SOF! SOF!

So the city wants to shutter my neighborhood firehouse.

This is a colossally bad idea for a whole lot of reasons:

• While they took the engines away awhile ago, we still have an EMT team in the area.
• Warfleigh (my little slice of the world) is a part of a larger area known as Broad Ripple. If you've never heard of Broad Ripple you don't live in Indianapolis -- but trust me when I say it is one of the busiest neighborhoods you'll find in the city, especially on weekends and even more especially on warm spring & summer weekends. We host a LOT of folks.
• Why so popular? More restaurants and, unfortunately, bars than you can shake a stick at.
• With bars comes poor judgement.
• With poor judgement comes the need for a public safety presence and emergency response.
• Did I mention that an EMT team is based out of the firehouse?
• Also, the building is the oldest firehouse in Indianapolis & is of historic value to the city and especially our neighborhood.
• One guess what would go into that space if the city allowed it to be closed/torn down.

I am not one who blindly supports pet projects and special interests because generally they come with high price tags and do little to serve anyone outside a very small circle of people. But I would aruge that keeping a public safety presence serves not only the needs of Broad Ripple residents but also the thousands and thousands of visitors we have here every year. There are a lot of people paying a lot of tax on a lot of food & alcohol in Broad Ripple. I would think the city would be wise to keep it a safe and inviting place to put money back into the economy.

So. Wanna help? Go here and sign the petition to save our firehouse. You don't have to be a Broad Ripple resident, or even an Indianapolis or Indiana resident. It's quick & easy, I promise.

What are you waiting for? Go!