Fire Station 30 bullet hole

Cleveland firefighters at Station 30 on St. Clair Avenue returned from an emergency call Sunday evening and found a bullet hole in the window of one of the bay doors, according to Local 93 union officials.

(Courtesy of Local 93)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the fifth time in nine months, city firefighters were on the receiving end of gun violence Sunday when a bullet hit an East Side fire station.

Cleveland firefighters at Station 30, at 10225 St. Clair Avenue, said they went on an emergency run Sunday evening. When they returned, they found a bullet hole in a window on the bay doors.

"These incidents don't just hit close to home – they hit our home, where firefighters live, train and await calls during our shifts," Local 93 secretary Mike Norman said in a Tuesday press release.

The most recent incident mirrors another in January when bullets hit Station 20 on Pearl Road twice in eight days. Two off-duty firefighters - Lt. William Walker and Theodore Wright - have been killed by gunfire since November.

Walker, 45, drove to his Lampson Road home about 8:30 p.m. Nov. 23. When he got out, someone opened fire, hitting him multiple times, police said. A 16-year veteran, Walker had been promoted to lieutenant in August.

Wright, a 32-year veteran, was driving west on Classen Avenue when a bullet shot into his Chevrolet Silverado, striking him in the chest. He lost control of his truck, struck a utility pole near East 71st Street and died on impact, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office said.

Both deaths were ruled a homicide, and no arrests have been made.

Cleveland firefighters now wonder if they're being targeted, Norman said.

Norman also used the incident to underscore tensions between the Local 93 and the city which are currently at loggerheads over a proposal that would combine Cleveland fire departments and EMS crews. The statement says that city officials have not met with firefighters to address safety concerns.

"We need to know that the leadership of this city cares and is acting to keep our firefighters and community safe," Norman said.

The city has received a copy of the press release, but has yet to respond.