More than 40 supporters of Fire Stations No. 6 and No. 7 interrupted the opening of Mayor Stephanie Miner’s re-election campaign headquarters by staging a protest of the mayor’s proposal to close the stations outside the facility.

The protestors’ disagreement stems from the mayor’s budget proposal earlier in 2013 to shut down Fire Station No. 7, located on 1039 E. Fayette St., and relocate its firefighters. The station had high costs of repairs and was an “outdated and inefficient” firehouse, according to the mayor’s proposed budget.

But the dozens of firefighters, family members and friends of the Syracuse Fire Fighters Association who marched outside the building on Saturday afternoon said they strongly disagreed with this action. Many said believe removing the station would increase safety concerns for the growing city.

“With the redevelopment of downtown, that’s another three to five thousand people living there,” said Lonnie Johnson, president of the Syracuse Firefighters Association. “Our calls have been increasing 5 to 10 percent every year, and we’re anticipating 12,000 calls coming out of that area alone.”

Four protesters were standing on the corners of East Washington and South Townsend streets, and more than 30 protesters were already marching in circles around Miner’s new re-election headquarters within minutes of Miner’s arrival.

Dressed in shirts bearing the message  “Save Fire Station 7” and holding signs that echoed the same statement, the firefighters remained outside the headquarters to protest. Ambulances and other members of the community showed their support as they honked their horns and cheered on the protesters as they drove by.

Inside the re-election’s headquarters, Miner’s supporters celebrated the building’s grand opening, with a few eyes peered outside toward the march.

Kyle Madden, Miner’s campaign manager, declined to comment on the protests.

Many members of the firefighters association acknowledged the high cost of repairing Fire Station No. 7 and the city’s fiscal troubles, but disagreed with Miner’s opinion that the station isn’t worth saving.

Repairing Fire Station No. 7 would cost nearly $1 million, according to the budget proposal, an amount the city is not willing to pay. But Johnson said he believes the city needs to take a long-term view toward repairing the firehouse, and suggested a more cost-effective method to repairing the station.

“You can fix the more hazardous stuff now, like the foundation, and then over time remodel the bathrooms, the floors and everything else,” he said.  “You don’t have to do everything at one time, we’re not asking that. Everybody that works at that firehouse understands it’s an old firehouse, and they still love the firehouse.”

Fire Station No. 7 firefighters are usually the first responders to alerts at Syracuse University, said Paul Motendo, vice president of the Syracuse Firefighters Association.

Fire Chief Paul Linnertz told The Post-Standard in an April 8 article that he plans to move the Station No. 7 firefighters to Station No. 1, which he said is the same distance from SU.

Motendo said he did not believe that Station No. 1 would be a proper replacement, even if the firehouse is the same distance from the university.

“Engine 7 is a straight shot up the hill, the (station) that will be coming next, is from downtown,” Motendo said.  “It’s a different direction, different traffic patterns, different roads, different streets. It’s not going to be the same response.”

Published on April 20, 2013 at 10:03 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng