Fire Station #1 To Be Relocated and Reconstructed on Land Just North of Village Hall
The Village is currently working on plans to relocate and reconstruct its Fire Station #1. The current Station #1 is located on the south end of the Village Hall building on 39th Avenue and was constructed in 1967. Since its construction, the design of fire vehicles has changed substantially to better respond to present day circumstances related to fighting residential, commercial and industrial fires. The existing Fire Station #1 will no longer accommodate the amount (or size) of fire apparatus and personnel necessary to protect the eastern side of the Village. Most notably, the existing station is no longer functional because the apparatus bays have become too small and inadequate to house the larger, lengthier ladder and pumper tanker trucks.
Prior to making a decision to relocate and reconstruct Fire Station #1, the Village evaluated several factors. Staff took into account: where current and future planned fire stations are and will be located and where fire apparatus is stored; call response times within a radius of those locations (looking for any gaps in coverage); which areas of the Village have fire hydrants and which do not; the areas in the Village where near-term future growth will occur; and the practicality/possibility of renovating the existing Station #1.
The Village currently has two fire stations, Station #1 on 39th Avenue and Station #2 near the intersection of County Highways C and H. A future third fire station site has been identified near Prairie Springs Park on Highway 165 for a time when commercial/industrial development west of I-94 supports the need for its construction. The eastern portion of the Village has residential development that is not connected to the Village water system and thus is not protected with fire hydrants. In areas such as this, it is necessary to have a large pumper tanker that can carry sufficient water to the location to fight a fire. The Village currently stores its pumper tanker in an industrial building near Station #2 (farther west).
After evaluating many factors related to both life safety and the protection of large financial assets, staff concluded that it would be logistically difficult and problematic to continue dispatching personnel and apparatus from Fire Station #1 while attempting to construct an expansion. Additionally, the ability to accommodate future needs in an expanded existing location would prove both limited and costly. As plans proceed for the reconstruction of Station #1, the Village will share updated information.