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ARSON
Arson is the biggest problem that the Detroit fire department has to deal with. Arson has always been a problem in the city but with the abundance of vacant buildings they are very easy targets for people to set on fire. Vacant buildings and arson have been in direct correlation for quite some time. 1984 is the busiest year in Detroit fire department history to date with 810 arson fires set(5). Partly due to the dry and hot summer, but mostly due to the widespread abandonment the city has faced with 22% of structure fires being vacant buildings. According to Bill Mcgraw, the night before Halloween other wise known as "Devils Night" is famous for arson fires. the vacant buildings are prime targets for the criminals, and in the 1980's to the 1990's devils night was taken to another level when arsonists set hundreds of fires and overwhelmed the fire stations who could only put out so many fires at a time(2). In the documentary Burn one of the firefighters said that 95% of what they do is arson, and it is very uncommon to get an actual fire that isnt arson(3).
Arson is the biggest problem that the Detroit fire department has to deal with. Arson has always been a problem in the city but with the abundance of vacant buildings they are very easy targets for people to set on fire. Vacant buildings and arson have been in direct correlation for quite some time. 1984 is the busiest year in Detroit fire department history to date with 810 arson fires set(5). Partly due to the dry and hot summer, but mostly due to the widespread abandonment the city has faced with 22% of structure fires being vacant buildings. According to Bill Mcgraw, the night before Halloween other wise known as "Devils Night" is famous for arson fires. the vacant buildings are prime targets for the criminals, and in the 1980's to the 1990's devils night was taken to another level when arsonists set hundreds of fires and overwhelmed the fire stations who could only put out so many fires at a time(2). In the documentary Burn one of the firefighters said that 95% of what they do is arson, and it is very uncommon to get an actual fire that isnt arson(3).
BUDGET CUTS
Detroit's public services have been cut drastically, and the fire department is no exception. The amount of fire stations that have been closed down in the last couple of years is ridiculously high. These closures are doing nothing but harm for the citizens of Detroit. People are even dying from these cuts. For example, a 71 year old man died in a house fire that was four minutes away from a closed down station(5). Response times are way down because of the fact that most of the time the active stations have to travel a significant distance to get to the fire. For more on budget cuts click here. According to the Huffington Post, Mayor Bing urged firefighters to take an unpresidented 10% pay cut due to the lack of funds that the city has(4). Closing of fire stations is not the only problem these firefighters face but the lack of proper equiptment as well. According to the documentary called Burn rigs and equiptment are being held together by ductape and super glue. Considering that 96% of the budget goes towards paying the fire fighters there simply isnt enough money to repair everything(3). The majority of the budget that pays them is still calling for cuts for the men and women that risk their lives on a regular basis.
2. McGraw, Bill. "Life in the Ruins of Detroit." History Workshop Journal 63 (2007): 294-295. Web.
3. BURN. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
4. Sands, David. "Detroit Police, Firefighters Avoid Layoffs, Face Wage Cuts." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
5. Maciak, B. J., M. T. Moore, L. C. Leviton, and M. E. Guinan. "Preventing Halloween Arson in an Urban Setting: A Model for Multisectoral Planning and Community Participation." Health Education & Behavior 25.2 (1998): 194-211. Web.
Detroit's public services have been cut drastically, and the fire department is no exception. The amount of fire stations that have been closed down in the last couple of years is ridiculously high. These closures are doing nothing but harm for the citizens of Detroit. People are even dying from these cuts. For example, a 71 year old man died in a house fire that was four minutes away from a closed down station(5). Response times are way down because of the fact that most of the time the active stations have to travel a significant distance to get to the fire. For more on budget cuts click here. According to the Huffington Post, Mayor Bing urged firefighters to take an unpresidented 10% pay cut due to the lack of funds that the city has(4). Closing of fire stations is not the only problem these firefighters face but the lack of proper equiptment as well. According to the documentary called Burn rigs and equiptment are being held together by ductape and super glue. Considering that 96% of the budget goes towards paying the fire fighters there simply isnt enough money to repair everything(3). The majority of the budget that pays them is still calling for cuts for the men and women that risk their lives on a regular basis.
2. McGraw, Bill. "Life in the Ruins of Detroit." History Workshop Journal 63 (2007): 294-295. Web.
3. BURN. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
4. Sands, David. "Detroit Police, Firefighters Avoid Layoffs, Face Wage Cuts." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
5. Maciak, B. J., M. T. Moore, L. C. Leviton, and M. E. Guinan. "Preventing Halloween Arson in an Urban Setting: A Model for Multisectoral Planning and Community Participation." Health Education & Behavior 25.2 (1998): 194-211. Web.