A tragedy was averted recently at a house fire on Crest Hills
Court in west Gilroy when Gilroy firefighters, partially due to the
efforts of an alert neighbor, were able to quickly respond and
rescue the occupants, and extinguish the fire, which went to
multiple alarms.
A tragedy was averted recently at a house fire on Crest Hills Court in west Gilroy when Gilroy firefighters, partially due to the efforts of an alert neighbor, were able to quickly respond and rescue the occupants, and extinguish the fire, which went to multiple alarms.
Ironically, the $500,000-plus fire engine housed at Sunrise Station just a stone’s throw away never moved a tire. Why? Because there are only two firefighters at Sunrise, and according to union regulations that’s not enough to staff a fire engine.
Though the vast majority of calls to our Gilroy Fire Department are for medical assistance, the fact remains that structure fires do happen, and a rescue vehicle with two firefighter/paramedics manning it is of little help in fighting a fire.
In this case, by all accounts, a fire engine from Las Animas Station was right behind Rescue 81, properly manned, and was able to extinguish the blaze quickly. We applaud the performance of our fire department, but what about next time?
What if the Las Animas engine is on another call, and Chestnut Station or CDF has to respond? Obviously, more time will be needed in a situation where time is critical, and perhaps critical not only to property, but lives.
This may be a staffing problem, as two firefighters have left the department recently to find work elsewhere. If so, the obvious solution is to hire new firefighters. There’s such a long list of qualified applicants. Why doesn’t the city have a pre-screened top 10 so that job offers can be made as soon as openings become available?
The Southwest Quad and west Gilroy should enjoy the same response time to structure fires as the rest of our city. This is a problem officials should solve sooner rather than later.
The current situation, in which a half-million dollar piece of equipment sits idle for lack of staffing, is, in a single word, unacceptable.
