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City staff seek council approval to design two new fire stations to lower response times
Summary
Deputy Chief Bigelow presented data showing two areas where response times exceed NFPA recommendations and requested authorization to proceed with design services for Fire Stations 12 and 13; council favored beginning with the west-side site and using FY25 CIP design funding.
Fire department leadership presented a proposal on May 8 to add two fire stations (to be numbered 12 and 13) to improve response times in two parts of the city.
Deputy Chief Bigelow, stepping in for the chief, described operational data: in one proposed district Station 2 has a 90th‑percentile response time of 11 minutes 48 seconds and Station 3 roughly 12 minutes, while the NFPA 1710 recommendation is an average of 4 minutes. Staff reported 902 incidents in one proposed district during the 12‑month period ending 2024 and 1,078 incidents in the other district. Estimated day and night populations and projected growth through 2028 were presented to justify the need.
Staff said locating a station on the west side (Veterans Parkway area) is feasible with existing city‑owned property and would reduce response times there by roughly six minutes, while a Joby Jackson Parkway site on the south side requires further property work and might come later. Council noted capital costs, personnel and apparatus lead times (fire truck delivery can take about three years) when planning sequencing.
Council gave staff a nod to proceed with design and funding pursuit using FY25 CIP funds already allocated for station design, and asked staff to prioritize the west‑side site while continuing work on property options for the south side.
Provenance: Based on Fire Station 12 & 13 presentation and council discussion (topic intro SEG 1107; topic finish SEG 1519).
