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SUN CITY INDEPENDENT
FIRE
New home for engine
Sun City redeployment to address call volume
By Rusty Bradshaw
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
Repair of the bay floor at Sun City Fire and Medical Department Station 2, 11401 N. 99th Ave., led fire officials to redeploy apparatus there, and now it will be a long-term situation.
The concrete bay floor at Station 2 began to crack, and officials suspected a leak in the sand filter system in the floor drains. That was confi rmed when that portion of the floor was removed. The leak was repaired and the filter system moved outside in the front of the building and the floor replaced.
During the month the work was done, officials relocated Engine 132 and Medic 132 to station 133, 13232 N. 111th Ave. While those units were at the other station, fire officials kept track of calls made by units from stations 132 and 133 to determine if moving the units made any difference in call volume.
Prior to the relocation, Station 132 units were making more than twice as many calls into Peoria as that city’s counterpart station was making into Sun City. Rob Schmitz, Sun City assistant fire chief, said while Station 132 units were based at Station 133, the calls between communities nearly evened out. That prompted a redeployment of apparatus and personnel.
“We will not move Engine
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Sun City firefighters Adam Lumbardo, left, and John Shedler, part of the Engine 132 crew, restock medical supplies at Station 133, 13232 N. 111th Ave., following an out-of-district call to Surprise. [Rusty Bradshaw/Independent Newsmedia]
Fire
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132 back to Station 132,” he said.
That engine and its crew on all shifts will remain at Station 133.
“That means Peoria will be handling its own calls,” said Mark Burdick, Sun City fire chief.
That does not mean Sun City units will not respond to Peoria calls, he added. The automatic aid will remain in place. It does mean with no engine at Station 132 the corresponding Peoria station will now be the closest facility to handle calls in that area. Burdick said Peoria Fire-Medical offi cials agreed with the Sun City deployment plans, as did SCFMD personnel.
“ Firefighters will get some relief at night because there will be fewer calls,” Burdick said.
In addition to evening out the Peoria-Sun City call ratio, keeping Engine 132 at Station 133 will help to relieve the load from the latter. Station 133 is the department’s busiest station, topping the call list nearly every month. It is also one of the Valley’s busiest stations, according to Schmitz.
“Growth continues in the Valley,” said Steve Arnold, Sun City Fire District board member. “Even Youngtown is building, so there will be more demand in that area.”
Station 133, being in Youngtown, is the first responding units for calls in the Youngtown area.
The decision to keep its engine elsewhere does not mean Station 132 will not be used. Schmitz said Medic 132 will return, along with Medic 134 and a battalion unit from Station 131, 17017 N. 99th Ave., will move to Station 132.
“That station is not going away,” Schmitz said.
The added engine at Station 133 will not tax the facility’s space. The station was overbuilt to allow for additional vehicles and personnel as officials expected the call volume from that station to grow.
“ There are 12 bunks at Station 133 and they are all in use right now,” Schmitz explained. “ But when we move Medic 132 back to its station, that will give us some extra again.”
He added there could be more adjustments to resource deployment as needed. Officials already plan to move Ladder 131 to Station 133.
“ That would place it closer to the largest concentration of multistory buildings in the communi-ty, like Banner Boswell hospital and the research center,” Schmitz said.
Sun City department officials also are looking to purchase another fire engine. The fire district board approved a bid from Sutphen Corp. for a new engine.
Schmitz said the basic vehicle will cost $550,000 with another $50,000 needed for additions, such as ax mounts, radios and other specialized equipment.
News Editor Rusty Bradshaw can be reached at
rbradshaw@newszap.com or follow him on Twitter @SunCitiesEditor.
Cones line the newly installed line for a sand filler at Station 132, 11401 N. 99th Ave., to correct a cracking concrete bay floor. [Rusty Bradshaw/Independent Newsmedia]
Sun City Fire and Medical Department’s Station 133, 13232 N. 111th Ave., will house its own engine and the one from another station within the district. [Rusty Bradshaw/Independent Newsmedia]
