Wilmette is going through the planning process to update its two fire stations — both more than 60 years old — and may wind up modernizing its fire department staffing as well.
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On Sept. 8, the Village Board approved a contract with Chicago-based BKV Group for up to $71,500 to design and coordinate renovations that include replacing the seven-bed, open bunk sleeping quarters at Fire Station #27, at 747 Illinois Road and built in 1958, with five private rooms each with their own locker and privacy door.
Wilmette does not have any women among the department’s 45 firefighters and the fire station redesign is seen as one way to help change that.
“We have long had difficulty attracting women to our fire service and this step is long overdue,” Village President Senta Plunkett said at the Sept. 8 meeting.
The meeting was attended by Illinois House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, who secured a $350,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant for the renovations.
She echoed Plunkett’s remarks.
“I’m so pleased that these state funds will help provide, as you said, separate locker rooms for women firefighters and, hopefully, be an incentive as the village recruits more female firefighters to the community,” said Gabel, an Evanston Democrat, whose district includes Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook and Northfield.
Plunkett praised Gabel for being “an advocate for the village during the state’s annual budget process.”
The grant will also cover the cost of installing “vestibule airlocks” between the vehicle apparatus bays and the living quarters at both Fire Station #27 and #26, 1304 Lake Ave., which was built in 1964.
In an interview, Village Manager Michael Braiman explained that, when firefighters return from a fire, department vehicles, equipment and gear can be covered with contaminants. The vestibule airlocks will prevent vehicle exhaust and these contaminants from entering firefighter living quarters — while also lowering heating and cooling costs.
“The entirety of the project should be covered by the grant,” Braiman said.
In addition to design services, the contract with BKV Group calls for the company to assist in identifying and selecting a qualified construction manager.
The company will also “provide coordination and support during construction, including reviewing contractor submittals, requests for information, attendance at key construction meetings, prepare field observation reports, punch lists, and support the project close out.”
Braiman said the two stations are structurally sound, though their interiors are in need of modernization.
“They continue to serve the purpose of providing functioning living quarters and operation space for our firefighters and paramedics,” Braiman said. “We know they don’t really meet modern-day standards for quality of life, gender equity and private spaces.”
A space needs study completed last year by BKV group presented the village with options for several modernization and renovation projects that would run though 2036 and could cost almost $24 million.
“The different options improve functions, workflow, circulation, firefighter quality of life, worker safety, and security concerns inside and outside each fire station,” a memo to the board from Fire Chief Brian Lambel stated.
The memo noted that the upgrades would bring fire department facilities into compliance with federal regulations, state and local building codes and recommendations from the National Fire Protection Association.
“The stations are not in violation of the above standards, rather the standards have changed over time and improvements to the facilities would ensure the structures meet the most current standards,” the memo states.
“That’s the big picture cost to fully renovate both stations based on the space-needs study,” Braiman said of the $24 million figure in the memo.
“We’re really early on in our review process of this so, ultimately, what we decide to change or improve, when we decide to do it and that cost is going to be a multi-step review process and it will take us a long time to get there,” Braiman added. “We have a long way to go before we determine exactly how much money we need to spend.”
The department uses a three-shift platoon system with a daily minimum of 11 on-duty personnel, per the study. It has averaged 3,900 calls annually. This included 1,724 fire calls and 2,148 emergency medical service calls in 2024.
The board was also given an update on the construction of the new $41.5 million police station.
A Power Point presentation noted that demolition of the old station was completed in May and, as of August, excavation was “substantially complete” and work on the footings and foundation was “ongoing.”
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The weather has created some concern and it was noted that “water infiltration into the excavation site has been continuous.”
“We’re on target from a budget perspective,” Braiman said, explaining that construction bids came in almost $9 million below estimates.
A $500,000 state grant secured by state Sen. Laura Fine, a Glenview Democrat, has also helped.
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Rain has put the project at risk for some delays in finishing the station, but Braiman said the project was still on target for a move-in date in October or November of 2027.