There is no question that the DeKalb County Fire Department’s Liberty Station needs a new fire hall, replacing the small, cramped quarters currently used by Engine 65. The Liberty Station has the second highest call volume in the department , and the current facility barely accommodates the department’s fire engine, with the bumpers nearly touching the wall and door, and the engine having to be filled with water in order to be weighted down enough to clear the top of the bay door.
A proposed new fire hall, located between Liberty and Dowelltown would not only solve the space requirements for the current fire engine, but with an extra bay would also be able to house a tanker truck that is essential in rural areas of the county that are not located near fire hydrants.
Currently, a tanker is located in the department’s main station and responds to nearly all structure fires in the county. With a tanker stationed in the Liberty/Dowelltown area, response times could be cut in half as far as shuttling water, as well as providing space for two tankers to be used at a scene.
In addition to a tanker bay, a proposed EMS day truck located at the station could cut medical response times as well in a part of the county that sees high call volume.
“We started out wanting to request a new station because we got the new fire engine in Liberty under a rural development grant,” DeKalb Fire Chief Donny Green told the Smithville Review. “It fits in the station now, but it’s very tight. We have to make sure the truck is loaded with water in order to back it into the bay. With the truck full of water, we only have one inch clearance for the truck to enter the bay.”
Chief Green said that new fire truck designs and requirements have outgrown the current building. “That building was built in 1975, and at the time we had a lot smaller fire trucks. Trucks now are being built bigger, and any engine we get now is going to be tight.”
“We also have some major problems with the asphalt in front of the building,” Chief Green said. “It’s sinking. We were looking at doing some repairs, but when this American Rescue Plan money came about, we thought it would make more sense, rather than spending a lot of money on a 47 year old station that’s going to need $5-6,000 worth of asphalt work, it might be more practical to find another site and build a two-bay station that would house the fire truck and a new tanker we are getting through a CBDG grant.”
“That end of the county that covers Alexandria, Liberty, Dowelltown, and Temperance Hall, and we don’t have a tanker close by. We were looking at while we were doing this, to build two bays to house the engine and a tanker,” Green said. “When you get outside the city limits of Alexandria, Liberty and Dowelltown, there are very few hydrants. Currently we have one tanker that serves the whole county, located right in the center of the county. If we had a tanker in the western part of the county, it would cut response times, plus there are times when we need more than one tanker.”
Chief Green also said that for just a little bit more money, another issue could be addressed as far as medical needs in the area. “While we were talking to some of the residents, and the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown, the idea came up to actually add a third bay and a day room that would house one of DeKalb EMS’ current day trucks.”
“EMS currently has three trucks on call during the daytime,” Green explained. “So, the ambulance is already there, and the staff is already there. We wouldn’t be looking at an expense of buying a new ambulance or getting more staff. We would just be distributing the current staff, and cutting response times to the western part of the county in half to the farthest locations.”
Green said that the Alexandria, Liberty, and Dowelltown areas already have a high call volume for fire and EMS, and the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown are already on board with the idea, offering a section of land jointly owned by the towns. “It used to be referred to as the Dowelltown Park, located at the intersection of Highway 70 and West Main, between the two towns,” Chief Green said. “It’s 8.65 acres, on a hill, not on a flood plain, with some very good building sites on it. Both towns have embraced that fully, and informally proposed maybe doing a 99-year lease for $1, which is similar to what we are doing at the Austin Bottoms station. That’s a good deal for everyone.”
Chief Green said that the project would differ from a proposed new fire station at Wolf Creek in several different ways. “That is still of our radar. The reason we are wanting to move this project ahead of that is, first we have ARP funds available, we have a building site for this project, and it would be more beneficial by letting us station a tanker and possibly an EMS unit there.”
“At Wolf Creek, the department would have to start from scratch. We have only one firefighter trained in the Wolf Creek area, and we do not have a building site as of yet for the station. The county set aside $25,000 for the Wolf Creek station in 2021, then another $25,000 for 2022, then the department added another $25,000 from the sale of surplus equipment to the Wolf Creek fund. Those funds are obligated to the Wolf Creek station and can’t be used anywhere else,” Green said.
“I propose we go ahead and move forward with the Liberty Station because we already have the staff, the equipment, and the building site,” Green concluded.
The county is still waiting on building estimates for a two and three-bay station.
