HPNA General Meeting July 7th Agenda Discussion of alley clean-up Speaker Kyle Johnson on the democratization of information Homes Tour wrap up report Flightpath Coffee house variance discussion Formation of Search Committee for upcoming HPNA officer elections Report on neighborhood zoning issues NCCD update

Straight from the camera and on to page 8 of this issue of Pecan Press; a brief photographic Homes Tour retrospective. A wrap-up article shall follow in next month's issue, contributors willing.

Save Fire Station No. 9, see letter on page 14.

July, 2003   National Register District Neighborhood   Vol. 29, No. 7

A ustin Fire Chief Warren is proposing to reduce our fire station from a four-man crew with a pumper truck to a two-man crew with a squad car.

My job, as the HPNA appointed representative, is to investigate the impact of these changes upon our neighborhood and to inform neighbors of the following facts as verified by Scott Toupin, President of the Austin Association of Professional Firefighters: When there are only two firemen, there must be a known life-threatening situation before they will enter a burning structure. Even then, their only goal will be to perform the rescue at considerable risk Squad cars are not intended to be a primary fire attack vehicle. The city purchased four as support trucks to the six-man crew quint trucks in the outlying areas. A squad car has a three-inch supply line instead of our current engines' five-inch supply line and has only one pre-connected hand line. Vehicles similar to squad cars were used back in the 1970's, when firefighters put a hose through the window to attack fires. In modern fire safety, firemen use an interior attack. This prevents the fire from escaping further into a structure, so less of the house burns. If our pumper truck is taken away, we will have to wait for firefighters from another Fire Station to arrive to put out a serious fire.

Fire Stations are 100% paid for out of our property taxes and neither the University of Texas nor the State of Texas pays anything at all. The Fire Chief proposes reducing our level of service instead of Engine Company 3 or 2, because they service the University of Texas and the Texas Capitol. Once our pumper truck is gone, we will be dependent on Fire Stations 3 and 14.     Fire Station 3 is to the south of us. They will soon be much busier, because a pumper truck will also be taken from Fire Station 1, which is on the other side of their zone from Hyde Park.     Fire Station 14 is already one of the busiest in the city, supporting four different rescue disciplines and is constantly in training.     Therefore, in the event of a serious fire, both Engines 3 and 14 may be elsewhere. Continued on page 9