Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
The location of a proposed third station for the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District has officials at Barrington School District 220 concerned about traffic congestion and loud noises.
For $500,000, the fire protection district purchased an acre of land, which includes an existing home, at 36 E. Dundee Road, located between Barrington Middle School — Prairie Campus and the Early Learning Center at District 220.
The fire district has said it plans to turn the home into its third fire station but run limited operations there.
But with the close proximity to District 220 schools, officials said they are working with the fire district to address their concerns about increased traffic and noise if the station opens.
School officials are concerned about traffic congestion when parents drop their children off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. The sounds of sirens also could disturb younger students in class. District 220 officials intended to buy the property to help improve traffic flow between the two buildings.
The proposed third station for the fire district wouldn’t feature fire trucks but could include administrative offices and beds for firefighters on shift at the facility, officials with the fire district have said.
The location would help improve response times throughout the area, particularly with medical calls involving heart attack and stroke victims, said Keith Hanson, board president at the fire protection district. Those make up about 85 percent of the district’s calls.
Instead of a fire truck, the district would look to house an SUV that could be used as a rapid response unit. It would be outfitted with life support equipment for heart attack and stroke victims.
“The key to responding to heart attacks and strokes is getting two people on scene very quickly and starting (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) or appropriate stroke treatment,” he said.
Addressing some concerns of the school district, the fire protection district would limit the use of the SUV to about two calls a day, Hanson said. Firefighters also will use the sirens in select instances where traffic needs to be moved.
Fire Chief Jim Kreher said the third station would help improve response times throughout the district’s territory.
“We cover 48 square miles and this station will help us respond to residents more efficiently,” Kreher said. “We also help out the fire department in Barrington and the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District.”
Hanson said the fire district could conceivably expand operations at the third station in the future, bringing in more personnel and equipment. But for now, district board members have budgeted $2 million to upgrade and open the station by the spring.
