Citing three years of data, Lincolnwood trustees agreed last month to close the Fire Department’s substation at The Carrington at Lincolnwood senior housing complex.
The substation, which housed an ambulance and two paramedics from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, was intended to reduce response times for seniors at The Carrington, 3501 Northeast Parkway, and nearby Lincolnwood Place, 7000 N. McCormick Blvd, Fire Chief Barry Liss said.
“Having collected nearly three full years of operational data and statistics to review and analyze, it has substantially proven to be less effective than we thought it might be,” Liss said. “We thought it is in our best interest to cease operations and move them back to our centralized fire station.”
The substation, which has already closed, was located on the far east side of Lincolnwood, which delayed response times to other areas of the village, Liss said.
“Our main fire station is centrally located,” Liss said. “Our response times from the central location are efficient. The ambulance was responding from the far east and it was determined to be a very inefficient operation. Responding from the central location gives it ample time.”
In 2022, firefighters received 499 calls from The Carrington, with the majority of them requiring paramedics, he said.
“It was not substantial, not even two calls a day,” Liss said. “We had over 2,500 calls everywhere else. The statistics validated that we needed to adjust.”
The village received 454 calls to Lincolnwood Place during 2022, he said.
“We discovered we had calls occurring everywhere in town,” Liss said. “It was not just the senior population. Ultimately, we have an obligation to serve the entire community equally well, and the department serves it best from the central hub in Lincolnwood.
“In a nutshell, that’s what happened.”
The Lincolnwood Fire Station is located at 6900 N. Lincoln Avenue.
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Former Fire Chief Michael Hansen, who held the position when the substation opened almost three years ago, described the idea as an experiment of sorts when it opened.
In early 2021, Hansen said the fire department wanted to gather a year’s worth of data before deciding whether the satellite station was in the community’s best interests.
The substation officially closed after the board’s vote on Sept. 7, Liss said. The village began moving its equipment and supplies out of the station, which was owned by the Carrington, on Sept. 12, Liss said.
“They received all the keys and we are completely moved out,” he said Sept. 27.
The substation did not allow firefighters to decontaminate after calls because it did not contain showers or laundry facilities, Liss said.
“They couldn’t come back from a messy call and clean up,” he said. “Ultimately, they had to come back to the main station and disinfect and clean themselves.”
Moving out required simply returning the ambulance, two beds, two lounge chairs, a desk, computer equipment, a telephone and a couple of monitors to the main station, Liss said.
“The entire interior was village property,” he said. “It was not a full-fledged fire station. It was a living area and a small garage that housed a single ambulance.”
The village did not incur any costs moving into, using or leaving the substation – nor moving the equipment back into the main station, Liss said.
“It was a 10-year agreement unless it was canceled by either party,” he said. “The Carrington provided the work space, and the village provided the infrastructure.”