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Consolidating Fire Stations

Martins Ferry’s population and, just as important for purposes of funding municipal government, its industries have changed dramatically during the past few decades.

Half a century ago, the city had 10,757 residents, many of whom were employed at nearby steel mills. Now the mills are gone and the population is down to 6,756, according to the Census Bureau.

Obviously, city government cannot afford 1970-level services with 2017 revenue. City officials have been trimming budgets for several years in light of that reality.

Now, City Council members are discussing fire protection. Specifically, they are considering closing the four fire stations staffed by volunteers. They would be replaced by a single, centrally located building. The proposal is being investigated by a special panel, the Central Station Committee, Mayor Robert Krajnyak said last week.

Consolidating fire protection facilities could save a substantial amount of money for the city. As Krajnyak noted, the four existing buildings are older structures and are becoming expensive to maintain. Two of them need new roofs. The city pays utilities for the four units.

Fortunately, Martins Ferry is a relatively compact community. It is expected closing the four existing stations would add only seconds to firefighters’ response times for most of the city.

Clearly, it needs to be done. The new committee should be concerned less with whether the consolidation should occur than with how to make it happen as efficiently and quickly as possible. As Krajnyak pointed out during a council meeting last week, “at some point, it’s going to have to happen, whether it’s two years down the road or 10 years down the road.”

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