HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-2007 Oct. 7 dedication, open house set for Fire House No. 2 o�sou TH
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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
Friday, October 5, 2007
11:45am
Oct. 7 dedication, open house set for Fire House No. 2
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
or hire Chief Howard Buchanon, 235-9255
A short ceremony will officially dedicate South Bend Fire House No. 2 at 1 p.m. Sunday,
Oct. 7, followed by an afternoon open house that will enable the community to tour the
state-of-the-art facility.
A community open house will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at the start of Fire Prevention
Week.
South Bend's newest fire station serves as atestimonial to the early 201h_century
architectural heritage of its surrounding neighborhoods and to the 20-century economic
growth that funded more than half of its relocation and construction cost.
The $2.1-million Fire Station No. 2, located at 402 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, has
been online sine July 2. In early July, firefighters moved equipment and calls were
transferred from the former Fire Station No. 2 at 120 E. Marion St. The relocation was
prompted by the growth of Memorial Hospital, which acquired the former Station No. 2
for $1.2 million in order to facilitate the hospital's future expansion and development.
The antique green and gold-colored decor of the firehouse with its wraparound porch,
fencing, and architectural scaling belies the high-tech features that pack the facility. It
boasts a high-speed connection via the Metronet to the city's computer server and
features that only exist at the South Bend Fire Department's Central station headquarters.
"Fire Station No. 2 may look like an old-fashioned firehouse, but this fully modern
facility beautifully depicts the character of the neighborhood it will serve," said Mayor
Stephen J. Luecke. "When neighbors meet firefighters on their front porch, they'll know
that this station is ready to respond in minutes to key sections of the city, including the
downtown and the hospitals."
The new station at the southeast corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and
Lincolnway West provides a more central location within the district, reflecting strategic
planning by the city and the fire department for optimum response times for all
emergencies, already under 5 minutes.
"It's a great fit in the community," said Fire Chief Howard Buchanon, who managed the
construction project before becoming chief in April. "We had outgrown Station No. 2 for
some time."
The new 17,000-square-foot station more than doubles the square footage of the existing
station, which had about 7,000 square feet. As the second largest station in the city and
the only one with three bays (other than Central), Fire Station No. 2 receives 100 to 200
calls monthly, vying with Central for the most calls. The new station also is the only
facility besides Central to have its own air compressor to refill air canisters.
Fire Station No. 2 houses Medic Unit No. 3, Battalion Chief No. 103, Engine No. 2, Boat
No. 2 with tow vehicle, and a reserve rescue ambulance. Twenty-one firefighters (seven
per shift) are stationed there. A staff office enables the battalion chief to deploy personnel
from Station No. 2, rather than traveling to the Central Station for that work. "This is
more convenient," Buchanon said.
Buchanon thanked Mayor Luecke; Public Works Director Gary Gilot, City Engineer Carl
Littrell and Public Construction Manager Toy Villa, Memorial Hospital; South Bend
Heritage Foundation and the Lincolnway West Commercial Corridor steering committee
for their assistance with the project.
In addition to $1.2 million in funding, Memorial, the city's largest employer, also paid in
2001 for an architect to update the Fire Department's master plan for the best location for
Station 2. The plan previously had been updated in 1996.
South Bend Heritage Foundation and the Lincolnway West committee worked on site
development for the new station, including acquisition, demolition and environmental
remediation. They also provided funding for a third bay for the unit, Buchanon said,
which enables each company to respond from its own bay and the rescue boat to be
connected and ready for response at all times. The project began in January 2006 with
Wakarusa-based Brown& Brown General Contractors serving as general contractor
based on a design by MPA Architects of South Bend.
The change in station locations also eliminated a daily detour faced by the existing
Station No. 2. Firefighters previously had to drive west on Marion to Michigan Street and
then travel back east on LaSalle to respond to any calls east of the St. Joseph River.
Since becoming a professional fire department in 1887, the South Bend Fire Department
has grown to 248 sworn firefighters. During Luecke's tenure as mayor, Fire Station No. 2
represents the third new fire station constructed, including the Central Fire Station, 1222
S. Michigan St., and Fire Station No. 10, 5303 York Road.
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