fire districts

After the Allen County Council told the West Central Fire District to bring them more information before they vote on helping them fund building a new fire station, the district's governing board voted to set aside $700,000 for possible costs for the process.

The Allen County Council said it needs more information before voting on the $9 million the West Central Fire District requested for a new station.

The fire protection district, created in 2022, is no longer staffed by volunteers. Officials say a new fire station is needed to accommodate full-time staffers and improve response times.

Last year, TRAA Executive Director Joel Benz asked the Fort Wayne City Council for $3 million to keep the ambulance service afloat. Now, he said they’ve used roughly $900,000 of it.

Proponents for these new districts say they are necessary because of a drop in volunteerism, inflation driving up the cost of equipment, and 9-1-1 calls being higher than normal.