Documenting the Struggles of the Detroit Fire Department

For years, Detroit has been among the most arson-plagued places in the nation, with home-insurance rates double the Michigan state average as a result. The same shrinking tax base and dwindling municipal fortunes that have exacerbated the arson problem have steadily eroded Detroit’s capacity to fight fires, whether intentionally set or not. Even as the city has emerged from bankruptcy over the past several months, there have been serious questions about its commitment to maintaining and upgrading its fire response capabilities.

One independent journalist, the Motor City Muckraker’s Steve Neavling, was so concerned by the Detroit Fire Department that he devoted himself to documenting its woes from every angle. “I wanted to do something that mattered to the people in the city of Detroit,” says Neavling, who worked at the Detroit Free Press before starting his own site about three years ago.