7 minute read
Edmond Life and Leisure - September 26, 2024
City Source Edmond
Bond passage would help upgrade aging fire station & improve response and safety
From City Source Edmond
In real estate the mantra is well known: location, location, location.
When it comes to providing essential fire safety –and at the elevated levels provided by the Edmond Fire Department – location is vital, as is one more well-known motto: Be prepared.
“Having a fire station in the proper location –with trained professionals equipped with the best tools – is extremely important for our efforts at ensuring timely responses to emergency calls,” said Chris Goodwin, who has served as the Chief of the Edmond Fire Department since August 2017. “Fire Station 3 is in one of the most heavily populated areas in our city, and it is one of the busiest stations we have. That’s why we are looking to improve the facility and location.”
Funding for a new Fire Station 3 is one of the proposals in the “Edmond on the GO” General Obligation (GO) Bond program. On the Nov. 5, 2024, election ballot are three separate bond proposals that would fund 22 projects in three categories –streets, parks, and fire safety. The three Edmond on the GO proposals would combine for a 10-year, 15 mill levy that would generate a projected $231 million to fund these vital projects.
If approved by voters, Edmond on the GO would be the first GO Bond program for the City of Edmond since 1980, a historic and foundational investment.
Funding for public safety – specifically, relocating and upgrading aging Fire Station 3 – would receive $10 million, or 5 percent of the funding. The current Fire Station 3 at 1540 W. Danforth Road was constructed in 1983 and has a long history of significant and ongoing maintenance issues. Traffic in the area now is extremely heavy, which causes response delays and safety concerns for both Fire crews and residents.
“We have put money into Fire Station 3, but the on-going issues are so significant, especially with the foundation, that it keeps us from doing a full renovation,” Goodwin said. “Also, the site is so small, it would be hard for us to do what we need to do to be properly equipped to deliver the kind of response and service to residents that they expect and that meet our department standards.”
The current station is only 5,210 square feet, which is less than half the size of modern fire stations and can house only five firefighters. The proposed station would be relocated to the northwest corner of Kelly Avenue and Hawthorne Lane. The 11,000 square foot facility would include a third vehicle bay and house between seven to 10 firefighters.
“Right now, Fire Station 3 has room enough only for one fully staffed engine company and one unstaffed brush pumper,” Goodwin said. “That means if there is a call and the engine from Fire Station 3 must respond, then if there is another call an engine
from another station – one not as close as Fire Station 3, in many instances – would have to respond. A larger fire station will give us the ability to operate two fully staffed response vehicles from the station and provide better response times when multiple emergencies occur in the area.
“At 41 years old, the station was designed and constructed when traffic was much lighter and call volume was significantly lower. It’s served us well for decades, but to do what we do and at the level necessary, it’s time for a change.”
Right now, the Edmond Fire Department has five stations located strategically to ensure a rapid and efficient response. As Edmond grows, so does the need for modern, well-equipped stations in locations that ensure those response times meet standards. That’s why a new station – Fire Station 6, an 11,000-square-foot facility on North Kelly Avenue –is under construction now. It will support seven Fire personnel on site and help ensure prompt and reliable service to one of the fastest growing areas in Edmond. The station is expected to be open and operational in 2025.
In terms of Fire service, recently Edmond was awarded a rating of 1 – the highest rating – by the Insurance Services Office, which creates ratings for fire departments and their surrounding communities. The ratings calculate how well-equipped fire departments are to put out fires in that community, and 1 is the best possible rating.
“Less than 1 percent of the fire departments in the nation have an ISO rating of 1,” Goodwin said. “That rating takes a hard look at the capabilities of fire departments – important factors like proximity, response times, water distribution capabilities and more, which are critical to delivering timely and professional services to residents.
“Reaching that level not only gives us a solid measuring stick for ourselves, it also can often lead to significant savings on insurance costs to businesses and residents. And, as important, it means the Edmond community can be assured that they are being served by a very qualified fire department, one that is staffed, equipped and trained at the highest levels.”
Another important part of the Edmond on the GO proposition is improving streets. In surveys for years, it is the No. 1 concern of many Edmond residents. Edmond on the GO addresses that concern with 65 percent of the program funding – $151 million – dedicated to street improvements, including 33 separate resurfacing projects that would improve safety and mobility across the city.
The bond also includes numerous intersection improvements, pedestrian crossing safety improvements and a continuation of the Intelligent Transportation System program, which includes the use of field devices, communications infrastructure and computer systems to improve traffic safety and mobility during congested periods, construction activities, maintenance activities and incidents such as traffic collisions and other emergencies.
“Any improvement to our streets and intersections to help with traffic flow and overall mobility can do nothing but help us ensure quick and efficient response times,” Goodwin said. “That is vital at times when seconds matter.
“Moving (Fire Station 3) about a half-mile east of its current location will put it closer to the core of the city, in a location that will allow us to build a facility to take advantage of the more accessible streets and routes, and help with call volume – all while keeping it within the five road miles needed to ensure the ISO 1 rating the current residents enjoy.”
In the end, though, the proposal for Fire Station 3 is about maintaining a standard that Edmond residents have come to expect from its Fire Department.
“We are so grateful for the level of support we see from our residents and City Council,” Goodwin said. “They see the value of investing in a high level of public safety and this project would help us maintain that high standard as we continue to grow as a Fire Department and a city.”
Learn more about GO Bonds, the proposed projects and more at www.EdmondOK.gov/OnTheGO. Learn more about what’s happening around the City at www.edmondok.gov/CitySource.
