Residents tell Normal Council closing College Avenue fire station risks longer response times

Two residents told the Normal City Council on Dec. 1 that a planned relocation of Fire Station No. 2 could lengthen emergency response times and endanger neighbors.

Eric Hall, who identified himself as a resident living a few blocks from Station 2, told the council the firehouse "has provided something that won't show up on a map or a study — peace of mind." He said the relocation plan could produce "4 to 5 minute" longer responses in some cases and urged the town to make the data behind its decision public and comparable to a firefighters' union response-time study. "If this decision is truly based on data, then that data should be easily visible for all to see," Hall said.

Pastor Trevor Gearhart described suffering a massive heart attack while driving seven weeks earlier and credited responders from Station 2 with reaching him just over two minutes after the crash. "I owe my life to the brave men from Station 2," Gearhart said, and he urged the council to "keep the College Avenue fire station open." He said the speed of the response likely prevented permanent brain damage or death and warned that closing the station could cost lives.

Both speakers framed their remarks as appeals for transparency and public safety. Hall asked the town to publish the analysis that supports relocation and to place it side‑by‑side with the union study so residents can compare methods and findings. Gearhart recounted his medical emergency as a personal example of why proximity matters for life‑saving interventions.

The council did not take a formal vote on the fire station during the meeting. The public‑comment speakers' requests for published data and clearer justification stand as the most recent public record on the relocation plan.