Goodyear Council To Take Up Urgent Public Safety Issue

Published: Monday, December 12, 2016 - 5:05am
Updated: Monday, December 12, 2016 - 8:35am
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(Photo by Matthew Casey - KJZZ)
Goodyear's fire engine 185.

The Goodyear City Council is set to tackle an urgent public-safety issue when it meets Monday.

The city doesn’t have enough fire stations to adequately serve its booming population.

Goodyear had to shut down a fire station this year, when lead was found in water inside the building.

The crew was transferred to another location, but the closure magnified the reality that Goodyear hasn’t built a new fire station for almost a decade.

A recent study found parts of the city where response times are between two and six minutes above the fire department’s ultimate goal of five minutes. The study recommends adding stations in those areas. Plus relocate the one that’s closed.

It takes years and costs millions to open a fire station. Goodyear currently does not have money budgeted for a new one until fiscal 2022.