Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Fire Chief Brian Miller said the new stations have been on the drawing board for a long time.
“I arrived here in 1992 and people were talking about new stations at that time,” he said.
Miller said the mission of the division has grown over time, noting a small EMS role in the 1950s and 1960s when the stations were built.
“They weren’t constructed for ambulances. Now every station has one,” the chief said. “Fire apparatus has grown in size immensely. We can’t even fit some of our fire trucks into a bay.”
Miller also noted the amount of gear worn and equipment used also has grown, requiring more space for storage.
“Technology has evolved by leaps and bounds. Safety issues for fire and rescue workers require more attention because of risks posed by diesel soot and gas emissions from gear,” he said.
Deputy City Manager Logan Cobbs also points to another significant change impacting the fire and rescue mission.
“We are seeing a more diversified workforce as well,” Cobbs said. “The city puts a major emphasis on diversity and inclusion. All of the current bunk rooms are shared spaces, so this is an effort to be more equitable and inclusive to better serve our diversified workforce.”
When Miller was appointed chief in 2017, he began developing a strategic plan and worked with a Chicago consulting group to launch an assessment of the existing fire station needs.
The effort to address them was just about to move forward when COVID-19 hit. When the project was picked-up again, the city worked with the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association to evaluate site locations that would best serve the community.
Federal American Rescue Plan funding has enabled long-awaited construction plans to move forward. Once completed, there will be four new fire stations built over the next three years.
The South Limestone location — once home to a Wendy’s — will be the first to break ground. Ceremonies will take place at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, with City Manager Bryan Heck, Mayor Warren Copeland, Clark State College President Jo Alice Blondin, Clark State College Vice President of Business Affairs Doug Schantz and Chief Miller participating.
The new 16,221 square foot fire station is part of a “strong partnership between the city and Clark State College,” Heck said. “This state-of-the-art facility is designed to meet the emergency services needs of a growing community. Fire Station #2 will also bring us in step with staffing demands as well, bringing services and training together in one location.”
The fire division’s partnership with Clark State College has been going on for about a decade, according to Miller.
Springfield offers a summer academy in which Clark State students join a group of the city’s new hires and take firefighter 2 certification. Clark State is accredited through the state and has a charter that enables them to teach the firefighter curriculum.
“We have instructors who teach under their umbrella and, in return, we have their students in our class and the students can get an internship during the summer academy,” Miller said.
That has helped the city with rescue worker recruitment, Miller said.
“That academy is a 12-week opportunity for us to see who they are and understand their character and attitude. Once they make it through the Civil Service Test, we can feel really good about hiring them because we know who they are. A number of people have been hired after completing the training and the Civil Service process.”
Retention is also important to the fire and rescue team, and Miller hopes the new facilities and equipment will help in that connection as well.
Cobbs said the new facilities speak to the city’s continued commitment to fire division staff members and to the community as a whole.
“The new fire stations are great because our staff will be living in them, but they will help us better serve our constituency, our community as a whole. So they both go hand in hand, twofold,” she said.
The South Limestone station will be equipped with three drive-through bays for city equipment, and two bays dedicated for Clark State College vehicles. Seven single-person dorm rooms, a shared training and classroom space to accommodate 28 and four office spaces will also be included. The internal spaces will be defined with safety specifics in mind.
“Architects talk about hot, warm and cold zones,” Miller said. “The hot zones are areas where you have concerns about exhaust removal or negatively pressurizing a space to remove off-gassing from gear to remove carcinogens from a building. The warm zone is a decontamination area, where you go to take a shower and clean up. The cold zone is the living space.”
App Architecture in Englewood and Marker Construction of Bellefontaine are collaborating on construction of the South Limestone building, and the city commission is expected to approve a proposal tonight at their meeting to green light those same firms to complete work on the additional sites.
Additional new stations are planned for the intersection of Kenton and Burt Streets, on Route 41 on the growing east side of the city, and on Zischler Street. Planning for how the space in those new buildings will be used will begin in 2023 with construction completion anticipated for by the end of 2024.
The Home Road and North Fountain stations will continue operations in their current locations for now.
“Lots of thought went into the placement of the new stations. They really meet the needs of where we are today as a community, but they will also do so as we continue to grow and expand, particularly the one on Route 41 as we continue to see expansion to the east,” said Cobbs.
Miller noted many businesses have the luxury of defining their own business model, but not so for his division.
“If you want to be an electrician, you probably won’t take calls for a plumbing problem. But the public really decides what they want their fire department to do,” he said.
The health care system is a big driver of the department resources.
“Lots of people don’t have access to a primary care physician. And many of those same people don’t have transportation. The answer is 911,” Miller said. “They use the emergency room as a primary physician, and we provide them with transportation. These stations will help us deploy in a more efficient way.”
Both Cobb and Miller expressed appreciation for the renewal levy passed by citizens in 2021. A significant portion of that 10-year renewal of .4% is being applied to updating equipment for fire services, including new power loading equipment that is safer for rescue workers to use in lifting patients into ambulances; thermal imaging cameras; and Lucas continuous chest compression systems that perform CPR.
Five new ambulances are being added to the fleet, along with new pumper and ladder trucks. With the combination of local and federal investment, fire and safety in Springfield will be taking a giant leap forward over the next few years.
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