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Protesters rally in support of fire station

    Inquirer
    Published 

Dozens of protesters rallied yesterday in support of the Fire Department's Engine 39 in Roxborough, one of five engine companies slated to be closed by Mayor Nutter to offset $10 million of an anticipated $1 billion budget shortfall over the next five years.

Engine 39, along with Ladder 30, serves 60,000 households plus the neighborhood business district, according to City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., whose Fourth District includes Roxborough.

By taking away the hose-bearing engine truck, Jones said, "you'll still have the ability to rescue people, but the time it takes for the water truck to get there from somewhere else could be the difference between a one-room fire and an entire household going up."

Brian McBride, president of Philadelphia Fire Fighters' Union Local 22, called for an independent impact study to be done before any engine companies are shut down. "Let's be safe rather than sorry," he said.

- Virginia A. Smith

    Inquirer