In Oakland, every minute counts when fighting fires - after just 5 minutes, a small flame can engulf an entire room, and within 10 minutes, a house can be consumed. Our city learned this devastating lesson during the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, where 25 lives were lost and 3,000 homes destroyed in one of California's worst urban fires. This tragedy, along with the crucial role firefighters played during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when stations across Oakland rescued countless residents from collapsed structures and fires, reminds us why we cannot compromise on emergency response times. Closing any fire station in Oakland would increase response times by precious minutes, potentially costing lives. Fire doubles in size every 30 seconds to 2 minutes - what begins as a small flame at 2 minutes can fill a room with choking smoke and intense heat by 4 minutes-from a kitchen to house fire, from house to block fire. When fire stations close, the increased travel distance can push response times well beyond the critical NFPA standard of 4-minute travel time, turning containable fires into devastating structure losses. Any increase in response time due to station closures could mean the difference between a contained fire and a catastrophic one. The financial savings from closing fire stations pale in comparison to the potential cost in lives and property damage. As the climate crisis increases fire risks and Oakland continues to grow, we need more fire protection, not less. We must learn from our history and maintain all our fire stations to ensure every Oakland neighborhood has the emergency response coverage it deserves. Open Fire Stations 10, 25, 28 and all stations.