Allen County’s West Central Fire District announced Tuesday that it plans to build a new fire station on the 10000 block of Bass Road.
The new facility will cost about $9 million for which the fire district said it still needed Allen County Council approval.
The fire district was created in 2022, part of a push within Allen County to consolidate fire resources and improve response times.
District Fire Chief Gale Stelzer II said that money will allow the district to build with all the features it wants, but it is prepared to move forward with less.
“We would have to build a fire station for today,” Stelzer said. “The $9 million is building a fire station for tomorrow.”
Stelzer said building the new station would not require a tax increase.
He said the West Central Fire District operates currently out of fire stations designed for volunteer firefighters, which are not built to handle a large full-time staff.
“The current stations we respond from were built for a volunteer response with no consideration for full time personnel, who now live at the station 24 hours a day seven days a week,” Stelzer said.
Stelzer said the new fire station will be the new headquarters for the West Central Fire District. The new facility, if fully funded, will include administrative offices, training rooms and will address the needs of a full-time staff.
Stelzer said the location will help the fire department better respond to calls throughout the district as it is close to the dead center of the district. He said with residential development going up along Bass Road, the new station will become more and more needed and helpful in connecting with the community.
According to a press release, the new station will offer educational programs including fire safety, CPR and first aid training. Officials said they hope these programs will “offer a stronger sense of community.”
The Bass Road location also puts the fire department’s base of operations north of multiple busy railroad crossings which will help reduce response times.
Stelzer said the West Central Fire District plans to present its proposal to the Allen County Council on Wednesday.
