Excerpts from the NWherald.com:
In 2017, the Huntley Fire Protection District responded to about 5,000 calls and already has taken more than 300 additional calls for 2018. Station 3 on Regency Parkway handled the most calls, likely because of its close proximity to the Sun City community, which experiences a large amount of emergency medical service calls.
Data from a station location study requested by the district indicated that an additional fire station south of Sun City would have taken on about 600 of the calls from 2017. And with few straight roads cutting through the neighborhood, response times are slightly longer. Therefore, the district is hoping to break ground on another fire station next spring to better serve the Sun City area. Three firefighters would staff the station 24 hours a day. There are no plans to hire any new personnel at this time, but the district will have enough staff to effectively operate all stations.
The district also is planning an 8,500-square-foot expansion to its facility on 11118 E. Main St. with the hope of moving operations at Station 1, 11808 Coral St., away from the downtown area. Last year, believing that it had outgrown its Coral Street station, the district looked into acquiring land on a vacant site at Route 47 and Mill St., which has been the target of other development proposals, such as an apartment building.
The expansion would make the East Main Street location a two-story building with a training room, office space and upstairs living quarters. The renovations also would provide an opportunity for the district to add resources designed to reduce firefighters’ exposure to carcinogenic materials.
The district would optimistically like to break ground on both projects by spring 2019. The new station would take seven to eight months to complete and the East Main Street building expansion probably would take a little longer and open some time in 2020.
The district’s board frugal budgeting over the past 10 years will allow both projects to move forward without the need for a tax-based funding mechanism.
#1 by Big Moe on November 19, 2018 - 8:15 AM
Not a big fan of building stations with the bare minimum staffing unless all the other stations are staffed up with out jump crews. Having separate amb and eng crews will lighten the load considerably over the jump crew model. Worked at an outfit where crews jumped and stations were down alot. When staffing was upgraded the need to fly cross the district or call mutual aid was greatly reduced. I am not saying it the case here, but some boards/towns think stations put out fires and do CPR, When staffing is the real life saver, volunteer, P/T, career of mixed. They do sound more responsible than most.
#2 by Albert W Schlick III on November 18, 2018 - 10:04 AM
The new station will be designated Station 5 and it will be a jump company (Engine / Ambulance). Station 2 is busy but since the District switched to AVL dispatch they are sharing the load with Station 4.
#3 by Michael m on November 17, 2018 - 1:28 AM
How many calls does station 2 get? I understand why Station 3 is busy, but station 2 has to cover most of Lake In The Hills. Have they does any studies about call volume for Station 2?
I give the District props for budgeting that allows them to move forward with these projects without having to go to the taxpayers!
I am guessing the new station will be station 5?
#4 by Drew Smith on November 16, 2018 - 10:45 PM
https://www.nwherald.com/2018/11/15/huntley-fire-protection-district-targeting-expansion-in-spring-2019/abutdw2/
More info here
#5 by Mike on November 16, 2018 - 9:58 PM
Mike it will probably either be a jump company or just an ALS engine.
#6 by Michael m on November 16, 2018 - 9:07 PM
What would they put at the new station? An Ambulance? With only 3 people that is all they would be able to staff. Or would they have it as a Jump company?