Old Louisville Residents Want To Keep Engine 7 Open

Some residents of Old Louisville are asking Mayor Jerry Abramson and Fire Chief Greg Frederick to keep the Engine 7 fire station open.Engine 7 is set to close next month, after 137 years of operation. It’s being closed to help the city absorb a $20 million budget shortfall.When the closure was announced, Abramson and Frederick said there was ample protection in the neighborhood, provided by several nearby fire stations.Resident Fred Nett says some of his fellow Old Louisville neighbors are gathering their own data on response times. In the meantime, he says the city’s reserve fund should be used to keep the station open.“If things are as bad as the mayor indicates, indicating that it’s necessary to cut services to urban service district residents then it’s fair to say that the rainy day fund should be tapped," he says.Engine 7 employs twelve firefighters who are scheduled to be transferred to other stations when the firehouse closes.