Cedar Point won't object to closing of Causeway fire station

Wednesday, 11 May 2005

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point is not going to challenge the city if it closes the fire station at the Cedar Point Causeway, according to park spokesman Bryan Edwards.

Edwards said Wednesday that closing the station would affect the "off-Point" property when firefighters have to travel from other stations, and that would be a worry, but Cedar Point would adjust accordingly.

"They are usually the first responders to any fire or ambulance call to our off-Point property," Edwards said, referring to Castaway Bay and the dorms in the Cleveland Road and Cedar Point Causeway area.

However, 99 percent of calls within the park are handled by Cedar Point's own firefighters and medical staff, Edwards said. Cedar Point opened for the season Saturday.

Tuesday, the city reduced its minimum daily staffing requirement from 13 to 12 to save money on overtime.

City Manager Mike Will said Wednesday that closing the Cedar Point Causeway fire station is not imminent, although it had been discussed if staffing drops below 12.

Will said closing the west side fire station isn't feasible because there is no railroad overpass and vehicles frequently get stuck by trains.

Sixty-four percent of the city's emergency responses come from the central part of the city with 21 percent from the causeway area and 15 percent from the west side. The station handled 3,279 emergency calls in 2004.

Information on how many of the calls from the causeway area involved Cedar Point property or guests was unavailable Wednesday night.

"We don't think it will lead to significant reduction in response time," Will said during his Wednesday press conference.

The manager said the city has some of the best response times compared to most communities with less than three minutes. Will doesn't expect that to change.

Although the fire department's union has been more vocal than other city unions about cuts, Will said that every city department is cutting back and having to adjust. Will said that the police department had to close its community substations, but that was done in one sweep, as opposed to the fire station's cuts which have come in small doses.

Wednesday, Will defended the city's decision to get rid of its animal control officer position and outsource animal cruelty calls to Erie County Dog Warden Barb Knapp. Will said that Knapp will likely only be paid a few thousand dollars per year, while the former animal control officer's job and benefits were valued at $50,000.

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