The Decatur (IL) City Council voted Monday to approve the construction of a new Station 7 at Chestnut Avenue just south of U.S. 36, reports herald-review.com.

The vote enters the city into a $3.11 million contract with Bloomington-based Felmley-Dickerson Co. for construction of the new facility.

One of the main reasons for the new station is improved response times. Station 7’s current location is on the southwest corner of the Decatur Airport and is shared by the park district, which runs its own fire operations for the airport.

The new digs is one part of a larger, $8.6 million project to build three new stations and renovate four existing facilities. Funding comes from bonds, the report says, which will be paid back to the tune of about $600,000 a year for the next 20 years. The city also plans to use about $350,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover cost overruns.

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Spokane County (WA) Fire Department Station 98 was damaged after a man allegedly rammed into the back of the station several times with a vehicle, according to report published by KREM2.

Two brush trucks stationed inside the building were damaged as well and the suspect allegedly stole a fire department Jeep after he made entry to the station, the television station reported.

When Spokane police officer arrived on the scene, he noticed the damaged building and heard an engine revving inside the fire station, KREM2 reported.  Shortly after, the suspect, Aaron P. Kaemuongmul, 45, drove the fire department Jeep through the north door and into the fire station parking lot just as a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office sergeant arrived on the scene, the TV station reported.

The suspect attempted to elude police by driving the fire department vehicle into a field behind the station. Police vehicles were rammed and damaged as officers successfully stopped the suspect in the field and arrested the man, the station reported.

More than $50,000 damage to the building and vehicles was reported, the station reported and the suspect was charged with first-degree burglary for breaking into the fire station, second-degree assault for ramming the police vehicles, first-degree malicious mischief, four-counts of second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree malicious mischief and theft of a motor vehicle. After receiving medical treatment, he was booked into the Spokane County jail, according to the TV station.

A total of three fire vehicles and the patrol car were removed from the scene for inspection and repair, the station reported.

No motive was given for the actions.

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The city of Burlington (WA) will examine whether it needs more space for its fire department, reports goskagit.com.

At its meeting last week, City Council approved a $14,965 contract with King Architecture to determine how the city could remodel its existing station to meet the department’s needs, city officials say. Since the responsibility for ambulance services was given to city fire departments in Skagit County in 2019, the station has reached the limit of staff it can house, the report notes.

Once finished, the study will determine whether a remodel would work or if they should consider an expansion or a second station.

Fire officials say sleeping spaces are crowded in the station, and the shower facilities don’t meet the needs of the firefighters.

The city had small renovations made to the station in 2019, replacing flooring and repainting walls. At the time, staff agreed to reserve about $50,000 for further improvements. Funding for the study will come from this money, the report says.

Officials in Durango (CO) are looking for a location for a new downtown fire station and have one in mind, but residents are going along with the plan, according to report published by The Durango Herald.

At a weekend meeting, residents on Durango East Third Avenue said the proposed site wouldn’t work, according to the web site report. About 30 residents joined about 20 firefighters to talk about the plan. Before the meeting, residents cited concerns about traffic, noise and “character issues,” if the site was used for a fire station.

The meeting illustrated how residents were against the proposal. About half the residents wanted to stop the project all together and other half wanted to minimize the stations affect on the neighborhood, the newspaper reported, adding that no residents spoke in favor of the project.

Residents said they were generally supportive of the fire department, but don’t think the school district property at 201 E. 12^th Street is not the right place for the new fire station. The lot is too big for the fire department’s needs and in an area that’s too congested with traffic, residents said, according to the newspaper report.

The city has looked at more than 30 other sites and determined the one on school district property is the best and have entered a purchase and sales agreement to pay $5 million in cash for the property and another $1.9 million in in kind services, the paper reported.

Residents vowed to keep fighting against the property and fire department officials said they need to find a home for the new fire station somewhere and vowed to continue to push for the school district site, according to the newspaper.