At a vigil for a 12-year-old boy killed in a house fire over the weekend, the community and a member of Philadelphia City Council are asking for the mayor to cease rolling "brownouts" at city firehouses.
Frank Marasco, 12, died after a fire tore through his and three other homes near 55th and Sansom Streets on Saturday.
"I'm gonna miss him very much because he was my only son," Lernin Perez said at the vigil.
Engine 57, the firehouse that serves Marasco's neighborhood, was closed that night as part of the controversial cost-saving brownout plan. That left another firehouse about a mile from the home to respond.
The neighborhood firehouse that was closed is about three blocks from Marasco's home.
The Fire Department said it only took firefighters around four minutes to arrive at the home, which is within their acceptable response range.
Officials also point to the lack of working smoke detectors inside the Marascos' home as a contributor to Frank's death.
But still, people from the neighborhood to the firefighters union to city council were blaming the brownouts as contributors to Marasco's death.
Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell said she plans to ask council and the mayor to stop the brownout practice.
"The mayor didn't ask us to do this, so we're asking him reverse it," Councilwoman Blackwell said. "No life is worth saving a few million dollars."
Fire officials say the rolling brownouts don't compromise public safety. They're expected to save the city up to $3.8 million in overtime this year.
