Lodi Fire Department plans on growth, new stations

With assumptions that the city will continue to grow, the Lodi Fire Department is eyeing not only a fifth fire station, but a sixth.

It is part of a strategic plan Fire Chief Michael Pretz has been working on for about a year. He plans to publicly release the 70 plus-page draft report next month.

The report also calls for adding new staff and placing paramedics on the city's fire engines.

"These are things we think are going to have to be done. Someone should be looking ahead several years," Pretz said. "The whole idea behind having a plan in place is taking into consideration all the events and being ready for the future."

But at least two City Council members want to know how it's all going to be paid for.

Meanwhile, city officials have decided against remodeling Fire Station No. 2 and will instead rebuild it and possibly place it in a new location. The station is located just west of Highway 99.

"After looking at the cost to remodel and the cost to rebuild, the analysis suggests that rebuilding is a more cost-effective option," Pretz said.

"We've actually been talking about it for some time. We need a station east of 99 with access to the industrial area and the highway."

Station No. 2, opened in 1981, has been at the center of firefighter complaints for years. They've asked the city to patch leaky roofs. The station's ceiling is falling down in places, the training tower is out of service, the heating and air conditioning systems are outdated and paint is peeling in the dormitory.

In February 2003, the city decided it would be better to tear the station down and start over after receiving a report from an outside architectural firm. The new construction is estimated at $1.7 million, but it has been delayed with all other capital projects.

Fire Station No. 4, at Lower Sacramento Road and Lodi Avenue, which opened in late 2002 is the latest station to be built, while Station No. 3 on Ham Lane was built in the early 1970s.

Lodi's main station -- No. 1 -- is located on West Elm Street and was built in the 1960s. A new roof was put on last year. That, coupled with bringing the building up to code will cost an estimated $600,000, Pretz said.

In general, he feels the stations are too small and in need of modernization. And, due to current and planned growth, increased population and traffic congestion, he is looking at Fire Station No. 5 and 6 within the next 10 years.

"Right now the southeast and the southwest corners of the city account for about 10 percent of our calls," Pretz said. "It's taking us longer and longer to get there. It's an issue with distance and time.

"If you keep having a build out, we're going to need to have fire stations out there."

The fire chief admits all this will take new funding and is recommending the City Council look into charging fees for plan reviews, various permits and fire sprinkler system reviews.

The city may also charge fees for annual permits for hazardous material storage, site safety inspections and tents.

Pretz is also looking into charging patients a first-responder fee and developers a Fire Facility Tax on new construction. The latter could be .5 percent on the value of the structure.

"The question always comes: How are we going to fund all that?" Pretz said. "We wanted to give council a list of options."

Mayor Larry Hansen, who hasn't reviewed the plan, was hesitant to comment Friday afternoon without first reading the report.

"The No. 1 issue is how to how finance it. It sounds like a very ambitious plan," he said.

"I want to have a healthy budget, and I'm going to be very stingy with programs that cost money at this point."

Vice Mayor John Beckman questioned if six fire stations are really needed, and he wonders where the firefighters to staff them will come from.

"Presuming that we expand the city limits of Lodi, then we would need new stations. But not until we expand to that level."

He said it will take at least four years, if not five, to build out south of Kettleman Lane, near Harney Lane.

"As for the fee, I will vote against it personally. Taxes and fees are generally too high in this city already."

Although the council just last month denied a request for one new firefighter, Pretz said the department's personnel numbers are lagging. (The last time there was a spike in hiring was when Station No. 4 opened.)

In 1974, the department served 30,960 residents with 48 fire suppression personnel, or 1.55 firefighters per 1,000 residents, Pretz' report says. In comparison, today, the department serves a population of 61,000 with 54 fire suppression personnel, or .88 firefighters per 1,000 residents.

Even with the addition of 18 firefighters, the number per capita would still be less than in 1974, Pretz said.

"(The council) always looks at gross numbers," he said.

"We have actually been doing more with less for quite some time. The firefighters don't just go to fires anymore."

Contact reporter Jennifer Pearson Bonnett at jenniferb@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Comments on this story are now closed.

Archives

Story Tools

Indexes

Lodi Fire Department plans on growth, new stations

Reader Feedback

Special Sections

Photo Reprints

Find Ads

Weather

Services

Contact Us

Office

Newsroom

Subscriptions

Advertising

Classifieds