Modern and catchy was what the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District was going for when they finalized the design for their new building.
They also wanted it to look like a fire station.
If public reaction to the rendering they posted online is any indication, they succeeded.
Assistant Fire Chief Casey Buss said the outpouring of feedback they’ve heard from the public in regard to the new building, which will feature a dark gray roof, red bay doors and a lighter gray coloring on the outer walls, has been positive.
Former firefighter Kyle Jannusch said he felt building a new station was a great choice for the fire protection district.
“It’s a good choice because the old one is out dated, it doesn’t have very much space in there to do training without moving the trucks outside,” he said “By the looks of the new one they will have plenty of space to do what they need from it.”
Long term St. Joseph resident Amy McElroy said she supported the new building.
“The old building has had a rotting issue for many years and is not meeting the need of the community anymore, she said “A new station is long overdue.”
Buss said those comments are indicative of the reactions they have received from the community.
“So far we have we have had all positive feedback,” Buss said.
That includes from neighbors of the fire protection district.
Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges lives near the fire station and said she was excited for the fire protection district to get a new building.
“I think it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood,” she said “The plans have addressed storm water and they have given consideration to the impact of the neighborhood, so I feel very comfortable with the new building. It has been long over due and I’m happy that it is finally going to happen for them.”
The building will be a single story, steel construction building.
It will feature five bays. The current building only has two bays, with five trucks being parked behind the two doors. This is a safety hazard for the firefighters. Five bays will allow one truck to be parked behind each bay, eliminating the safety hazard for the firefighters.
The new building will also feature the protection district’s logo on the front of the building, along with a sign that states St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District.
The new building will also have room so the firefighters can train inside during the winter without having to move the trucks outside the way they do now. Firefighters will also have ample room to store their equipment that isn’t needed on the trucks on a day-to-day basis.
One of the bathrooms will also feature a single shower. This will allow firefighters to decontaminate after a fire call, giving them the chance to wash off smoke, soot and debris. A recent study appearing in Environmental Science & Technology said that one way to lower a firefighter’s exposure to cancer-causing compounds is to have them decontaminate their skin as soon as possible after a fire.
Buss said the new building’s features were all determined by current volunteer firefighters with the fire protection district. The firefighters met and discussed what they would like to see in a new building.
Those recommendations were then taken to the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District Building Committee, who worked with architect Josh Daly.
“He incorporated those features into the floor plans,” Buss said.
Buss said the committee met with Daly several times and tweaked the floor plans multiple times until they were perfect.
When the final rendering was complete, the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District Board of Trustees approved the plans.
The fire protection district hopes to break ground soon on their new building, which is being paid for with a 2016 tax increase.
When the district asked residents to approve the referendum, which increased taxes on a $100,000 home by $33, they laid out the specific needs of the protection district including gear and equipment that had reached the end of its life or had to be updated.
Since the referendum, the equipment upgrades have been met.
Fire Chief Josh Reese said the final aspect of the referendum request was that once the equipment needs were met the district would move forward with a new building.
The new station will be built on the open lot just east of the current station and parking lot. The new station will sit on the corner of Third Street and Warren with the main entry and exit on Warren Street.
Once the station is completed all the equipment and apparatus will be moved. The current station will then be torn down to make parking available.
As the fire protection district owns the entire lot the current building sits on, no land needed to be purchased to build a new station.
The current station was constructed 45 years ago in 1973 and was not originally built to be a fire station.
