Detroit Today: Stephen Talks About Fires Sweeping Detroit

Fires are gripping Detroit, but what is the city doing to stop them?

Stephen Henderson talks with LOVELAND Technology’s John Grover and Motor City Muckraker’s Steve Neavling about the outbreak of fires around Detroit and its effects on the city itself.

  • Causes: “Fire is one of the most transformative forces working on the city today,” says Grover, with fifty percent of all fires caused by “suspicious causes” or arson.
  • City Funding: Steve Neavling says that the Detroit Fire Department has been underfunded for some time, with Mayor Duggan diverting funds away from the department and towards the Detroit Land Bank.
  • Equipment Issues: Neavling discovered that lack of funding has caused the Detroit Fire Department to use broken-down trucks and reuse dirty or broken equipment. Additionally, firefighters have had no additional training in some cases, making on-the-job training essential.

You can find a link to the results of LOVELAND Technologies’ study here

Click the link to hear the full conversation.

Author