WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – When Wichita firefighters open the doors to Fire Station One each morning, they’re greeted by the remnants of decades of neglect. Leaky windows from the 1970s are sealed with duct tape. Ceilings drip from water damage. Pipes are half-repaired. And a critical fire engine has been broken down for four months.
These aren’t minor inconveniences—they’re symptomatic of a larger crisis facing Wichita’s fire department: decades of deferred maintenance with no clear path to resolution.
But some firefighters say this March, voters will have the chance to change that…