Residents urge Sparks council to keep Fire Station 5 open, citing life‑saving response times
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Summary
Scores of Wingfield Springs residents told the Sparks City Council on Nov. 10 that closing Fire Station 5 while opening Station 6 would increase travel times and endanger seniors, children and tournament attendees; speakers urged alternatives including reassigning apparatus or hiring staff instead of closures.
Dozens of residents implored the Sparks City Council at its Nov. 10 meeting to reverse a plan that would close Fire Station 5 once the new Station 6 opens, saying Station 5’s proximity has been the difference between life and death.
Residents such as Jim Kindness, a Wingfield Springs resident who said he responded to emergencies for nearly 30 years, told council: "Time matters and can make a difference in life or death." Kindness and other speakers recounted rapid responses they attributed to Station 5, including CPR saves, timely ambulance transports and rescue of unconscious victims.
Patty Gray, who lives about five blocks from Station 5, told council she relies on the station because her husband is a heart patient and said the neighborhood’s high share of seniors makes response time critical. "Closing our station would impair our response dramatically," Gray said.
Other residents cited traffic and infrastructure that could slow apparatus coming from a more distant station. Patrick Riley noted heavy commute backups on Vista and Sparks Boulevards and warned that roundabouts and congested lanes can prevent fire trucks from arriving quickly. "If all the lanes are blocked, they can't get through," he said.
Speakers also raised fiscal questions. Several contrasted the council's authorization of $1,460,000 to replace turf at Golden Eagle Park with the city's stated staffing shortfalls for fire services. John Seifert told the council, "One life is more valuable than that park," and urged officials to prioritize public safety.
At later public comment, Jim Kindness cited a 2018 station‑location study by Levram Data Technologies that projected incident growth and concluded that Station 6 would improve workload and travel time but should not replace Station 5. "Without Station 6, the increase in incident volume will have heavy impacts... opening Station 6 will offer markedly better performance — and you have plenty of time to staff it without shutting another critically needed station," he said.
Council members acknowledged the public concern and discussed operational options without taking a final vote to close or keep Station 5 open at the meeting. Council Member Rodriguez proposed exploring a reallocation that would move an ambulance to Station 1 and shift an engine to Station 6 to preserve coverage at Station 5 while balancing resources.
Council did not adopt a formal motion on station closures on Nov. 10. The public testimony and council comments indicate the issue remains unresolved and likely to return to the dais for staff analysis of staffing, overtime costs and deployment options.