Some Wake Forest residents hope new fire station lowers response times
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- A debate over a proposed tax hike is highlighting a potentially life or death situation in one Wake County town.
Residents in the Richland Hills subdivision are fighting for a proposed new fire station in Wake Forest. They say it's a solution to a pressing problem-- poor response times for EMS.
Richland Hills falls into two counties, Wake and Franklin. As a result, residents say emergency calls get directed to two different dispatch centers, and sometimes the responding agency isn't necessarily the closest.
That's what Afton Woodruff said happened to her neighbor a couple weeks ago.
"She came frantically running, and her baby was having seizures," said Woodruff. "She had called even before I got there and it took 15 minutes for anyone to get there."
Other residents have heard of similar complaints.
"One of the gentlemen who fell and hit his head in his house and was unresponsive for 15 to 20 minutes before they came and helped him up off the floor, let alone transported him to the hospital," said resident Darren Shepherd.
HOA President McCoy Faulkner blames the problem on having dual dispatch centers that don't always contact local authorities. He believes Wake Forest police and fire should always be alerted.
"Then they know the neighborhood better. They're more able to locate the house that needs service," said Faulkner. "We've had problems with EMS drivers not knowing the neighborhood."
Faulkner also supports a new fire station that, if approved, would be built on their side of town. However, that proposal is running into opposition from some residents in other parts of Wake Forest who fear property tax increases. However, the fire chief says that shouldn't be a problem.
"We had a real estate expert talk to the town that said it would not, and the other thing is they don't want the noise in the neighborhood," said Wake Forest Fire Chief Ron Early.
As for the confusion in Richland Hills, Early says that he has been in contact with the police chief and they're waiting to talk to dispatch centers in both counties to see if they can devise a solution.
As for the proposed new fire station on the west end of town, officials are waiting to see what the town will decide to do.
