A study conducted by Pittsburgh's financial oversight board and its consultant, TriData Corp., concluded calls for merging fire stations to save Pittsburgh money. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, closing five stations and merging their operations into three is chief among the study's 152 recommendations. It suggests closing the Brighton Heights station and merging it into the Woods Run station, closing the Allequippa Street station and merging it with a station on McKee Place, building a large station in Hazelwood and shuttering stations in Greenfield and Hazelwood, and building a new station at Tilbury and Forward Avenues and closing one in Swisshelm Park.

The report states that station upgrades are expected to cost $19.6 million. Closing the stations will reduce firefighters from 641 to 572 for an annual savings of $4.48 million.

The study also found most of the city's 12 paramedics stations have structural and asbestos problems and recommends replacing seven stations and combining stations on Matthews Avenue and Walter Streen in Knoxville.

Pittsburg mayor Luke Ravenstahl told the paper that he and his staff will scrutinize TriData's finding before adopting its recommendations, but he favors merging stations in the North Side, Greenfield and Hazelwood. He estimated that acting on all of TriData's recommendations will cost the city $40 to $50 million.