Sunday, April 23, 2017

Roof damage shuts down South Philadelphia fire house after two of the trusses are split

Roof damage shuts down South Philadelphia fire house.
A South Philadelphia fire house is closed after suffering structural damage.

The Action Cam captured a picture of what the roof looked like inside the fire station on 4th and Snyder Street that houses Engine 53 and Ladder 27.


Two of the trusses inside are split, so the city has shut it down.

Officials say it's simply too unsafe to have crews working out of it.

Neighbors who have now temporarily lost the stations services feel a little more unsafe.

Erme Maula of South Philadelphia said, "When we heard that, I was like I don't know how safe I feel."

Another resident Elaina Lioneli said, "It is a little scary we have children so God forbid something should happen, it'll take longer to get here."

Action News spoke with both Ray Vozzelli and Ed Marks of the Philadelphia Firefighters Union.

They say the eleven person crew and services at the fire house have been re-directed.

Engine 53 will operate out of 711 S. Broad Street.

And Ladder 27 will work out of 13th and Shunk.

Medic 43 is heading to 3rd and Washington.

Obviously they acknowledge response time will be longer now. But say residents here are still safe.

Ray Vozzelli of the Philadelphia Fire Fighters Union Trustee says "Response times are going to be increased, you just can't argue with it. The city is trying to provide adequate service to the residents of South Philadelphia but it's just an unfortunate incident."

They also say the plan is to fix the roof as soon as possible.

Ed Marks, VP Philadelphia Fire Fighters' Union says "I spoke to a city official today and he said first thing Monday morning the workers and engineers will be out here to assess the damage and expedite the repairs."

From the video you can see from the outside where the roof dips now.

We also got a written response from the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Part of their Statement reads:
"We are currently evaluating the timeline for repairs based on structural concerns. We are making accommodations to ensure residents safety."

Neighbors hope that timeline is made sooner rather than later.

"We hope to have them back soon," said Maula.

"Hopefully they get it fixed soon enough so they're back over here working we like them over there," added Lioneli.

The union isn't pointing any blame on anyone for the damage.