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Fire chief says closing Station 7 may be only viable cut if sales tax fails
Summary
Hutchinson’s fire chief told council that after years of reductions, the only actionable way to hit target reductions would be to close one station—he recommended Station 7—warning of longer response times, reduced surge capacity and impacts on ISO rating.
The Hutchinson fire chief told the council during a Jan. 28 study session that the department has absorbed years of cuts and that further reductions will likely affect front-line services.
The chief said the department has reduced its operational budget over nine years and that cost growth has come from items outside operational control, such as negotiated wage increases, medical insurance and retirement. "We've now reached a point where additional reductions cannot be achieved without affecting service delivery," he said.
After an exhaustive review, the chief said the only actionable recommendation to meet the stated reduction targets was to close one fire station and reduce personnel. He recommended Station 7 as the candidate because it has the "least call volume," noting the station typically staffs nine personnel. The chief warned that closing a station would increase response times in affected districts, increase reliance on mutual aid, reduce surge capacity for multiple-incident responses, and could lower the city's ISO rating—changes that would affect insurance costs and potentially property-safety outcomes.
Councilmembers pressed on alternatives: deferring vehicle purchases, slowing equipment replacement and grants for air packs, but the chief said some lead times make deferral impractical (he described multi-year delivery for new apparatus). He said the department responded to 6,080 calls in the last year and cited a 97 percent property-save rate as evidence of current performance.
No council action was taken; the chief presented his recommendation as an operational reality to guide council discussion of revenue options and contingency planning.
