About me:

Opening October 4, 1922, Fire Station 32 in Broad Ripple, Indiana, is Indianapolis' oldest active fire station. When any manner of public safety emergency occurs in the greater Broad Ripple area, Fire Station 32 is there, ready to respond, with the area's ONLY Advanced Life Support (ALS) team there in a moment's notice, ready to save lives and keep everyone in Broad Ripple safe, whether homeowners, church members, school students, shoppers, artists, musicians or anyone else who visits for any reason at any time of day.

Fire Station 32 is YOUR fire station!

Unfortunately, there are those in Indianapolis city government who think that our fire station should be closed. Having taken away OUR fire engine, Public Safety Director Scott Newman now claims that Fire Station 32 doesn't field its share of emergency calls and that closing it would help trim the city budget. Mr. Newman is proposing a VERY dangerous agenda.

When an emergency takes place, the most critical factor determining whether a victim survives is response time. Keeping response times low saves both lives and property. Who can predict when or where a fire might break out in a heavily-populated church building or school? There is no way to know when or where a shopper might have a heart attack and need immediate assistance.

Broad Ripple has been very fortunate to have not had any major fires or other safety emergencies in recent years. Yet, on any day, at any time, disaster could strike. Many of the homes, churches and buildings in Broad Ripple are over 30 years old, with construction materials and methods that, while appropriate at the time, now put all those buildings at risk for catastrophe should fire break out in any of them. Many of Broad Ripple's beautiful and historic bungalows sit very close together. Should one catch fire, not only are that home's occupants at risk, but so are their neighbors within the same block. We need Fire Station 32 in full operation, ready for whatever emergency may arise, no matter when it occurs.

Should Fire Station 32 be closed, not only will Broad Ripple lose an important historical landmark, meeting place, and safety source, it will also mean the loss of the ALS squad for the entire area. According to city officials, the squad currently occupying Fire Station 32 would NOT be sent to one of the other fire stations, such as 31 or 16, but would be sent to the South side, fire station 29, located at Garfield Park. This would mean heart attack and other critical medical needs victims would have to WAIT ADDITIONAL TIME for an ambulance to arrive before advanced care could be administered. During a medical emergency, time is the one element patients simply do not have!

How much difference can Fire Station 32 make? Consider that an open fire doubles in size EVERY MINUTE IT IS ALLOWED TO BURN. By the time most smoke detectors go off, a fire is often well underway. By the time someone detects a fire and calls 911, as much as a quarter of a building may be easily consumed. This leaves only THREE MINUTES for fire and rescue teams to arrive before the building is totally consumed. Given that the next closest fire station, station 16 at 56th & Illinois, is four minutes away from Broad Ripple's main business district, even their fastest response WOULD BE TOO LATE.

HELP SAVE FIRE STATION 32!