Firehouses Double as Safe Havens

At a time when local governments are being asked to account for every dollar, we have proof of the lasting value of your local firehouse.
 
On Rochester's north side today, after a city man was shot and wounded, he ran to the Hudson Avenue firehouse for help.
 
Hudson Avenue is one of 15 firehouses in the city, and as Tina Shively reports, they serve as a safe haven.
 
The Hudson Avenue Firehouse has been there for 100 years.
 
Like all the other fire houses in Rochester, it's more than a place to store trucks and equipment.
 
Fire houses help keep neighbors safe.

"You see all these young people getting killed or whatever. I don't see nothing improving." 

Hope Canales was shocked to hear a 20-year-old man was shot on Hudson Avenue just steps from her front door.
 
What happened next was just another day at work for nearby firefighters.
 
They deal with life threatening danger where they work and live.
 
"The captain of Engine 16 came through and said 'We have a run out front'," said Rochester Fire Lt. John Whitley. "So we came out front and we had a person that had been shot." 

Lt. John Whitley and his staff of 7 got to work quickly on the shooting victim, doing what they could to stop his bleeding while waiting for the ambulance.
 
Whitley says there are a fair amount of shootings in the neighborhood, and many nights firefighters are called into action to help, no engine required.
 
He added "Just about everybody in the neighborhood is aware that this is a safe place to come to, and if there's any problem of any sort our door bell rings quite a bit." 

The Hudson Avenue fire house has a glass front control room that gives them a bird's eye view.
 
There's help available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 
That's true for her every one of the city's 15 fire houses, they also staff one in West Brighton. 

These days almost everyone has a cell phone but for someone who finds themselves without one in the time of an emergency they can pull an outdoor lever on every firehouse in the city. 

The alarm triggers the nearest crew to respond.
 
The Rochester Fire Department has 94 uniformed men and women on duty at any one point, around the clock.
 
"That's what we're here for, it's a bunch of coiled springs," added Whitley.
 
Police are still investigating the shooting.
 
Whitley is happy he and his crew were there to help.
 
The Rochester police department has a P.O.D. or blue-light camera at that same intersection.
 
There are over 100 cameras in the city that along with Shot Spotter Technology alerts the police department to problems even before the 911 call comes in.