On the corner of Olinder Court and Felipe Avenue in San Jose, a gleaming new firehouse is finished but lifeless, its bays empty and its lights mostly off. The building is paid for, yet the crews that would bring it to life are not, and that gap has neighbors and councilmembers fuming while city leaders scramble to find the money to open the doors.
The station, funded with bond dollars, is supposed to help carry the load on emergency calls in an underserved pocket of the city. Instead, at least for now, it is a very expensive reminder that you can build a firehouse without being able to afford firefighters. Officials are weighing overtime, federal grants and other temporary fixes to avoid leaving the station unused as construction wraps later this summer.
Local TV crews have already been out front capturing residents’ frustration, reporting that the station remains unstaffed because money to open it has run dry. As reported by KTVU FOX 2, the dark station has revived long-standing worries about public safety and whether San Jose is doing enough for neighborhoods that say they are routinely overlooked…