Excerpts from rrstar.com:
The Loves Park city council is exploring ways to strengthen its volunteer fire department by introducing a daytime crew, aiming to cut down on the current response times, which are nearly double those of the neighboring North Park Fire Protection District.
Currently, the city’s 35 volunteer firefighters respond to calls from their homes, which contributes to slower arrival times. To address this, the city plans to station three firefighters and two supervisors at the 400 Grand Ave. station between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., possibly as early as August. This shift could help reduce the time it takes for crews to reach emergency scenes.
The new day crew will be paid between $12 and $20 per hour, depending on experience. With an average of 28 hours per week, they won’t qualify for health insurance benefits. The initiative is expected to cost the city up to $200,000 annually.
According to a review of the first three months of the year, Loves Park’s average response time was 15.2 minutes, compared to just 6 minutes in North Park, which serves the southern part of Machesney Park and some unincorporated areas of Winnebago County. Response times remained fairly consistent throughout the day.
This change would increase the fire department’s annual budget by 33%, bringing it to about $1 million per year. In some recent calls, the response time was as high as 27 minutes for a location at 7349 Chucks Way, and 24 minutes for addresses at 12414 Kings Point Dr. and 5625 Covey Ridge Trail.
A new auto aid agreement between Loves Park and North Park, signed in February, has already shown positive results. Average response times dropped to 13.3 minutes in March, down from 17.6 minutes in February and 15.3 minutes in January.
Despite these improvements and the addition of a daytime crew, the city still faces significant logistical challenges. The mayor is pushing for a new fire station, estimated to cost around $5 million, to better serve areas near Mercyhealth Sportscore Two and the upcoming Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center at the intersection of East Riverside Boulevard and Interstate 90.
However, without a property tax, the city must rely on bonding or seeking voter approval for new revenue sources to fund the project. These options come with their own set of challenges and political hurdles.
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