From City of DeKalb, Illinois on Facebook:

DeKalb will move forward with planning the construction of a fourth fire station to lower response times in the southwest part of the city. The council Monday supported a plan for a fourth station on city-owned property at the north end of the Schnucks subdivision along South Malta Road. The land has been envisioned for a fire station since the 1990s.

 

The new station will cover the south quadrant of the city, which includes a large area where response times for fire and emergency medical service calls exceed the four-minute standard set by the National Fire Protection Agency and Insurance Service Office.

Fire Chief Mike Thomas said the response time to reach Devonaire Farms, which is located in the southwest quadrant, is six and a half minutes from Station 3, seven minutes from Station 2 and eight and a half minutes from Station 1. The new station will provide emergency services to the growing industrial area along Gurler Road. 

 

Nine firefighter/paramedics would initially staff the new station. The additional personnel will help the fire department address its growing call volume, which has risen 33 percent since 2017 to more than 7,400 calls, including a 28.5 percent increase in two or more calls happening simultaneously.

 

The approximately $4 million capital cost would be funded through a general obligation bond. This is recommended over the use of reserve funds, in part, because the city is earning five percent interest on its reserves, which is higher than the expected true interest costs on the bonds of around 3.8 percent. Additionally, the city’s General Fund will be able to assume the bond costs, and the General Fund and Ground Emergency Medical Transportation Fund will be able to carry the staffing costs.

 

Under the construction timeline, the fourth station will be designed this year, built in 2024 and have a move-in date in January 2025.

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