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Dallas fire station dealing with AC outage amid heat
A Dallas fire station is currently without air conditioning as the city looks for a temporary and permanent solution for the problem.
DALLAS - A Dallas fire station is currently without air conditioning as the city looks for a temporary and permanent solution to the problem.
Dallas Fire Station temporary closure
Dallas Fire Station 43
What we know:
Dallas Fire Station 43, located just off Harry Hines Boulevard in Northwest Dallas, saw its primary air conditioning unit stop working last week.
The outage comes as temperatures have regularly soared over 100 degrees over the last several weeks.
Temporary portable AC units were installed at the station to alleviate the intense summer heat, but due to power disruptions caused by the temporary units, the decision was made to temporarily move Station 43's firefighters and equipment to nearby fire stations.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says it is currently working on Station 43 to repair the station's air conditioning unit. DFR says firefighters who were moved to strategic locations to ensure coverage in the station's district will not be interrupted.
Dig deeper:
The same portable AC units are in use at other Dallas Fire Stations that are currently operational to help combat the extreme summer heat.
What they're saying:
"Let's get this problem fixed."
Chris Peterson, the President of the Dallas Firefighters Association, says Station 43 is due to be replaced, but laments that the problems in the current building have not been fixed.
"They live 1/3 of their lives at this fire station. This is their second home. If my home or anyone else's home needed an AC unit, they're probably going to find a way of doing it. You see any crews here now? I don't see any crews here."
Chris Peterson (R) with FOX 4's Alex Boyer
Dallas has yet to break ground on a new building for Station 43, meaning the building won't be replaced for at least another two years.
"I just hate that they've been in this environment as long as they've been in it, and it hasn't been taken care of."
Peterson said the stations that firefighters have been moved to are three to five miles away from Station 43, increasing response times by several minutes.
During the interview with FOX 4's Alex Boyer, a call for service came through to Peterson at Station 43.
"So the CAD system is going off, but no one is pulling out of the station because no one is here," Peterson said. "That was most likely a call for this area, and now we just see how long it takes for them to show up on that call."
Local perspective:
Dallas City Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn released the following statement to FOX 4 on Fire Station 43's temporary closure:
"We obviously can't operate a fire station without air conditioning. I've been told the city is considering closing the station instead of repairing it, which is problematic for EMS and fire response times in the area. I hope city management will resolve this issue quickly. Our city must be committed to excellence in public safety."
What's next:
No timeline for Station 43's cooling unit to be fixed has been given.
The Source: Information in this story comes from an interview with the President of the Dallas Firefighters Association.