Saying residents of the west end of St. Thomas have been left unprotected by the closing of the Gov. Fortuna/Bordeaux fire rescue station in June, Sen. Allie-Allison Petrus has urged Gov. Charles Turnbull to reopen the facility.
"I am deeply concerned over this issue, as I recognize that this closing could seriously endanger the lives of those residents living in the area," Petrus said in a statement Thursday.
"What disturbs me most is the fact that many resources have been expended to put the structure in place and yet the Fire Department is willing to abandon a good government building from where life-saving services could be provided to the people of the western end of the island."
The station opened with much fanfare in June, 1997.
"It is frightening to know the closest station to the Est. Bordeaux/Fortuna area is located in Est. Dorothea, from where the response time to any emergency is 15 minutes or more," Petrus said. "Any decrease in response time is a critical factor between life and death."
"The government ought not to wait for residents on the western end of the island to lose their lives in order to address this very critical situation," he said.
