The relocation of a Greenwood fire station will change who responds in an emergency, and one city council member is concerned the move could increase response times for residents of his district.
But fire officials said moving one of the city’s four stations about a mile from its current location is not expected to significantly impact response times, and the issue is one they plan to watch closely after the move.
The Greenwood City Council approved 6-1 the use of $5.3 million for land and construction of a new Fire Station 93 following a public hearing Monday evening.
Council member Bruce Armstrong voted no on the resolution because the move could increase response times to residents in his district on the east side of the city, he said, specifically those who live near Clark Pleasant Middle School, which is located off Worthsville Road near Interstate 65.
The city plans to move Station 93 approximately a mile west of its current location at 255 W. Stop 18 Road, to a property on the north side of Cutsinger Road, just west of Freedom Park. Last month, the Greenwood Board of Public Works and Safety approved spending $250,000 to hire consultants to design the new fire station.
Armstrong has recommended the city build an additional fire station instead, which could serve the southeast side of the city.
“I’m not saying that it’s the wrong thing to do, I’m just saying let’s get our priorities straight,” Armstrong said after the meeting.
Chief Darin Hoggatt said the idea for an additional fire station has only been discussed in theory at this point, and is something the city may look at in the future.
Hoggatt said the department is addressing issues related to response times.
“There will be some redistricting using the resources we currently have to address those response issues,” Hoggatt said. “There is not going to be a difference in services, and there shouldn’t be a huge difference in response times. We’re just moving run loads around a little bit.”
Station 91 will be responsible for the area around Greenwood Village South as opposed to Station 93, which currently serves it.
Right now, Station 91 and Station 93 serve larger areas than Station 92 and Station 94. Once the move happens, any redistricting changes should even out the number of emergency calls for all four stations, he said.
The only area where response times may change by a noticeable amount is in the southwest corner of the city, where Whiteland Road intersects with State Road 135. But there isn’t much development in that area that the Greenwood Fire Department is responsible for, he said. Most residences and business are on the west side of State Road 135, which is served by the Bargersville Community Fire Department.
The Greenwood fire department likes to see at least 90 percent of response times under four minutes, and that should remain the same. If it doesn’t, Hoggatt said, they will see that in the routine internal audits conducted annually and make any needed changes.
