By George P. Hassett

In his first speech as president of the Board of Aldermen Dennis M. Sullivan called on Mayor Joseph A.  Curtatone to reopen and fully staff a fire company that has been out of service for four years.

Sullivan, sworn in as the board’s new president Monday night, said fire fatalities in Massachusetts were at their highest this year in any year since 2000. Last month the city’s biggest elementary school and a Harvard Place home that had been in one family for three generations were devastated in separate blazes. 

While the home at 9-11 Harvard Place was caught in flames and its two residents suffered serious burns Engine 4, the closest fire station, was closed.

“Staffing Engine 4 on a full time basis is necessary for the safety of our residents,” Sullivan said at the inauguration.

Engine 4 is currently open part time on a strategic basis, Curtatone said.

Sullivan said aldermen can only cut budget items and can not by themselves demand Engine 4 be reopened full time. However, he said during the last three budget cycles aldermen have submitted resolutions asking Curtatone to staff the station.

Those requests have essentially been ignored by Curtatone as the company stays idle. Engine 4 was closed in 2003 because of a money shortage in the wake of deep cuts in local aid from the state.

However, after the Harvard Place fire Jay Colbert, president of the fire union, said he believes the city can now afford to reopen the station. He said that fire’s toll was worse because Engine 4 was not in service.

‚ÄúThose people would have been saved quicker and the damage to the house would be less if Engine 4 were in service. There were 9 fewer firefighters on the scene because it’s out of service. The people in that neighborhood are less safe,‚Äù he said the week after the fire.

Colbert said if 12 more firefighters are added to the city’s force of 141, Engine 4 could be opened and the surrounding neighborhood would be safer. He wrote a letter to local newspapers and aldermen detailing what he thought was a public safety shortcoming in the city.

‚ÄúCambridge has 285 firefighters, we have 141, we’re understaffed,‚Äù he said.

He said he was happy to hear that Sullivan is raising the issue in his new position.

“Kudos to Dennis for stepping up and raising the issue,” he said.

After the Harvard Place fire, Curtatone said Colbert’s charge that Engine 4 could have made a difference in combating the fire at 9-11 Harvard Place was inaccurate.

“That was an extremely aggressive fire. It spread in seconds. The two fire engines arrived on the scene in 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The national standard is 5 minutes. We have a well equipped, well trained fire department. His comments are overboard,” he said.

In an interview with The Somerville News this week Curtatone said there is no need to reopen Engine 4.

‚ÄúI respect the alderman’s position and I appreciate his concern. But we need to keep an eye on the bigger picture. The fire department’s response times are excellent. We’re more focused on effectively using all of our resources not just reopening Engine 4 as a knee jerk reaction,‚Äù he said.

Sullivan said he would keep the issue at the forefront and advocate for Engine 4 to be reopened full time.

“I want to let the mayor know this is a key public safety issue,” he said.