Council gives consensus to study new West-of-101 fire station, relocate Station 154 and begin designs for other fire projects

Glendale Fire Chief Ryan Freeberg and city engineering staff walked the City Council through site analyses, operational modeling and preliminary cost implications for three fire‑station projects in the city’s approved capital improvement program during a Oct. 14 council workshop. Council provided consensus direction to further study a city‑owned 8‑acre site at the northwest corner of New River and Glendale Avenue for a proposed Fire Station 1510, to pursue planning for relocating Fire Station 154 to Mission Park pending coordination with Phoenix, and to begin design work on other station improvements consistent with the CIP schedule.

Chief Freeberg said the recommendation to continue study of the New River/Glendale site (identified in the workshop materials as the recommended Site 1) was driven by multiple operational factors: access to the Glendale Avenue thoroughfare for east–west travel, improved first‑due coverage for the Westgate entertainment district and reduced risk of creating a “border” station that primarily serves adjacent jurisdictions. The city owns the 8.2‑acre parcel, he said, and staff recommended focusing on the southern portion of the site for placement of the station.

“Getting access onto the main thoroughfare was a priority,” Freeberg said, describing polygon modeling used to test response coverage, overlaps with partner agencies and how a new station would “stitch” into the regional automatic‑aid dispatch model.

Staff presented incident and population statistics for the planning polygon around the New River site: roughly 1,400 rooftops, a 2024 population of about 14,000 (noting the area is still developing and draws visitors to the entertainment district), and an average of about 1,800 incidents over the past three years inside that polygon. Staff said Glendale units currently respond to about 50% of those incidents.

City engineering staff briefed the council on site constraints and viability. The parcel lies adjacent to the airport; engineers said early geotechnical borings found no fatal soil issues and that Federal Aviation Administration height restrictions would not preclude construction of the planned facility. Staff also showed a conceptual “chassis” floor plan based on the recently completed Station 153 model: a four‑bay apparatus area, living quarters and support spaces arranged to separate contaminated spaces from living areas.

Chief Freeberg told the council a new station would require additional operating resources: the preliminary staffing plan calls for hiring 15 full‑time employees to staff one engine, with first‑year salary costs estimated at about $1.5 million (staff noted the possibility of applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency SAFER grants to offset early years). Ongoing personnel and promotion costs were estimated at roughly $1.7 million in early years and could rise to about $2.2 million as staff move to top of range, Freeberg said. Staff also asked council to authorize ordering a new engine (staff estimated a current price of about $1.5 million and a roughly 30‑month lead time) and recommended adding a brush truck to the fleet because of wildfire interface risk in the western portion of the city (staff cited long lead times for apparatus procurement but did not provide a firm purchase price for a brush truck in the workshop).

On Fire Station 154 (the facility near the Phoenix border), staff described a possible relocation to Mission Park, a city‑owned 5‑acre park about 0.5 miles southwest of the current site. Modeling showed moving Station 154 to Mission Park would redistribute shared overlap with Phoenix and could improve Glendale’s in‑city coverage while maintaining first‑due commitments into Phoenix through automatic aid, staff said. Freeberg and city staff stressed the need to coordinate timelines with Phoenix, which is planning Station 93; Phoenix staff estimated a multiyear timeline to build a new station. Council members expressed concern about timing — specifically the risk of creating a temporary coverage gap if Glendale moved before Phoenix had its new station in place. Staff said their preference would be to align design and construction timelines with Phoenix where feasible.

Several council members raised concerns about neighborhood impacts and park loss at Mission Park if the city places a fire station there. Councilmember Conchas said outreach to residents showed a mix of opinions and asked about noise, siren use policy and impacts to park amenities; staff said they will conduct community engagement, noted standard operating practices governing when sirens and lights are used, and said the city could study replacement or reimagining of lost park space with CIP and other funding mechanisms. City Manager Phelps explained that, if the city uses a portion of park land for the station, the council could direct a property appraisal and use bond or CIP funding reprogramming to fund park improvements.

Council gave verbal consensus to the following actions during the workshop: accept the recommended study site at the northwest corner of New River and Glendale Avenue as the preferred location to continue design for Fire Station 1510; authorize adding and ordering a new fire engine and to add a brush truck to the fleet (staff noted a 30‑month lead time for apparatus); and to move forward with relocating Station 154 to Mission Park for study and community engagement while working to reasonably align Glendale’s schedule with Phoenix Fire Station 93. Council also directed staff to start design work on Station 155 consistent with CIP timing and to review CIP funding and delivery schedules in the upcoming budget process.

Staff emphasized these were consensus directions to advance study and design; final project approvals, budget appropriations and any land transfers would require subsequent formal council actions. Staff committed to additional community outreach on Mission Park and to providing more detailed CIP timing and cost information in the budget process.