Left In Lowell

The state of our fire department fleet

14 Responses to “The state of our fire department fleet”

1. waittilnextyr Says:
   February 8th, 2009 at 6:05 pm

   There has been progress made in fire prevention in recent years, I believe (Jason could verify), so there may be a tendency to reduce the fire-fighting capacity as a result. However, that misses the mark when it increases response time, whether it be due to station closings or limited ready equipment. These rotating station closings are a bit like playing Russian roulette - the odds are with you, but the penalty for being wrong is severe. Out-of-service equipment only compounds the problem.

   This afternoon there was a Lowell firetruck racing outbound on Stedman street to respond to a call from the area of Smith street in Chelmsford, so the problem may not be limited to the City.

   Improved codes and enforcement can cut down on some of the fires. Detection equipment can assist in alerting residents and reducing response time. Household fire-control equipment could address some of the small problems before they became large ones. Maybe that is an area where more stringent codes could help out.

2. Bob Forrant Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 5:58 am

   This is a problem all over the country and most tragically evidenced recently with the horrible crash of a truck in Boston. As the budget crisis worsens at the local and state levels there is all the more reason for action in Congress to get the economy moving again. I wonder how many jobs would be created by making a simple decision to upgrade all municipal fire depts. Think of the jobs out-of-work auto workers could have building new firetrucks and mechanics could have actually doing the needed maintenance on existing trucks in the proper way. The list of badly needed infrastructure improvements couold go on for a long time. Add to the list outmoded school buildings and lots of urban and rural school systems without decent computers and science labs. You could put lots of folks back to work with a program to make certian that ‘no science lab was left behind’. This would be a real commitment to education and not an empty slogan. We have an out-of-touch, self-centered, collection of nimrods now in DC who will not understand how angry and worried people are until we all stand on the street corner togehter and begin shouting!

3. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

   I am glad Jason wrote about the condition of the trucks and how several were out of service.

   Since the accident in Boston that left a firefighter dead, and a number of follow up stories in Boston Media, I have been looking for out local paper to do a local version of the story. A story that looks at the public safety equipment maintence etc to let us know what kind of shape it’s in locally.

   Now that it’s been on Dick’s blog and Jason has written about it I betch the paper finally does a story, although to my knowledge they still haven’t done a story about the CM’s letter giving employees a heads up re: cuts or poked around into the threats on the CMs job made last month by some CCs etc so maybe I’m giving them too much credit.

4. Tryin to Stay Anonymous Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

   The two engines and one ladder truck went out to bid in the Lowell Sun about 2 weeks ago with the RFP. The bids close sometime this month I believe. The Sun ran a Rob Mills story on fire apparatus the day after Lt Kelley’s funeral. Of course all the local chiefs said how everything was just fine, we’re getting by, Rome wasn’t burning (pun intended). No fire union officials were available for comment, they all happened to be paying their respects at the funeral, convenient the story had to run on deadline that day, no?

   Does anyone out there know or care that Lowell doesn’t have even one working spare piece of fire apparatus in reserve? Not one. The spare engine is broken and the city has no spare ladder truck. The truck breaks, needs maintenance or an oil change - the station closes. This is very convenient when you don’t employ enough firefighters to cover those trucks and makes maintenance a very nice management excuse.

   Its just too bad most of the fire chiefs are only looking for their best three years for their pensions. They aren’t rocking the boat for anything. Lowell didn’t even have another deputy chief who wanted or seriously contended for the job this time round. It was a foregone conclusion who was taking over, but that is a whole other issue.

   Lowell has made immense strides in code enforcement and fire detection system requirements in recent history. Massachusetts has among the most stringent fire code regulations in the US, necessitated by the age and construction methods of our building stock. The idea that prevention is best method has borne some fruit in limiting damage and saving lives. Major devastating (re: headline making) fires are down. Still, overall incidents and calls for service are in fact up. That means you can’t run with less and write off the buildings that do have fires, which is what the city policy of random closings is tantamount to. A similar instance to Highland St. happened just off Lawrence Street in South Lowell last winter when both Lawrence Street Station trucks were closed. The home was fully engulfed by the time the next available truck arrived. If not for a neighbor breaking a window, three people might not have escaped alive.

   You want to see some action on station closings? Have a city councilor make a motion to require the fire department to publicly list the closed stations on a shift by shift basis. At the very least this should be available on the city website. That way the public can log on and see whether their station is open or not, every single day and night. Throw in information on which police beats and patrol routes are being staffed for good measure. More information is always a good thing for the public, unless you don’t want to know what is really happening. The metality that it’s never going to happen to me is far too prevalent. But when you live in a very dense city, Do you really believe it won’t happen to any of your neighbors too? If fire can’t be quickly held to the original building it inevitably damages the next.

   You will be amazed which neighborhoods get preference and which don’t. I’ll give you a hint on the firehouses, squeaky wheels (Belividere, Pawtucketville and Centralville) get greased. Up to three fire trucks are being closed per shift indefinitely, but the burden is far from equally borne in this city. Based on the numbers being bounced around there will probably be even more daily station closings after cuts in July.

   If you didn’t know, the paper’s upper level staff doesn’t care about this issue. In fact its better to call it a non-issue, the whole greedy union firemen thing and all.

5. Lynne Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

   You want to see some action on station closings? Have a city councilor make a motion to require the fire department to publicly list the closed stations on a shift by shift basis. At the very least this should be available on the city website. That way the public can log on and see whether their station is open or not, every single day and night.

   Ooooh. Wow. Good idea!

   Eleanor: Now, just how did you get so cynical about our local paper of record? I mean, one would begin to think that you believe that the paper had some sort of agenda, or something.

6. waittilnextyr Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

   Good idea on posting fire station closings, bad idea posting police beats.

7. Lynne Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 3:39 pm

   LOL Yeah, that makes sense. You wouldn’t want people to know ahead of time where would be the best place (the least watched) to commit crime!

   Let’s see those fire station closings. And honestly, it’s really scary to me as a homeowner to hear that we’re already seeing the problem associated with slower response times due to fire stations being closed.

8. Tryin to Stay Anonymous Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

   C’mon everybody knows you’re safer the closer you reside to the donut shop! (My police friends will love that one!)

   I see the point about police routes, but I think you catch my drift. On the same token you wouldn’t worry about arsonists knowing which fire stations were closed? They put big signs on them already. Its like telling a person in a financial hole, hey now would be a good time to burn your house for insurance profit.

   I’m not talking about posting the exact police route locations in real time, just how many cars and/or foot beats went unfilled or short staffed in a given week. It doesn’t take a genius to know that shift change for example, is a good time to commit a crime or that the summer weekends tend to run shorter staffed then winter weekdays. Fortunately the vast majority of criminals are not MENSA members. Plus addicts looking to score cash for their habit don’t tend to use the web to map their routes. That’s a little more smash and grab opportunism.

   Posting this info might also give some insight into the time off use policies of the departments as well.

9. Lynne Says:
   February 9th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

   Heh. Tryin - and in Lowell, since there’s a Dunkin’s on practically every corner…

10. Eleanor Rigby Says:
    February 10th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    See, this is what really bothers me about the lack of professional seasoned reporters and editors at the paper the one other media outlet in this city.

    Tryin wrote “…Does anyone out there know or care that Lowell doesn’t have even one working spare piece of fire apparatus in reserve? Not one. The spare engine is broken and the city has no spare ladder truck. The truck breaks, needs maintenance or an oil change - the station closes. This is very convenient when you don’t employ enough firefighters to cover those trucks and makes maintenance a very nice management excuse.”
    -0-

    Now I have to admit that I missed Rob Mills article in the paper, but if as Tryin says, he took the word on the condition of equipment and didn’t look at maintenance records, talk to firefighers etc himself, then that is press release journalism.

    There is NO EXCUSE that the Mills article missed the above condition of Lowell’s fire equipment and readiness especially when he was allegedly looking for it.

    Lowell deserves better than we’re getting from the local media. Residents need to know what the condition of the equipment we rely on for our safety is like. If there is a problem it is the responsibility of the 4th estate to inform us because the powers that be certainly won’t.

    This is why this blog and others like it are important.

    We all crap on Campy but he’s not the top dog at the paper. I believe publisher outranks editor. Mark O’Neil is the President and Publisher and has thus far been able to stay under the radar so to speak (even to the point where I had to look up his name!) Maybe it’s time Marky Mark becomes as well known as Campy.

11. fireball615 Says:
    February 16th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

    The worst part of not having any working spare apparatus is that if one of the “sacred cows” (Old Ferry Rd, West 6th St) break down or if all the regular firefighters are out for the day then another truck is placed out of service and either the crew or the crew and truck is sent to run in their place. Usually as history will tell the Pine St Engine 7 is sent to Pawtucketville leaving the Upper Highlands with delayed protection. We shouldn’t be in the business of sacrificing one neighborhood for the other. In this day and age it is unheard of for a city of this size to not have any working spare apparatus.

12. Tryin to Stay Anonymous Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 8:13 am

    Bids are in for the two new engines and one ladder. It has been recommended to go with Pierce Manufacturing’s bid. High bid was Smeal. Lowest bid was E-One, however their bid had a number of exceptions to the specification and was still comparable in cost to Pierce for not meeting all the city’s needs. Approximate price for all three pieces is $1.5 million. No timetable yet on delivery, but in all likelihood it will be well into next fiscal year. The projected cuts in local aid mean it will be even more difficult to staff all apparatus anyway.

13. tryin to stay anonymous Says:
    March 8th, 2009 at 8:10 am

    For those interested the spare engine has been fixed for service. Amazing how that happened after the information was posted here, when there was reportedly no money to do so.

14. tryin to stay anonymous Says:
    March 10th, 2009 at 9:09 am

    You know the DPW truck that burned yesterday? The Sun stated the fire department had trouble getting water on the fire. What the story didn’t say was that it was because the spare engine currently in service at Pine St malfunctioned for a few moments. Their regular engine has brake problems.

    Not a big deal if its an ancient city truck burning outside. A very big deal if your inside someone’s burning home holding a hose with no water.

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