by Kim Gebbia
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. - A proposal to move a Nashville fire station a mile from its current location has some residents in Germantown and North Nashville seeing red. Dozens of people voiced their concerns Monday at a community meeting at the Morgan Park Community Center.
If that relocation happens it will put Station two firefighters another 1.2 miles away from the residents of Germantown and North Nashville.
While it may not seem far, people at the meeting said if their house was on fire or if their loved had a heart attack, they don't want firefighters a foot farther than they already are.
Station 2 on Second Avenue is the busiest firehouse in Nashville, responding to an average of 350 calls a months.
They service all part of North Nashville and all of downtown.
"We take care of so many people, thousands and thousands of people we take care of everyday," said firefighter Geaurther Hayes.
That's why residents can't understand why the busiest firehouse would move even farther from the bulk of the people they serve.
"I don't really understand the logic," said Rob Williams with the Historic Germantown Neighborhood Association.
He spoke on behalf of residents, and said, "People are concerned mainly with the call time, not only with fire related incidents but also with paramedics and EMT's work out of the same station," said Williams.
Firefighters say crossing the Cumberland from 5th and Russell to Germantown will inevitably add some additional time to their response.
"On any particular day there could be a lot of traffic, heavily congested between school zones and if the Titans are playing, and if everything gets shut down, if there are festivals it could be very hard coming across the bridge," said Hayes.
Metro Fire Officials added that the current building needs significant repairs. But Hayes believes moving over the river is not the best option for firefighters or for the residents of Germantown and North Nashville.
"It's not about getting a new station it's about serving the residents," he said.
There is an additional fire station that services downtown Nashville, and Metro fire officials said the relocation is only a proposal and that they will hear resident's concerns before making any final decisions.
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