Red Flag Raised in Fire Station Construction Plans
Current Helotes Fire Station
The devil is in the details. That was apparent during the debate at the May 28, 2009, Helotes City Council meeting that concluded with a vote to save part of the old fire station from the wrecking ball. Mayor Schoolcraft wanted to leave the bays at the current fire station intact so the City can store public works equipment in them.
Going against the safety recommendations of the Fire Chief and two Council members, Mayor Tom Schoolcraft pushed forward and picked up the necessary votes from Council members Ed Villanueva and David Legendre to move ahead with only partial demolition of the old fire station. The final vote was two for and two against, with the Mayor breaking the tie.
Fire Chief Walton Daugherty sided with the complete demolition of the old fire station citing safety issues. Chief Daugherty told City Council members that tearing down the current bays would make room for a wider driveway which would give them more room to maneuver the fire trucks and other emergency vehicles into and out of the new fire station. This, he explained, would provide greater visibility for the firefighters and other drivers when emergency vehicles roll out of the bays and onto the streets of Helotes. Most firefighters we talked to agreed with that assessment. The City of San Antonio abides by a standard allowing sufficient space in front of the fire station for apparatus maneuvering, something that will be missing in the Mayor’s plans.
Council member Rich Whitehead, a firefighter with the City of San Antonio, agreed with the Fire Chief, arguing for the complete demolition of the old fire station, saying that the wider space would protect everybody from harm by giving emergency personnel and other drivers a clearer view of traffic. A local firefighter commented that when the fire trucks leave the station they enter an intersection of several busy roads and smaller feeder streets (FM 1560 and Circle A at the Shell station) which creates a bottleneck during rush hours. Mayor Schoolcraft was involved in a automobile collision at this very intersection a couple of years ago and should be familiar with how dangerous it can be.
Council member Cynthia Massey agreed with Council member Whitehead, advocating the complete demolition of the building due to safety issues. She also felt that it would be more appropriate to locate the storage space Mayor Schoolcraft wants at the back of the property behind the new fire station.
In the end, it appeared to be a matter of convenience for the Mayor. The former home builder said the City would save money by keeping the bays and using them for storage, brushing off the safety issues raised during the discussion on the long-delayed construction of the new fire station. In any case, commented the Mayor, the City could always tear down the bays later if this plan does not work out.