Lead Managers: Fire Chief & Division Chiefs
NFPA Standard #1201 establishes the primary functions for fire/rescue stations as:
Fire suppression
Hazardous materials response
Fire prevention and risk reduction
Disaster planning and mitigation
Beyond these primary functions are other, less official but still important functions. For example, a fire station is a part of the basic commitment between a municipality and its citizens. The station represents government at its best, and (ideally) the structure should reflect that fact as an asset to the community. Additionally, fire stations often provide space for specific functions such as polling places for elections, temporary shelter in time of disaster, or meeting places for community groups.
The number and location of fire/rescue stations must be continually reevaluated as the buildings and the population of a community change. The number of stations a department will require to accomplish its primary mission is a balance between the costs of the buildings and their maintenance on the one hand, and the need for additional stations on the other. If a station were located near the most fire hazardous sections of a community, such as a heavily populated area of multi-occupancy or wood-frame structures, then station relocation might be inappropriate. Station relocation would be more feasible if the facility were located in a rural area that was a considerable distance from the normal population flow and from urban housing and development (source: Management in the Fire Service, 1987).
The first consideration in selecting a site for fire station location or relocation is apparatus response time. Generally, a target for response time should be set in accordance with accepted national standards coupled with practical department experience. A new NFPA Standard 1710 (Standard for the Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, EMS, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Departments) recommends a response time of four (4) minutes or less for 90 % of all incidents. This four-minute standard of coverage is underscored through response distances recommended in the Fire Chief's Handbook (1995) as follows:
Commercial areas: one mile
Residential areas: two miles
Rural areas: three miles
For areas of mixed commercial and residential development, which are common in the City of Wilson, response distances of 1-½ miles should be established.
In conjunction with its participation in the national Fire Department Accreditation Project presently in progress, the Wilson Fire/Rescue Services conducted in-depth analysis of fire station distribution and accompanying response times.
The five existing stations are currently located as follows (note maps in Appendix 'A'):
Headquarters Station #1: 307 W. Hines
Westwood Station #2: 1807 Forest Hills Rd.
Washington Heights Station #3: 6111 Ward Blvd.
Brentwood Station #4: 109 NW Forest Hills Rd.
Airport Boulevard Station #5: 3530 Airport Blvd.
In 1993, due to a planned annexation of the Wilson County Club area, members of the Wilson Fire/Rescue Services accomplished a fire station relocation study. In order to provide acceptable emergency response times as well as plan for future growth, Fire Department Administration and City staff worked together to develop a fire station relocation plan. After developing six options, using four, five and six station configurations, the Wilson City Council selected the recommended five-station configuration. Using the four-minute response time referred to above as a guide, it was obvious that two stations were located too close to each other. In 1994, fire station #3 & #5 were relocated to their present locations. The predicted four-minute response time was improved from 83% of the city to 97%. WF/RS responded to 3012 alarms for service during calendar year 2001.
Presently, all fire stations are protected with automatic fire sprinkler systems. Each station has Vehicle Exhaust Ext