said.
But Boaz, a former volunteer firefighter who lives right near the current Station 52 in Acton, doesn't buy it.
"They can't make it in four minutes. I've timed it," Boaz said.
Some in the room fear IFD's plan would jeopardize public safety. But the chief says the way things are now could be dangerous in the future because they can't add needed equipment.
He says the aging building of Station 52 can't handle the size of modern ladder and tanker trucks.
"I can't protect you from Station 52," Malone told the crowd. "We can't fit today's fire equipment, even, in there. Just a couple of weeks ago, we tried to back in one of our smaller pieces and it just won't fit."
IFD says its plan is about better fire protection for this area, which continues to see rapid development. Residents just want to make sure they all stay safe, no matter where they live in the township.
As for the timing, the plan is to open a new fire station in the spring of 2018.
