After months of debate, the fire station closest to Syracuse University will close Thursday as part of a city plan to save about $2 million.

Fire Station No. 7, located at 1039 E. Fayette St., is the oldest in the city of Syracuse and would cost almost $1 million to repair. As part of Mayor Stephanie Miner’s budget plan for the fire department — which aims to save $1.9 million — Fire Station No. 7 will close and the number of on-duty firefighters will be reduced from 69 to 65.

None of the firefighters at the station will be laid off. Fire Station No. 7’s firefighters will be relocated to other stations across the city.

Mayor Stephanie Miner’s administration and newly appointed Fire Chief Paul Linnertz have said closing the station wouldn’t affect response time and public safety.

But members of the Syracuse Fire Fighters Association have argued the opposite, protesting the closures several times outside Syracuse City Hall and fire stations across the city during the past few months

Last year, Fire Station No. 7 responded to almost 6,000 calls, more than any other engine in the city. SU will now be covered by Fire Station No. 1 located at 900 S. State St.

Bill Ryan, Miner’s chief of staff, has said the station’s closure didn’t come overnight. He couldn’t immediately be reached Wednesday night.

No money has been given toward repairing the station for the past several years, though the Common Council did recommend during its May 8 meeting that the city take out bonds to pay for repair costs.

Published on May 30, 2013 at 7:00 am

Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum