Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident testimony urges council to preserve Fire Station 23 amid eminent-domain debate
Summary
A resident told council the firefighters at Fire Station 23 have saved her daughter's life repeatedly and urged the city to avoid actions that would diminish station capacity; the topic arose during public comment while council also considered property acquisition and related ordinances.
During public comment, Sabrina Otis spoke directly about Fire Station 23 and the stakes for her family, saying firefighters from the station had resuscitated her daughter 13 times between 2017 and 2022. "Without those firemen, my daughter wouldn't be here," Otis said, and she urged council to find a solution that keeps adequate apparatus and EMS coverage for the neighborhood.
Otis framed the issue in the context of an earlier council vote against eminent domain for the site and said the station is small, in poor condition and serves nursing homes and low-income housing in the area. She asked the council to act quickly so residents do not lose critical emergency capacity.
Fauzi Badur and others also referenced the administration's commitment to acquire 10022 Madison Avenue as a potential new location for Station 23 and said first responders' needs must be prioritized above special interests. The council did not adopt a new eminent-domain action during the meeting; public comments requested further attention and rapid consideration of alternatives to maintain emergency response levels in the affected coverage area.
No formal ordinance regarding eminent domain passed during this session, but council members referenced property-acquisition and neighborhood-stabilization measures elsewhere on the agenda that could affect station siting or funding.
