DOVER, DE- The Dover Fire Department is raising concerns over rising crime near its downtown station. Now, city leaders are moving forward with plans to install a perimeter fence, a measure many say is needed to protect firefighters and department property as illegal activity continues just outside the station.
On February 10, Dover Fire Chief David Carey went before a city committee to request a $300,000 fence around the firehouse on South Governors Avenue, saying the rising crime and homelessness near the station have reached a point where action is needed.
Carey said that criminal activity in and around the department has reached a tipping point, putting the safety of firefighters at risk.
“We’ve had an influx of crime around our building and within our parking lot with individuals that are in the downtown area. When we have calls and people respond to the fire station, we’ve had people walk through our parking lot, trying door handles, breaking in vehicles, taking computers, we’ve also had some guns stolen as well."
Carey added that illegal activity isn’t limited to theft, noting dangerous activity affecting operations.
“There’s drugs being sold right outside our front door. There’s prostitution outside our front doors during the summer. Now we have to keep the doors down because people walk in the firehouse.”
Carey said the perimeter fence will help keep the building safe while also ensuring the safety of those who serve.
"Our objective is to safeguard our people, safeguard our property and our assets that we have here because we want people to come here and staff the fire station. And the only way we can do that is protect them, as well as protecting the assets that we use to serve the community."
With roughly $25 million in equipment and assets across its buildings and apparatus, fire leaders stress that while protecting property matters, the safety of firefighters comes first.
Councilman Brian Lewis, a supporter of the perimeter fence, said volunteers shouldn’t have to worry about becoming victims of crime when they return from saving lives and serving the community, especially since many of them are unpaid volunteers.
“Their safety is important, especially being a volunteer company. These men and women do not get paid."
Councilwoman Donyale Hall said while a fence won’t solve all downtown crime issues, it is a step in the right direction.
“It’s a visual thing. You see it, you understand that it creates a natural barrier."
The $299,620 fence would be funded through this year’s State of Delaware Grant-in-Aid. Last year, the General Assembly approved funding to help Dover and Newark cover public safety costs, some of which could be used for the new fence.