Tipler for years had received fire protection services from its neighbor to the south, the town of Long Lake.

But Long Lake officials wanted to increase Tipler’s annual $6,000 fee to more than double the amount, according to minutes from Tipler’s annual town meeting in April 2017. Residents at the meeting unanimously rejected a proposal to raise the tax levy to cover the extra cost, according to the minutes.

Long Lake Town Chairman Bill Streu confirmed his board asked Tipler for more fire protection funds, but he pointed out the fee hadn’t been increased in 10 years and his board had been willing to negotiate the cost with Tipler.

But Tipler officials in November 2017 voted to create their own fire department when the contract with Long Lake expired in March, according to meeting minutes.

Construction on the station will be financed through a Development Finance Authority of Summit County bond and will begin after ground is broken on Fire Station 2 in Akron's Middlebury neighborhood.

Costs will be repaid with Issue 4 funds over a period of 20 years.

The new Fire Station 4 will include existing countywide resources, one of four City ladder trucks and Akron's only bariatric unit that assists in the transport and emergency care of severely obese patients.

The new truck, which cost $444,000, will be housed at Station 4 on Mississippi 42, Barker said. 

Some of the custom features include a Cummins ISL 450 horsepower engine, a Hale QMAX 1,500-gallon-per-minute midship pump, deck gun piping and a 1,000-gallon United Plastic Fabricating poly water tank.

A sixth seat inside the truck was removed to equip the pumper with medical supplies.

Simon Properties, which owns Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square, announced in November 2017 plans to open a hotel, restaurant, office tower and fitness center, which will require demolishing the Belk store. The fire station is located under the Belk parking deck.

The station will be 10,000 square feet and “state of the art,” Interim Fire Chief Randall Slaughter announced at the March 29 Buckhead Business Association meeting.

There will still be three bays for vehicles to be stored, Slaughter said. The department plans to keep an engine, truck and a battalion chief vehicle, which is typically an SUV or pick-up truck, at the station, he said.

If the hall was constructed as a city asset, the city would be responsible for 100 percent of the bonding, and then charge rent to the partners.

One area where costs could be cut would be the bedrooms in the station. St. Martin said they are useful even for a volunteer department, but they could be cut if necessary.

St. Martin said he'd like to see the volunteer model continue for as long as possible.

"That's the most efficient way to run a fire department," St. Martin said.

The station would be designed as a 40- or 50-year station, including needs for a fulltime department.