The Ravinia firehouse at 692 Burton Avenue opened in 1929 after a fire insurance study indicated a second station was needed outside of downtown to serve the rapidly growing community, according to a city memo. Since opening with a single fire truck and two employees, the station has undergone two major renovations to hold larger equipment, an ambulance and additional employees.

But speaking of the station's shortcomings at a recent city council meeting, City Manager Ghida Neukirch said it's difficult to maneuver equipment in and out of the fire station, conduct training and perform other routine operations.

On Aug. 22, the city council awarded a $30,000 contract for project management services to Williams Architects based in Itasca. The firm was hired to assess the current site and opportunity for expansion, develop conceptual designs and prepare preliminary cost estimates.

"Our preference is to retain operations on the current property," Neukirch said Friday. "If we find going through this process that (the current site) is not feasible for whatever reason, I want to make sure we are exploring all of our options."

Neukirch said the city plans to reach out to the community for input once the first phase of the study is complete.

The city's largest Fire Stations are located at 1130 Central Avenue and 1100 Half Day Road.

According to the fire department, Ravinia Fire Station personnel and equipment respond to about 2,200 calls annually, including about 1,100 calls for medical assistance.

Only about 50 of the station's calls annually are generated by the Ravinia Festival, according to the city.

Flermoen hopes design work can start this year because it will take about a year to complete. Construction would take another year. The sales tax-funded station would be the city's fifth.

Minot opened a $3.4 million fire station in the southeastern part of the city last March.

The department has received its new firetruck, a 2004 Rosenbauer Spartan complete with a 60-foot extension ladder and remote controlled nozzle.

"The citizens of Mt. Pleasant should be glad we got this truck," Fire Chief Tim Smith said. "This is something we thought we would never see, but now that it has happened, we guarantee the City of Mt. Pleasant will make good use of it."

Smith said the new truck and its 60-foot extendable ladder will give firefighters much needed access during emergency situations at the city's public schools, three story homes and industrial facilities, which are steadily growing in number.

With the new nozzle, which can be used to direct water remotely using a small wireless controller, the new truck allows firefighters to work in a more secure environment for safer rescues and water drops.

In comparison, the city's tallest ladder before the new truck's arrival extended to 35 feet. Most significantly, the new vehicle will dramatically decrease the city's response time to fires, as it would previously take between 25-30 minutes for a similar truck to travel to the city from the Columbia Fire Department.

The truck, which is usually priced at more than $500,000, was used by a fire department in Ohio until it was damaged in a collision. It suffered minor cosmetic damage in the rear of the vehicle and has since been completely repaired and renovated by M3.

Mt. Pleasant Commissioner Ricky Frazier previously called the purchase a bargain which the city would otherwise have difficulty affording.

Finance Director and City Recorder Loretta Garner said the fire department's yearly budget of $36,000 set aside for vehicle maintenance and repair will cover the annual $24,000 payments over a six-year period.

Including the new addition, MPFD will have a total of three operating trucks with the combined capacity to run 3,500 gallons of water per minute to a burning structure. The new truck will replace an aging Grumman model that has been used by the department for 27 years and has a broken pump.

The Central Falls Fire Department will receive about $475,000 to help replace their current 1988 Pumper Fire Apparatus. It's no longer operational and the repair costs are estimated at above the truck's value.

A volunteer fire department in Exeter will receive about $445,000 to purchase a new pumper engine. The Woonsocket Fire Department will receive about $680,000 to purchase a new aerial ladder truck.

Fire departments in Lincoln, Narragansett and Pawtucket were also awarded a combined $385,000 in grants to buy new equipment.