Fire Station in Disrepair, Residents Get New Hope

*By The Kalamazoo Press*

Comstock Township Fire & Rescue held an open house Thursday in hopes of getting a new fire station after over 25 years in service. The current facility has been stretched thin as the community grows, and officials are now proposing a $13.5 million replacement project.

Fire Chief Matt Beauchamp said the existing Station 9-3 has been in use for more than two decades. The station has served the community well, but conditions are no longer adequate for modern emergency response.

The station has served our purpose for a community for over 25 years. It served us well. We've been just planning on for the last probably about 10 years on replacing it and putting it in a better strategic location to serve our community, said Beauchamp.

The current station is located at 8700 East Michigan Avenue and is surrounded by privately-owned land. This limits expansion to only 6,000 square feet, according to officials. The cramped conditions have created significant challenges for the fire department.

Crew lockers are located inside Station 9-3's single bedroom, compromising privacy and rest for on-duty staff. Additionally, just one shower located inside that room serves four operational staff. The living conditions present a liability issue for the station, which employs both male and female staff, according to Beauchamp.

New Station Will Better Serve East Side

The proposed new station would be located at 10080 East Michigan Avenue, about 1.5 miles east of the current location. This move is strategic because Station 9-3 currently serves the east side of the township. Moving it further east will improve response times in that area, while stations 9-1 and 9-2 cover the area west of Morrow Lake.

The proposed 25,312-square-foot facility would include six dedicated sleeping quarters and showers for around-the-clock staff. Plans also include a kitchen, living space and fitness center. The new station would have seven-vehicle apparatus bay with storage designed to mitigate exposure to contaminated firefighting equipment.

A second-floor mezzanine and tower would offer in-house space for training. The design of the tower mimics apartment buildings and hotels in Comstock Township. This will give firefighters realistic training scenarios, according to Beauchamp.

Funding and Timeline

Comstock Township officials approved a $371,920 contract for architectural designs of the new fire station on January 5. This was the first step toward the $13.5 million project.

Fire officials plan to seek construction bids in May or June. The township expects to bond out funds for the project over 15 years, according to Finance Director Bret Padgett.

Taxpayers will not see an increase in fire department assessment rates, said Padgett.

Comstock joins communities across Kalamazoo County in modernizing emergency response facilities. Kalamazoo and Oshtemo township officials both cited growing populations and demand for service as they prepared to break ground on fire station construction projects in 2026.

The new station would include a locker room and bunk rooms so firefighters would not have to share spaces like they currently do, according to Beauchamp. The department has been formally planning the move since 2018.

Community Support

Members of the community were invited to tour Station 9-3 during the open house. The current station has served the community for over 25 years, but officials say it is now in need of replacement.

The fire department has been planning the new location for the last 10 years. The proposed site at 10080 East Michigan Avenue would better serve the east half of the community by reducing response times and increasing capacity.

Comstock Township Fire and Rescue covers all 9-1-1 requests for service in the Lakewood Kalamazoo Township area. The department also provides mutual aid to Pavilion Township, the City of Portage, the City of Kalamazoo, and other neighboring communities.

Sources:

  • WWMT News Channel 3: https://wwmt.com/news/local/comstock-fire-rescue-host-open-house-in-hopes-of-getting-new-fire-station-matt-beauchamp-michigan-avenue-township
  • MLive: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2026/01/135m-comstock-fire-station-to-replace-outdated-facility.html