Indianapolis Fire Department officials unveiled a consolidation plan Tuesday that would include closing two fire houses, repurposing another into a firefighter fitness center and building a new station that's expected to cost at least $3 million.
Indianapolis Fire Department officials unveiled a consolidation plan Tuesday that would include closing two fire houses, repurposing another into a firefighter fitness center and building a new station that's expected to cost at least $3 million.
IFD Chief Ernest Malone released the details of his plan to the press an hour before he was set to speak with community organizers Tuesday evening at the Broad Ripple Village Association meeting, one of the neighborhoods that would be affected by consolidation.
The pitch, which the department is calling its "2016 Redeployment Effort," focuses on a "holistic review" of IFD by putting resources in high-volume areas and cutting costs. No firefighters would lose jobs but could get reassigned to other stations.
Under the plan, Butler-Tarkington would lose its fire station — Station 16 at 5555 N. Illinois St. — as part of a consolidation with nearby Station 32 at 6330 Guilford Ave. in the heart of Broad Ripple. Its engine would relocate to Station 32, too.