Posts Tagged 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows

Rolling Meadows discusses rebuilding fire stations (more)

Jan 25

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 5 Comments

Rolling Meadows officials will start interviewing project management firms next week as the next step in the city’s efforts to relocate both fire stations … the city council last year decided to move both stations to improve emergency response times.

Seven project management firms responded to a request for qualifications, Chief Scott Franzgrote told the city council Tuesday and interviews with four of the companies will help make sure the costs estimates are all-inclusive. Rolling Meadows has Fire Station 15 at 3111 Meadow Drive, which was built in 1958, and Fire Station 16 at 2455 S. Plum Grove Road, which was built in 1980. Under the plan, both would be relocated — though it hasn’t been determined to where — to better balance the calls the department receives.

According to city documents, the cost of building two new fire stations is about $9 million, which includes all design, land acquisition, engineering, architectural and construction costs.

Deciding what to do about the city’s fire stations has been somewhat of a moving target over the past few years. In 2014, the council decided to build a third station, but reversed course last year and voted to remain at two stations, but in new locations.

thanks Dan

Excerpts from the JournalTopics.com:

As the city continues to grapple with the issue of whether to pour funds into fixing a 57-year-old fire station in need of extensive repairs, and whether to move the second station to better meet the needs of a growing community, aldermen last year gave the fire department and city staff the go-ahead to develop a plan on building and relocating the two fire stations.

The request for qualifications that went out from the city said the project will have an anticipated budget of $9,000,000. The project manager would oversee planning and implementation of the project including relocating both fire stations, evaluating station location sites, land acquisition, relocation to temporary facilities if required, creating budgets and project schedules, and coordination of relevant entities such as real estate agents, architects, consultants, engineers, contractors, vendors and more.

Rolling Meadows firehouse are Station 15 (Fogarty Station), 3111 Meadow Dr., which serves areas of the city east of Route 53, and Station 16 (Neucranz Station), 2455 S. Plum Grove Rd., which serves the city west of Route 53.

Station 15 was built in 1958 by the newly formed Rolling Meadows Fire District. At the time, it was a one-story building with two apparatus bays and a kitchen. The station was positioned in a location that represented the center of the fire district’s response area.

Franzgrote has said a new fire station is needed to meet an increasing demand for service, especially on the city’s south side, and to maintain quick response times.

Rolling Meadows to review status of their fire stations

Feb 13

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 3 Comments

Excerpts from the Journal-Topics online:

It was announced at Tuesday’s (Feb. 10) city council meeting that a history and detailed report of the serious debate over what to do with Rolling Meadows’ fire stations, is available online for residents and those planning to attend the Rolling Meadows Committee of the Whole (COW) on Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. at city hall, 3600 Kirchoff Rd.

The history of this long-debated issue, in a series of simplified documents put together by Rolling Meadows Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote, is available online at www.ci.rolling-meadows.il.us.

What to do about the decades-old Thomas Fogarty Fire Station 15 at 3111 Meadow Dr., which is sinking and in need of repair, will be discussed. Discussion is expected to center on whether or not to tear down and rebuild Station 15 and/or build a new third fire station on city-owned land at 2301 Algonquin Rd. or at another location.

The city’s other fire station is the more modern Neuckranz Fire Station on Plum Grove Road.

The debate not only just deals with what to do about Station 15’s crumbling infrastructure, but also how to address increasing emergency response times to a growing city, both in residents and businesses, and how to pay for any changes.

Franzgrote notes city staff has submitted a request for approximately $50,000 through the 2014 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to replace the emergency power generator at Station 15. Last September the generator broke down during a major storm resulting in the station’s garage doors only opening manually for a few weeks while the generator was repaired.

Tags: 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows, Neuckranz Fire Station, Rolling Meadows Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote, Rolling Meadows Fire Department, Thomas Fogarty Fire Station

Rolling Meadows discusses third fire station

Jul 17

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

The Daily Herald has an article about the Rolling Meadows city council supporting a third fire station:

After a decade of discussion and contradictory decisions, the Rolling Meadows City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to direct staff members to work on plans for a third fire station and rebuild the old downtown station where it stands.

In a report to the council, Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote said he could move the three-person fire engine from the station at 3111 Meadow Drive to a new one on Algonquin Road and keep the two-person ambulance downtown. No additional staffing would be needed, he said.

Mayor Tom Rooney said he supports building the third station rather than the council’s controversial decision in April to move both of the current stations. He added that building a third station will cost less in the short run but could be more expensive in the long run.

The downtown station needs considerable work, the council agrees. The second station at 2455 Plum Grove Road is newer.

Rough estimates show a new, small station could be built for as little as $650,000, and a more expansive one for as much as $2.5 million, Franzgrote said. The city owns land on Algonquin between Meadowbrook and Weber drives.

The third station would be built with the goal of speeding response time in the southern part of the city where older multifamily buildings represent the highest risk of serious fire.

Franzgrote had presented the idea of moving both current stations to provide more equal protection throughout the city after the council made it clear it did not support building a third station. The idea of a third station came up in 2004, but in 2010 the council rejected a grant toward building at the Algonquin site, saying the city could not afford the staffing and equipment.

thanks Dan

Tags: 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows, Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote, Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Rolling Meadows renews discussions of a third fire station

May 24

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 4 Comments

The Daily Herald has an article about renewed discussions of a third fire station in Rolling Meadows.

The Rolling Meadows City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to investigate building a small third fire station on Algonquin Road after it voted by the same margin a month ago to move its two existing fire stations so response times in the city would be more equitable.

[Alderman] D’Astice, who represents the 6th Ward, asked the council to “investigate and discuss the option of constructing a one-vehicle building on the land the city owns on Algonquin Road (at 2301 Algonquin).”

Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote recommended moving the two existing fire stations because a study showed the response time to the multifamily homes along Algonquin Road was too long. These older buildings are also the areas most susceptible to serious fires, he said. Much of this area is in D’Astice’s ward.

But the council had told Franzgrote that a third station was not an option. In 2010 the council rejected a grant toward building a third station at the Algonquin site on grounds the city could not afford the staffing and equipment.

D’Astice said before the meeting that Franzgrote could decide the type of vehicle stationed on Algonquin. It could be an ambulance or a fire truck that carries emergency medical equipment, he said. All of the city’s firefighters are also trained as paramedics.

Cost is the issue in this debate. Residents are so upset that a preliminary council vote favored two new stations at an estimated cost of about $9 million, said D’Astice, that they might put the issue on the November ballot. Aldermen agreed the two fire stations would probably fail in that case.

But Mayor Tom Rooney and Alderman Brad Judd of the 4th Ward, who often disagree, maintained that in the long run adding a third station could be more expensive than two new stations. Besides staffing and equipment costs, there could be moves to enlarge the station or add personnel, they said.

Residents and officials who note the city would have to buy land for the new stations don’t “recognize we can also sell property to offset the cost,” Rooney said.

A potential rift among supporters of two new stations arose, with aldermen saying the second station, at 2455 Plum Grove Road, might not be moved for several years. Rooney said he would not support the plan unless that station is moved relatively quickly.

He said that would be necessary to provide adequate coverage to northern parts of the city after moving the downtown station. The council agrees the older downtown station at 3111 Meadow Drive needs to be repaired or replaced soon.

thanks Dan

Previous posts are HERE and HERE.

Tags: 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows, Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote, Rolling Meadows Fire Department

A new fire station for Rolling Meadows is still on the table

Mar 8

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

The Daily Herald has an article about discussions in Rolling Meadows about finances and new fire stations:

Rolling Meadows’ bond rating rose significantly late last year, which could make it easier to borrow money if the city decides to build one or two new fire stations, Mayor Tom Rooney told the Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce during his annual State of the City address Monday. Standard & Poor’s gave the city a AA+ rating, with a stable note that means the positive trend in the city’s finances is expected to continue, Rooney said. That is up from last year’s A+.

“The work that we’ve done to bring the debt level down means that we could (borrow),” Rooney said in response to a question about how the city would pay for one or two new fire stations.

The city reduced its debt level to 44 percent of its annual budget, compared with 65 percent not long ago, he said. On the other hand, the city’s cash on hand has risen from 12 percent to 31 percent of the budget in about 18 months.

Rooney displayed a map showing that the city’s largest threat of serious fires is in older multifamily residences. They are concentrated on both sides of Route 53 between the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) and Algonquin Road, and on the east side of Route 53 between Central and Algonquin. Moving the 50-year-old downtown fire station from 3111 Meadow Drive to the area of Wilke and Central roads would put those homes within the desired four- to six-minute response time, he said.

It also would mean ideally the second station at 2455 Plum Grove Road should move east to the vicinity of Kirchoff Road and Route 53. “Moving a fire station is a political football no matter how it’s sliced and diced,” Rooney said. “Nobody wants to see a fire station moving any further from them. It’s at the heart of what people fear for their safety.”

Aldermen have said the downtown station is in deplorable condition, and the city council has committed to making a decision on the future of the fire stations in April. Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote has said building two new stations could cost up to $9 million.

thanks Dennis

Tags: 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows, Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote, Mayor Tom Rooney, Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce, Rolling Meadows considers relocation of fire station, Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Rolling Meadows revisits 3rd station

Jan 20

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Service News | Comments off

The Daily Herald has an article describing the results of a study for the Rolling Meadows Fire Department:

Rolling Meadows should work a deal with Arlington Heights to build a third fire station on the city’s east side, a study says. If that doesn’t work, the city’s first station, built in 1958, should be relocated from Kirchoff Road in downtown Rolling Meadows south to Central Road just east of Route 53.

… another ambulance staffed by two people could improve response times.

According to one set of national standards, the department should be able to answer alarms within four minutes 90 percent of the time. In 2011 Rolling Meadows ambulances reached the victims in four minutes about 68 percent of the time, and fire calls about 66 percent of the time. The department did better according to standards from another group that sets the goal at just over five minutes but still was under 90 percent.

Both the department and the leadership of Northwest Central Dispatch System have already made changes to improve their response times, said Buhs, who presented the study Tuesday night to the Rolling Meadows City Council.

The time goals are based on how quickly someone needs help after a heart attack and the time it takes a fire to reach 1,000 degrees or “flash over,” he said.

Rolling Meadows won grant money to build a third station on Algonquin Road just west of Wilke Road, but the council scuttled that project in 2010 because of economic problems.

City staff has estimated the downtown station will need $500,000 in repairs if it is kept.

Sixty-six percent of Rolling Meadows calls are for ambulances, 13 percent for fires and 21 percent “other,” with false alarms a significant problem.

The entire article is HERE.

thanks Ron

Tags: 3rd fire station a possibility for Rolling Meadows, Rolling Meadows Fire Department, study conducted to help Rolling Meadows Fire Department