(From the Springfield Fire Department)
At the Jan. 10 Council Lunch, the Springfield Fire Department presented the City Council with various options for staffing and deployment as a follow up to its presentation in December. At the original presentation, the Fire Department briefed Council on the need to provide greater resources within a high-demand area within the City. The department was considering relocating resources from two low-demand stations to areas of greater need. During the presentation, the Council asked the department to bring back recommendations on what it would take to cover the area without closing the stations.
Fire Chief David Hall laid out 10 possible options ranging from maintaining the status quo to providing comprehensive fire protection throughout the City. Each option varies by its affect on future annexation, capital costs, operating costs and the length of time to implement.
“Clearly, City Council was concerned about the impact of potentially closing fire stations and I can appreciate that,” said Chief Hall. “In response to those concerns, I have provided a wide range of options for City Council to consider, as well as my specific recommendation in lieu of relocating staffing. Certainly, additional staffing is more preferable than having to relocate staffing, but the most important aspect is that additional resources are located in the areas where they can have their greatest impact.”
With feedback from City Council, the Fire Department will further refine its plans and identify how to move forward.
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