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.