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Retired chief praises new fire station, urges timely planning for Station 3
Summary
Retired local fire chief and resident Peter Stamen praised council action on a new fire station and cautioned that while the project is necessary, planning for a second new station should not be delayed to ensure improved response times across the city.
During the public-comment period at the Feb. 24 Collinsville City Council meeting, resident and retired fire chief Peter Stamen thanked council and staff for approving a new fire station and urged continued, timely planning for an additional station to improve response times in underserved areas.
Stamen identified himself as a longtime local firefighter and said the new station is "the first step in improving response times to underserved areas of the city." He acknowledged the project's roughly $7 million price tag but said that, in his view, the cost is justified to achieve life-saving response-time targets. "A window of about 4 minutes is what we're shooting for... and that's basically in time to save a cardiac arrest victim or contain a fire to its room of origin," he said. Stamen urged council not to delay planning for Station 3 and said temporary local changes in response coverage are acceptable as part of a broader multi-station strategy.
Mayor Steman thanked Stamen for his comments. The council did not take further action on public comment during the meeting; the station construction had been approved at a prior meeting and was raised by Stamen as encouragement to continue planning work for additional facilities.
