Money for the new stations is anticipated to be included in the city’s 2015-16 capital budget.
Stewart Gary, a consultant from Folsom, Calif.-based Citygate Associates, told the council that the high demand rate in areas covered by Station 1, Station 2 and Station 3 (1110 N. Devine Road) meant crews from other stations were needed to cover greater territory, hurting response times.
Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina said sites are being scouted for new locations for Station 1 and Station 2. Both will likely be off Fourth Plain Boulevard, he said, and Station 2 will likely be moved east of Interstate 5. He said each site needs to be about an acre.
Moving Station 1 north and Station 2 east, closer to the high-demand areas, would improve response times and provide relief for Station 3 and Station 5 (7110 NE 63rd St.), allowing them to improve response times in their territories, according to Gary.
Travel time from Station 1 would improve by as much as a minute, Gary said, with smaller improvements in travel times at other stations.
Councilor Jack Burkman asked if there were any downsides to moving the fire stations.
Yes, Gary said. People accustomed to faster-than-average response times may be upset they are losing a fire station, while residents near the new site may be apprehensive to have a fire station as a neighbor because of noise concerns.
Community outreach will be key, Gary said.
When the new sites are announced they may come as a surprise to residents, but new fire stations have long been on the city’s to-do list.
The department has $27 million in capital needs. Seven of the city’s 10 fire stations need minor to major seismic upgrades, and four of those stations — 1, 2, 3 and 6 — need to be rebuilt.
Stations 1 and 2 have top priority.
As noted in a September 2012 analysis of the city’s fire services, the stations are likely to fail in a major earthquake.
“The irony is that in a major earthquake the department, as a designated first responder, is a critical part of an emergency response effort. If some stations collapse around them, the ability of the city’s firefighters to perform that function is clearly made more difficult if not impossible,” the analysis said.
One suggestion, combining Stations 1 and 2, was rejected because having crews at two locations better serves the high-demand area, Gary said.