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The City of Des Plaines is considering building new fire facilities to meet the current and future needs of our community. This is a major undertaking and many residents have raised questions about the project. The challenge today is to determine the service delivery benefits and associated costs between a four- or five-station configuration and then put this plan into action. Frequently Asked QuestionsWhy are new Fire facilities needed?In 2005, the City conducted a Fire Department Deployment Study. The study concludes that the City cannot reach its service delivery goal (a six-minute or less response time 90% of the time) within the current three-station configuration. This conclusion is supported by: 1) the current three-station configuration contains significant areas of service gap in the far southern, southwestern and northern areas of the City; and 2) there is no variant of a three-station configuration that will achieve the service delivery goal. What are other communities doing?Over the past several years, our neighboring communities have made significant investments to improve their fire department facilities. Mount Prospect built a new headquarters facility; extensively remodeled a second fire station and they are currently working to relocate their northern-most fire station. Arlington Heights built a new headquarters facility, a new fire station downtown and completed extensive remodeling of their other two fire stations. Elk Grove Village built a new fire station and training facility on Oakton Street, completed the remodeling of two other fire stations and is currently in the process of remodeling their remaining fire station. In addition, Schaumburg has built two new fire stations and remodeled two others. How much will it cost?The preliminary estimates for new fire facilities are based on either a four- or five-station configuration. A four-station configuration would cost between $13.6 million and $14.8 million dollars, while a five-station configuration would cost between $16.9 million and $18.4 million dollars. The final cost of this project will vary depending upon the additional cost of land for the sites that are ultimately selected and whether there is any publicly owned land suitable for use. How will these projects be paid for?New fire facilities will be an expensive proposition and it won’t be paid for all at once. Usually, public facilities like this are paid for through a bond issue – with the bonds being paid off over 20 years. It is similar to paying for a mortgage on a house. The City pays a much lower interest rate on the money it borrows, which makes it less expensive to pay for the building over time. What are the next steps?At this time the City is putting together the pertinent information that is needed for the City Council to make an informed decision on new fire facilities. This information includes a space needs analysis to justify the size of the facility as well as construction and land acquisition costs. This information will be discussed during the preparation of the 2008 budget.
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