Bay City Public Safety Director discusses fire station closure

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) – Bay City’s public safety director says the closure of Fire Station 5 on the west side last month did not affect response times.

During a City Council meeting on Monday, August 13, Caleb Rowell said the standard emergency response time in Bay City is eight minutes or less for 90% of calls.

He said since the closure of Station 5 on Smith Street, the average response time on the west side has been five minutes and eight seconds.

In addition, Rowell said a third-party ambulance is still on standby near the former Station 5 for emergency medical calls.

Nevertheless, some city commissioners remained concerned.

Rowell assured them that they could maximize their effectiveness by having all of the West Side’s personnel in one location at current staffing levels.

“Even though fire stations four and five are open, most days we have a total of three firefighters on duty. That’s not even enough to fight one fire, let alone two. So we continue to rely on mutual aid from partners and firefighters across the river,” Rowell said.

Station five closed due to dilapidation.

Rowell said previous estimates to replace the roof had been in the six-figure range, not including remediation of mold, mildew and other damage.

He adds that the future of the building is still uncertain.

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