The efforts being put forth by the city of Kirkland and our firefighters to provide excellent service to the Kirkland communities are vital and worthwhile. However, when I drive through the heart of the Kingsgate area and see the only fire station with a for sale sign out front, I feel that something has run a muck.

There is a lot of discussion related to closing existing fire stations and building new ones. I like the phrase I recently heard which states that the fire station won’t come to rescue you, but the fire fighters will. In other words, siting fire stations is like buying a home. It’s all about location, location, location.

I know that distance from the station is one consideration as is the frequency of existing calls. I would challenge both sides of this discussion to also consider population density and the fact that more people will live longer in the future thereby increasing those call rates in denser areas.

Specifically, the center of the Kingsgate area is surrounded by commercial districts, multifamily housing, schools, a library and dense residential areas that continue to develop. In the heart of it all there stands the only fire station in the community with a for sale sign out front? I would challenge this debate to relook at the existing stations as they were already strategically placed for access to arterials, population centers and elderly care facilities. Then seriously ask whether we should be taking away service from these areas.

If funding is being developed, I am more likely to support the enhancement of existing sites, added training, community services and response units rather than a new building minutes further from my community.

Thanks for your consideration.

Ron Forster, Kirkland