Excerpts from rrstar.com:
The Loves Park City Council is exploring ways to enhance its volunteer fire department by introducing a daytime crew, aiming to reduce response times that are currently twice as slow as those of the neighboring North Park Fire Protection District. The city's 35 volunteer firefighters currently respond from their homes, which fire officials say contributes to the delays.
To improve efficiency, the city plans to station three firefighters and two supervisors at the 400 Grand Ave. station from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., possibly starting in August. These firefighters would be paid between $12 and $20 per hour, depending on experience, with an average of 28 hours per week. However, due to the part-time nature of the position, there will be no health insurance benefits offered. This initiative could cost the city up to $200,000 annually.
A recent analysis of response times for the first three months of the year revealed that Loves Park’s average time was 15.2 minutes, compared to just 6 minutes in North Park, which serves the southern part of Machesney Park and some unincorporated areas of Winnebago County. Interestingly, response times didn’t vary much throughout the day.
Adding a day crew would increase the fire department’s annual budget by 33%, bringing it to approximately $1 million per year. In one instance, it took 27 minutes to reach 7349 Chucks Way, and 24 minutes to respond to both 12414 Kings Point Dr. and 5625 Covey Ridge Trail.
A new auto aid agreement between Loves Park and North Park, signed in February, has already shown positive results. Response times dropped to 13.3 minutes in March, down from 17.6 minutes in February and 15.3 minutes in January.
Despite these improvements, the city still faces significant logistical challenges. The mayor is pushing for a new fire station estimated to cost around $5 million, which would help improve response times near the Mercyhealth Sportscore Two and the upcoming Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center at the intersection of East Riverside Boulevard and Interstate 90.
With no property tax in place, the city must rely on bonding or seeking voter approval for new revenue sources to fund the project. This adds another layer of complexity to an already demanding task.
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