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Budget cuts close fire hall, remove four trucks from service

April 21, 2014, Toronto – Neighbours of a west-end Toronto fire station are voicing their concerns after budget cuts forced the station's closure.

The station (near Bloor Street West and Runnymede Road) closed its doors Monday after city council voted back in January to reduce the size of Toronto's fire services fleet earlier this year.

Four fire trucks were also taken out of service Monday from locations across the city.

Residents who live near the west-end station say they are worried that response times will be slower due to the closure.

The 84 firefighters who were stationed at the fire hall will be redeployed elsewhere.

The original proposal was to eliminate five trucks but councillors voted to save one of them, at a cost of $2 million.

The fire department has a $422.8-million operating budget.

The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association has warned that the cuts could jeopardize public safety by potentially increasing response times.