Ex-IL Fire Captain Makes Pitch to Keep Station Open
By Charles Bolinger
Source Edwardsville Intelligencer, Ill.
EDWARDSVILLE, IL—Former Fire Capt. James Anderson spoke during Tuesday’s city council meeting to request that the city keep its Montclaire Fire Station (station #2) open.
Last week, during a public safety committee meeting, the city administrator proposed closing the facility, which was built in 1969, selling the property and possibly cutting two firefighter/EMT positions.
“The stations were placed so that fire trucks and ambulances could reach the greatest number of people as quickly as possible,” Anderson said.
He said he selected four locations within station #2’s coverage area to determine what the responses would be using Google Maps. From station #2, he used his home, Leclaire Elementary School, the YMCA on Goshen Road and the Hortica Insurance Building on Route 143 just east of Interstate 55.
“An ambulance from station #2 can reach my house in four minutes, and Leclaire school in two minutes,” he said. “Those are great response times.” To the YMCA would take seven minutes and to Hortica, nine minutes, he added.
He said from station #1, an ambulance could reach his house in seven minutes. From station #1 to Leclaire school is four minutes but to the YMCA, it would take nine minutes and 10 minutes to reach Hortica. He said the response times from station #3 would take at least 12 minutes to reach any of these locations.
He concluded by urging city officials to keep Montclaire open and to plan for a new station somewhere on the city’s east side.
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