New fire station proposed for Durand Ave and Memorial Drive

Racine Fire Chief Steve Hansen hopes to use federal stimulus money to build a new fire station near Durand Avenue and Memorial Drive.

The chief proposed the idea Monday night while seeking permission from the City Council's Personnel and Finance Committee to apply for $2.5 million in stimulus money to build the new station. It would cost the city about $500,000, Hansen said.

If the money comes together, the Fire Department would move Station 6, 2101 16th St., to the south side location, Hansen said. There is plenty of land - including city-owned land - available near Durand and Memorial for use, he said.


The current Station 6 was built in 1973 as a temporary building in anticipation of the city growing to the south, Hansen said. The station was actually built as a residence with a garage for fire trucks. If a new station is built, the old station could be converted into a home or possibly a community-oriented policing (COP) house, he said.

Hansen said the major reason for moving the station is concern about coal trains rolling through the city. We Energies' two new coal-fired generators are set to go online this year and next. Both will require longer trains that will have the potential to block intersections and delay emergency response times from Station 6, Hansen said.

Moving the station south will add 30 seconds to response times in the neighborhoods along 16th, 17th and 18th streets, Hansen said. But it will give fire and rescue workers direct a route under the railroad tracks on Durand Avenue to Racine Street. As it stands, if a train is running, fire trucks and ambulances would have to drive from 16th Street south to Durand to get around the train.

Hansen added that the train companies use the tracks through Racine to stage their cars heading toward the power plant. That means the long trains slow down and take even longer to clear intersections.

"They do that at 2-3 a.m.," Hansen said, "but we have fire and rescue calls at 2-3 a.m."

Committee members approved Hansen's request to apply for the grant, but were noncommittal about using the money if it comes through.

Alderman Mike Shields asked Hansen if he'd considered what would happen to the old fire station if the city built a new one.

"If we're going to spend $500,000 we don't want to see that neighborhood deteriorate," Shields said. "If we spend $500,000 we want to see everything come up together."

The grant for the new fire station isn't a guarantee, Hansen said. Racine would compete with communities around the country for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Assistance to Fire Fighters Fire Station Construction Grant. The money would be available through the Department of Homeland Security.

The grant requires a 20 percent match from the city. Hansen suggested the money could be borrowed as part of the city's capital improvement program. He said city officials should know if they will receive the federal grant in time to include the matching dollars in next year's budget.

"We can always turn down the grant," Hansen said. "I'm not asking to accept, just to apply."

Alderman Tom Friedel made a motion to allow Hansen to apply. The committee voted unanimously in favor of the proposal, which still needs approval from the full City Council.

20% of Racine firefighters eligible for retirement

Twenty-nine of Racine's 144 firefighters will be eligible to retire next year, but only four or five are planning to leave, Fire Chief Steve Hansen told the Police and Fire Commission this week.

"They're sticking around and contributing to the community," said Hansen, adding: "That's a good thing for the department."

But it also means a great deal of turnover is coming. Fortunately, there appear to be enough people looking for firefighter jobs. The department received 228 applicants for its current openings, Hansen said.

The department is holding its physical ability test on June 12-13. Everyone who passes that test will take a written test in August.

PHOENIX (NOT) RISING: The city's Phoenix records system, used to track police and fire data, ran into some problems in recent months. The errors were so bad Hansen couldn't compile a monthly report for the commission. "We're still verifying information," he said. The good news: recent upgrades to the system seem to be working better.

JOINT SERVICE: The city and Mount Pleasant are starting to talk about joint responses along their shared borders, Hansen said. The talks are preliminary, but could result in village firefighters and paramedics responding to calls in the city. Mount Pleasant officials have long wanted to be able to handle calls at Regency Mall - a property that's in the city, but about a block from the village's fire department.

"It's just an exploratory issue," Hansen said.

NORTH BAY: The Village of North Bay's fire contract with Caledonia is coming up soon, and the city will make another bid to bring the village back under its coverage, Hansen said. North Bay dumped the city as its fire service provider a few years ago after it felt slighted in negotiations over an expansion of the sewer plant. They went with Caledonia, even though a city fire station is closer. The contract is up at the end of the year, Hansen told the commission.

"It just makes sense," he said. "It's a common sense thing."

VIDEO CONFERENCE: Rising gas prices could lead to the rise in a new technology: video conferencing. Hansen said the fire department is already using video conferencing for training between its own fire stations, and to bring in trainers from outside communities.

"It (video conferencing) gives us a much bigger world," he said.

FITNESS TEST: Here's an interesting idea: Appleton pays its firefighters 1-2 percent of their gross wages to pass an annual agility test. The commission liked the idea as a way of keeping firefighters in shape. Hansen noted the department is already bringing in a coordinated wellness program.