BJØRVIKA, OSLO (Nettavisen): Construction of the Sentrum fire station in Bjørvika in central Oslo is in full swing, but the fire station is being built without a single parking space.
Now the firefighters are sounding the alarm, and are going tough against the Oslo city council, which flatly said no to parking.
– Running a fire station without parking spaces is cumbersome in terms of preparation. It simply needs to be fixed, says the head of the Oslo Fire Brigade Anna Lund Bjørnsen.
Nettavisen meets Bjørnsen at the construction site that will become his new workplace, where the modern fire station in wood and glass is nearing completion.
Watch the video interview with Bjørnsen:
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– It’s indefensible
The Oslo Fire and Rescue Service (OBRE) already clarified in March last year, in a letter to the city council, that there is a need for parking spaces at the station. But so far nothing has happened.
– It’s about the fact that we depend on driving between stations, and not least a plan how the crews will quickly get to our station in a short time in case of extraordinary events in the city, Bjørnsen points out.
He believes that it would simply be irresponsible to operate the fire station without parking spaces and points to the work done by a user group of the fire and rescue agency which highlights the need for space for, among other things, service vehicles .
As has been planned so far, there will be places only for firefighters in the garages of the brand new station.
– Not having a plan for how the crews will get to the fire station within a reasonable amount of time is unjustified, he says.
On the Oslo municipality website, however, the project is described as follows: ‘The Sentrum Fire Station will help ensure that those who work there can do their jobs efficiently, have a good operational concept and be environmentally friendly”.
– Remember that we also work 24/7 all year round. So this could be the night before Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Times when public transport is not necessarily relevant, adds Bjørnsen.
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On the site of the fire station, however, space has been made for a park, “which promotes ecological diversity through the use of local plant species and the creation of habitats for pollinating insects”.
– Five minutes from Oslo S
Shortly before Christmas, the matter was raised at the Oslo city council, where Lars Petter Solås of the Progress Party asked business councilor Victoria Evensen (PA) about how fire preparation without parking will be taken care of – to which Evensen replied briefly and succinctly:
– It’s a five-minute walk from Oslo S.
A statement that provoked strong reactions among the Oslo firefighters, and to which one can only shake one’s head.
– The responsible city council points out that Oslo S is only five minutes away, so you can just take the train, bus or other public transport?
– Yes, and many people already do this today. It is not the case that we employees of the Oslo Fire and Rescue Service ask for free private parking spaces when none of the residents of Oslo Municipality get them, of course we understand this, replies Bjørnsen.
He wipes the snow from his face, which is falling on this January day, before remarking:
– These are those cases where you are asked to turn up on short notice. Having to rely on public transport is difficult for many. Many of our employees do not live in central Oslo, they also live quite a distance from Oslo.
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– They don’t understand the problem
The spokesman for the fire brigade is now calling on the city council to reverse the matter and ensure the smooth running of the new NOK 314 million station.
– We are calling for a concrete plan on how Sentrum fire crews will get to work. Furthermore, it is the car park that is important to the day-to-day operation of the station, where crews are moved between stations on short notice, he tells Nettavisen.
– Are there many people in the fire department who react to this?
– We have the impression that the city council does not understand the problem and we hope that the city council takes a closer look at what it is before rejecting the need we have put forward for parking spaces, says Bjørnsen.
As you know, Oslo City Council is working to reduce car driving in Oslo, and hundreds of parking spaces have been removed in the capital in recent years. But the union leader believes the line has to be drawn somewhere:
– It seems to me a principled and ideological decision. Less traffic is good for our accessibility, but somewhere the line has to be drawn. Because if the crews don’t get to their stations to work, it doesn’t help that the cars arrive.
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The agency: – Must be present
The management of the fire and rescue agency largely agrees with the Oslo Fire Brigade Association.
– On the management side, it is obvious that we have to look for solutions where we get a minimum of parking spaces for official vehicles and emergency situations, says Sigurd Folgerø Dalen, communications manager at Oslo Fire and Rescue Service, in Nettavisen.
– We agree with this, and we must implement it. But how do we fix it, we’re not there yet. It’s a work in progress, says Dalen.
– What do you think of the fact that the Municipality has said no to parking at the station?
– We are quite sure that we will find a solution that works for everyone, he says about it.
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– Better accessibility
Nettavisen asked Oslo City Councilor for Industry and Property, Victoria Evensen (Ap), for a comment on the case, referring to Environment and Transport Councilor Sirin Stav (MDG). She has not had the opportunity to comment on the case.
At the Oslo city council meeting before Christmas, Stav also defended the city council’s no to parking.
– These are centrally located workplaces, and it is desirable that as many people as possible arrive there by public transport, by bicycle or on foot. As emergency vehicles need to get to the city efficiently and quickly, it’s important to limit street parking so they can get there quickly, the city council stressed and added:
– We are now systematically working to ensure that there is enough width in our roads so that emergency vehicles can get where they need to go.
The central fire station is scheduled to open in the summer.
