MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee residents near a fire station on the city’s south side are hopeful it will reopen after hearing about Milwaukee’s 2025 budget plan.
“I love my neighborhood. The neighbors are very nice,” resident Raquel Ortiz said with a smile.
Ortiz, a resident for two decades, recalls a time when the fire station at 8th and Hayes was a vital part of the community.
“One time it got hot outside, and they opened the fire hydrant. It was nice, but a long time ago. Since they closed, it just feels a little different,” Ortiz recalled.
Station 31, located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood, has been closed since 2018.
Watch: Neighbors hopeful south side fire station will reopen if city budget is approved
Ortiz said the closure of the station has left a noticeable impact on the neighborhood.
In April, intense flames spread across three houses just a block away from the station. One woman died, and a firefighter was injured in the fire.
Jadah Jones, another resident, vividly remembered the incident.
"If we had the fire station right there, it would've been put out faster; no one would've died," she said.
At a news conference following the fire, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski was critical of past budget cuts to the city’s fire department.
“It almost killed one of my firefighters today, and a civilian has been lost,” he said at the press conference.
On Tuesday, Mayor Johnson announced his proposed budget for 2025, which would increase fire department funding by $6.5 million from the 2024 approved budget.
“We are investing in new personnel for the Milwaukee Fire Department with the possibility of another reopened fire station. As Alderman Scott Spiker and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa know in their districts, a reopened firehouse is good news for neighbors—and, frankly, good news for the entire city,” Mayor Johnson said Tuesday morning.
Ortiz is hopeful that Station 31 will be prioritized on the city’s list of reopenings.
"The nearest firehouses are kind of far away. It’s such a landmark here. Having it is a sense of safety," she said.
The public will have its first opportunity to provide feedback at a meeting of the Finance and Personnel Committee scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. inside City Hall.
You can read the full budget on the city’s website.
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