New fire station would reduce response times
EDMOND — Construction on a new fire station is expected to begin later this year as the population of Edmond continues to grow and the need for more space at one of the city’s oldest stations becomes needed.
A new $6 million fire station is planned for construction at W 15th Street and Kelly Avenue. Itwould replace the current station on S Broadway, which was built in 1974.
Groundbreaking on the new building is expected to be on Dec. 15 with a move-in date of April 1, 2019, Deputy Fire Chief Chris Denton said.
The building still needs final approval from the Edmond City Council before groundbreaking, which is expected to happen at the city council meeting on Oct. 23.
“That location is definitely due for an improvement,” Denton said. “We are looking forward to this upgrade.”
There was no objection on Sept. 19 from the planning commission, which has suggested the new fire station be approved.
By moving the building to the west side of the railroad tracks, response time would be reduced, Denton said. He has been with the Edmond Fire Department for 17 years and is one of the project leads.
There has also been a major concern about trains stopping and blocking traffic at the 15th Street railroad crossing, which has caused delayed response times, Denton said.
The city only has one other station west of the railroad tracks located at 1540 W Danforth Road. The new station would be at 1025 W 15th St.
Emergency area
An emergency medical service triage room would be included in the new building. This is the first time a room would be designated to evaluate people’s medical conditions if they come to the station.
Denton said many people forgo calling 911 when they have small chest pains or other minor issues, and this new room would give paramedics at the fire station a place to evaluate them.
Now, if anyone comes to the fire station, there is no specific area to evaluate them.
The planned station would have three bays for fire trucks, which would increase its current capacity by one bay. The expansion would allow for future expansion of the number of vehicles they could have.
The entire building would be 14,632 square feet, which would be more than double the current size of the station.
One major redesign from the current building would allow for the trucks to drive straight into their bays, where the current design requires them to back in, causing traffic issues on Broadway, Denton said.
The new facility could accommodate 10 personnel when it is fully staffed, but would only have four once the building has been constructed.
In 2016, more than 1,980 calls came from Fire Station 2. There are five fire stations across the city.
Kirkpatrick Architects designed the proposed new fire station with funding of the building coming from the fire department’s budget.
City officials have not gone out to bid on the building.