Des Plaines city employees hope to meet with Rosemont officials to see if sharing resources might help shore up emergency response times.
Oregon-based Emergency Services Consulting offered aldermen five options Monday for improving response times but recommended a plan that calls for two new fire stations and working out an agreement with Rosemont to improve Des Plaines’ response times in areas close to its municipal neighbor.
The recommendation would cost an estimated $11.4 million in upfront expenses and allow firefighters to make emergency calls within six minutes on 94 percent of calls, said Phil Kouwe, the consulting firm’s vice president.
“The sky isn’t falling,” Ald. Laura Murphy said. “Our average response time is 5 minutes, 17 seconds.”
To maintain those averages for 15 to 20 years, Kouwe offered a range of plans that would cost $6.6 million to $16 million.
Des Plaines has three fire stations, but department officials said they are antiquated and inadequate to meet the recommended response times. Rail crossings account for substantial delays for firefighters and paramedics, but the delays could double as train traffic increases, officials said.
Under a plan begun in 1991 but shelved in 2004, officials hoped to build an $11 million fire station at Lee Street and Prospect Avenue. The plan stalled in 2004 after residents voted against building the station in an advisory referendum.
Des Plaines officials said they hope to hold the first of several public meetings on the issue in March.