Minutes can be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. The longer it takes Emergency Medical Technicians or firefighters to reach the site of an accident, lessens the chance for that help to make an impact.

For some residents that fact has been at the forefront of an issue concerning reserve firefighters, the building of a new fire station and the new Fire Corps program.

Many have been concerned that the recent closing of Station 24, near Thoreau Elementary, on Dec. 31 will decrease emergency medical response times to the northern part of Finn Hill. At that time, the Kirkland Fire Department transitioned its Reserves Program that provided emergency medical response from Station 24 into a Fire Corps Program.

But according to Kirkland Fire Chief Kevin Nalder, the issue is in the process of being resolved.

The Kirkland Fire Department has decided to re-open Station 24 with members of the former Reserves Program volunteers.

“I met with the reserves last Thursday where we could get all of them there to talk about moving forward,” said Nalder.

Communication between the reserves and the chief was the biggest hurdle in the process. Nalder was unclear on how many of the reservists would continue without the stipend they had been receiving.

“We had a list there so they could actually sign up for either the medical emergency response program or Fire Corps,” said Nalder.

Sixteen were in attendance for the meeting and all signed up for the Fire Corps program. All but one wanted to volunteer as an EMT.

The new volunteer EMTs will be under the heading of Kirkland Fire Department EMT volunteers. The Reserves Program, which originally had 18 members, has ceased to exist in its previous form. However, former reservists will continue to staff Station 24.

Fire Corps is a national program focused on preventing emergencies. The program trains volunteers to deal with emergencies and teaches them response techniques.

But the issue of closing Station 24 had been a point of contention for some residents for many months.

“We have been in the process of closing Station 24 since 2004,” said Nalder. “It has never been staffed by firefighters.”

Station 24 was built in 1995 as a result of increased population at the top of the hill. It has always served as a base for primarily EMT reserves. Finn Hill is mainly served by Station 25 on N.E. Juanita Drive, and Station 27 on N.E. 132nd Ave. by 405. Station 24 bridges the gap for medical response to the top of the hill.

When built, the new Station 25 will be more centrally located for the population of the area and Station 24 will be closed.

A public meeting on the relocation of Station 25 has been rescheduled to Feb. 8.

Station 24 has traditionally been staffed by reservists for 10 hours a day from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., according to Nalder. The city originally closed 24 at the first of the year due to budget cuts and to transition to Fire Corps.

The Finn Hill Neighborhood Association and several reserve members questioned why the city chose to close the station and transition the reserve program to a Fire Corps Program prior to building the new fire station.

“I’ve been asking that same question myself and I don’t think I’ve gotten a complete answer yet,” said Kirkland City Councilman and former Fire Commissioner Toby Nixon, prior to Nalder’s decision to restaff Station 24.

David Lee, who has volunteered for Kirkland Fire for 27 years, said volunteers told the chief and city that they understood the current economic climate and would stay on without the stipend.

“We brought up that we would continue to operate as we are without the stipend and hoped the city would one-day put the stipend back in its budget,” said Lee, noting the volunteer program was self-funded as it relied on annual fund raisers and donations that paid for their uniforms and training.

The city removed the volunteers’ stipend effective on the first day of 2012 because of budget cuts.

Nalder said the stipend removal was also accompanied by staff cuts to the Kirkland Fire Department in October, which contributed to the original idea to shutter Station 24. Those cuts included an administration assistant who kept an eye on staffing at Station 24 and money to maintain equipment.

Nalder said that two Kirkland Fire captains will serve as liaisons to the EMT and Fire Corps volunteers.

“But Fire Corps volunteers cannot participate in emergency response. That is why we have to separate the programs,” said Nalder.

The issues with liability for the city still have to be maintained.

“There are some issues we have to watch out for like burnout,” said Nalder.”They were doing all their own scheduling but we have to be able to monitor it.”

Many of the volunteers are mortgage brokers, Microsoft employees and electrical engineers by day. For many of them, responding to calls is an adrenaline rush and a way to give back.

“It’s like going through withdrawals,” said Lee about the last month off. “Every time you hear sirens it’s like, ‘gosh, I want to be there.’”

As commissioner of the now-dissolved King County Fire District 41 prior to annexation, Nixon made sure the stipend continued up until late last year. That cost the district about $60,000 per year.

“Even shaving a couple minutes off response time when someone is having a heart attack has value,” said Nixon. “That’s why the fire district was willing to step up and cover those costs for two years.”

Nalder said the Kirkland Fire Department and the community is “extremely fortunate to have the support of volunteer EMTs. We are grateful for the feedback we heard from Finn Hill residents and are pleased to find a solution that will continue to serve residents in a way that they value.”

Editor Carrie Wood contributed to this report.