6/10/2009 6:00:00 AM $9-$11 million to relocate two fire stations
For adequate fire protection, a study recommends replacing both Fire Station No. 1 (pictured) and Fire Station No. 2.
Ryan Dostalek ConnectFitchburg.com
Fitchburg should replace its two fire stations within a few years, according to a consultant's report unveiled when the Common Council met as a Committee of the Whole on May 27.
New stations are needed to ensure prompt response times as the city develops to the east and southeast, said Fire Chief Randy Pickering.
The recommended locations are near the intersection of East Cheryl Drive and Syene Road, and Seminole Hwy. and McKee Road.
According to the study, staff could be added to the new fire stations, thereby accommodating the city's needs for at least 50 years.
Fire Station No 1, 5791 Lacy Road, needs repairs likely to cost "into seven figures" while Fire Station No. 2, 5415 King James Way, which also houses Fitchrona EMS, isn't properly located and also needs extensive repairs, Pickering said.
The recommendations resulted from an analysis of development planned under the city's recently completed comprehensive plan and of current response times, which are falling short of desired goals.
The station on McKee Road would also contain administrative offices and training facilities, thereby consolidating administrative functions now housed in two stations.
Relocation of stations is also necessary to prepare for the dissolution of the Town of Madison, which is to occur no later than 2022. Pickering said the town's fire department had "a high activity rate."
"We've seen this coming," Pickering said. The department has been studying the issue for more than a year, but couldn't finalize its recommendations until the city approved its comprehensive development plan, which shows where future development will occur.
"The last thing we want to do is put a fire station in the wrong spot again," Pickering said.
Preparing for addition of Town of Madison
Mayor Jay Allen said the Town of Madison is likely to be dissolved before 2022 and recommended that the city be prepared. The town now provides fire protection to the Southdale Neighborhood, which will become part of Fitchburg, and also provides coverage to North Fish Hatchery Road, which now accounts for about 27 percent of the calls in Fitchburg.
Norm Arendt, project manager with the consulting firm that conducted the study, said that the city would not overtax its equipment. He said the city could consider purchasing equipment now used by the Town of Madison for backup use.
Under the agreement governing the dissolution of the town, Fitchburg could also offer jobs to town employees.
Adding a third, smaller station as an interim measure would be prohibitively expensive since it would require at least 14 firefighters to provide 24-hour protection, Allen said.
"The location of relocated stations is critical. If we put them in the wrong spots, we waste a lot of money," Pickering said. He said they couldn't be more than a quarter mile from the suggested locations without degrading the level of service.
The ideal location for the station on McKee Road is the intersection with Osmundsen Road, but Pickering said it wouldn't be feasible to remove existing houses at the intersection. It would be more feasible to locate the station near Seminole Hwy.
Pickering said the goal was to have the first unit that "can do something" to extinguish a fire on the scene within five minutes after receiving a call, for 90 percent of the calls, and to have other units on the scene four minutes later.
The department currently meets this standard 51 percent of the time. The suggested relocation would increase this to 88 percent.
Pickering said the department doesn't fudge statistics regarding performance, such as saying the department was on the scene when just a command vehicle arrived on the scene; such a vehicle couldn't actually do anything to control the fire, Pickering said.
The department currently meets its goal of having trucks on the road within a minute of receiving a call, which means units have a drive time of four minutes.
New construction techniques may increase threat
The balloon construction used on houses constructed during the 60s and 70s in the city makes it especially critical that fire crews arrive on the scene quickly, said Deputy Chief Chad Grossen. But he said newer homes may be at even greater risk, considering the extensive use of pre-constructed components, many of which rely heavily on flammable glues. Nails in gussets pop out more easily when heated, he said.
Arendt noted that building codes on the East Coast allow gussets joined totally with glue, resulting in components that "come down in a matter of minutes during a fire." Such lightweight glue construction methods are also likely to be allowed here, further increasing the importance of prompt response times, he said.
In response to a question from Ald. Shawn Pfaff, Pickering said it wouldn't be feasible to keep Fire Station No. 1 and relocate only Fire Station No. 2. Fitchrona EMS Chief Brian Myrland said it would be more feasible to knock down Fire Station No 1 and start from scratch than to try to modify it to accommodate EMS equipment and staff.
The location of Fire Station No. 2 "provides great first aid coverage for the City of Madison," Pickering said. Relocating EMS to McKee Road wouldn't hamper access to Verona Road, which EMS now uses for 80 percent of calls.
Nothing in the current plans for the rebuilding of Verona Road would affect the service provided at the suggested relocations, Pickering said.
Pickering recommended starting construction in 2010. He said Fire Station No 2 should be relocated first, since it was essential in providing service to the northeast part of the city where construction will probably start soon on the Northeast Neighborhood and, later, on the Green Tech Village, in addition to the Southdale neighborhood.
Arendt said relocating both stations simultaneously might result in some savings, but could also result in scheduling problems, as occurred when Middleton constructed two stations at once.
Pickering said the estimated building costs were little more than a guesstimate.
"It's OK with us if you build them out of concrete blocks and leave them unpainted," he said.
The estimate did not include the cost of land and utilities. The proposed station on McKee Road, which would combine EMS and fire service, as well as a business office and training facilities, would cost about $5 - $7 million, and would house three fire crews for fire service and two EMS crews.
The station on Syene Road, which could accommodate 2-3 fire crews and two EMS crews, would cost an estimated $3- $4 million.
Fitchburg has fire protection agreements with Verona and Oregon, which Pickering said provide depth of coverage but don't provide the desired response time. City Administrator Tony Roach said the City of Madison Fire Department provides mutual aid, but does not provide automatic aid.
Arendt said mutual aid agreements with Madison would be problematical since staffing at its stations often fluctuates. Madison does provide fire protection on a fee basis, an arrangement which he said was expensive.
Should city sell old fire stations?
Ald. Richard Bloomquist said the city should sell sites occupied by existing stations to pay for planned building projects, which include a $10 million library and new facilities for the Recreation Department and the Senior Center, which might involve an addition to the Community Center.
"Something's got to give if we plan to build three buildings," he said.
Allen said he was open to selling the land now used for Fire Station No. 1, but said Fire Station No. 2 may be useful in providing city services to the Jamestown Neighborhood, which is underserved by the city. He said it might be possible to swap city-owned land at the corner of Goodland Park Road and Co. Hwy. MM for land on Syene Road.
Several years ago, the city sold land on McKee Road that might have been a suitable site for a new fire station, he said.
Pickering said there had been "a fair amount of interest" by developers in the site where Fire Station No. 1 is located.
Ald. Steve Arnold said a grid-like street pattern associated with traditional neighborhoods improved access and markedly reduced response times compared to a branching pattern that had become more prevalent in suburbs in recent decades.
He also recommended emphasizing service to the urban service area. It would be expensive to provide traditional urban services to rural areas, whose residents didn't expect that level of service when they moved there, he said.
City officials can't find a record of the approval process for Fire Station No. 2, although Pickering said the site was correctly located when it was approved. Fire Station No. 1 is 40 years old and used to house the police department.
The study was prepared by Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., Madson. The council took no action on the proposal, which it and several other committees must approve. Since the buildings involve essential city services, the proposal need not be submitted to a referendum.
