By Ron Clayton
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
ATHENS, Tenn. — When this city’s two fire stations were built in the 1970s, they covered the city just fine.
Growth since then, though, means some city homes and businesses are outside the department’s recommended 1.5 mile response area.
And because of changes in land use, City Manager Mitchell Moore said the stations “are in the wrong place.”
A new study includes recommendations on where to build more stations in the next decade.
Mr. Moore said the options may be expensive for the city, but they’re necessary to keep current fire insurance ratings.
But that may not be all that’s in store, he said.
“At some point in the future, one of our two stations will have to move,” Mr. Moore said, so that firefighters can cover the city completely.
He said moving a station would require construction but no more manpower or equipment.
He said the city also could buy more “quint” combination pumpers and aerial trucks for better coverage at each station.
Mr. Moore said the study considered response time, highway use, traffic flow and other factors. It cited three possible locations for new stations. One is in the southern part of the city, one is near Interstate 75 and one is near the Mt. Verd connector on the north end of Athens.
The location that would cover the most residents and largest area is on the south side. Mr. Moore said the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service also recommended that area.
Mr. Moore said Athens Junior High School is in that area. He said he doesn’t know whether the city schools would sell about 2 acres of land for a fire station.
Mayor John Proffitt said the city could use land it owns, negotiate with the school system or buy land from a private owner.
“We also realize that land availability is part of the mix,” Mr. Proffitt said.
But Mr. Moore said property costs are only a small part of building and equipping a station. He said location is more important than worrying about land costs.
The city’s fire protection rating was reduced in 2007 by the Insurance Services Organization.
The study cited several factors, including equipment shortages and longer than ideal response times. The city bought a new quint fire truck and hired one firefighter.
If new stations are built, they also will have to be manned, Fire Chief Bob Miller has said.
The City Council and a special fire advisory council expect additional information soon, officials said.
FIRE ASSETS
The Athens Fire Department’s assets include:
• Two fire stations
• 21 full-time firefighters
• Four engines
• One “quint” combination pumper/aerial truck
• One brush truck
• One rescue unit