Chief: New Fire Stations A Long-Term Plan

Atha Wants To Replace Two Stations First

By Dan Craft

Posted: November 8, 2009 at 2:14 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — New fire stations in recently annexed areas of Springdale won’t be needed until those areas start to develop, city leaders said.

The city’s six fire stations are a long way from some of the northeast and northwest edges of town, but those areas are sparsely populated and produce few calls, Fire Chief Duane Atha said.

“They’re no less important than somebody downtown, but it’s a matter of priority and spending money wisely,” Atha said. “I don’t doubt there will be a need out there at some point, but we’re not there yet.”

The northwest edge of town in particular probably won’t see significant development in the near future, even when the U.S. 412 bypass is completed through the area, said Patsy Christie, director of planning and community development.

“It’s not going to happen any time soon, and even when it does, we anticipate it will be mostly low-density, single family home development,” Christie said. “The bypass won’t have any access points between I-540 and (Arkansas) 112, so it won’t spur much commercial or high-density development.”

The exact route of the bypass would also be a factor in siting a fire station in the area, Atha said. The station needs to be placed where the bypass won’t cut trucks off from a portion of the service area, he said.

While not in next year’s budget, Atha sees relocating Stations No. 2 and No. 3 as more immediate needs than building in the northwest. Both Station No. 2 on Dyer Street and Station No. 3 on Sanders Avenue were built in the 1960s. Both are poorly situated and too small for modern firefighting crews and equipment, he said.

“Back when they were built, those were the edges of town, and the stations served their function well,” Atha said. “Now they’re just outdated.”

Moving Station No. 3 north along Thompson Street would help cover the northern end of town more effectively, while moving Station No. 2 south toward Don Tyson Parkway would provide better coverage around recent development in that area, he said.

“We’re ready to make those moves just as soon as the money’s available,” he said. “Nobody could have seen in 1965 the kind of growth we’ve had in this area, but right now, we need to be thinking ahead.”

Residents in the northwest corner of the city are no farther from a fire engine than they were before annexation, said Chris Coker, president of the Washington County Rural Fire Association. Mutual aid agreements provide for the nearest fire engine to respond first, with assistance from other units as needed, he said.

“If we’ve got a truck in Tontitown or another rural department that can get there faster, we’ll send it,” Coker said. “Volunteer departments ask for city help sometimes, but the same arrangement works just as well in the other direction.”

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