Legal Question in Criminal Law in Missouri

What is the legality of moving a centrally located fire station to outside the city limits? If a municipality moved what was a centrally located fire station outside the city limits causing the response time for the fire department to get to our school children and Head-Start children to more than double. And the response times would more than triple to get to all of our licensed daycare providers, our Nonprofit Housing and the majority of our homes, Without performing a study, with no research or procedure followed, without looking at mathematical models, or any of the location science to determine if this is the best location for a fire station.

If there were fatality (fatalities) from a fire because of this Gross negligence, would you be interested in taking this case?


Asked on 4/28/15, 5:31 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Anthony Smith LawSmith

The legality of opening a fire station, is probably not if importance, in the fact scenario you described. . The closing of an existing station may be. Some fire departments are owned and operated by municipalities, some by fire protection districts. The two entities do not have the same restrictions.

If there were fatalities, due merely to the closing of an existing station, I may be willing to take such a case. But, it us unlikely that any attorney would take such a case on a purely contingent fee basis.

You might seek to find out why the centrally located station was ckised. Did a bond initiative fail. Has there been a reduction in the tax base? Given that you described several community assisted facilities, it seems that the central station might be in an area with low household incomes, and a reduced business population relative to where the new station is proposed. If that is the case, you night look into finding a way that the central area residents and businesses can tax themselves to financially support preserving it reopening the centrally located furw station. That may be a better use if resources, than saving money for potential legal fees for a negligence law suit for after a devastating fire.

As for researching the exact dyrues if dye diligence owed by a particular municipality or fire district, in opened, that is beyond the scope of a free question.You might hire counsel to gather the necessary information, and give you a written legal opinion as to the specific restrictions on the closing of that particular centally located fire station.

Good luck

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Answered on 4/28/15, 12:09 pm


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