Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins and his department are used to answering calls for help — not making them. However, answering those calls gets harder when one fire station is located in the heart of Campustown where weaving through crowds of pedestrians is a weekly challenge for Ames firefighters.

The Campustown location no longer meets safety needs, so the department is asking taxpayers to help fund a new fire station on State Avenue.

“We’re so used to the public saying, ‘Hey, we need your help,’” Higgins told the Ames Voice. “And now as a fire department, we’re going out to the public and we’re saying ‘Hey, we need your help.’”

Ames residents will vote in the Nov. 4 election on spending $10.5 million to build a new fire station. The city wants to replace Fire Station No. 2 with a bigger station on land at 601 State Ave. that Iowa State University will let the city use for free.

What’s wrong with the current building?

The current station, 132 Welch Ave., was built in 1966, and officials say fire trucks have trouble getting in and out of the station because there’s no drive-through access. When trucks come back from emergency calls, they must back into the station while cars and people are walking nearby on Welch Avenue.

“It’s that photo that’s on our website of a busy Friday night,” Higgins said, recalling the time he decided it’s time for a new location for Fire Station No. 2. “The safety of our students that are out here, pedestrians —  if we can prevent one person from getting hit by an emergency vehicle by moving the station, it’s a job well done, right? We’re there to protect.”

Some of the concerns about a fire station located in the heart of Campustown are easy to see, such as the heavy pedestrian traffic. It adds an additional layer of concern: response times and the possibility of someone getting hurt while the fire station is responding to an emergency.

But there’s also a plethora of concerns that Higgins can see as potential liabilities for his firefighters.

The station is 5,500 square feet with three bays — it’s too small for a department that responds to the entire west side of Ames. Important fire equipment such as the reserve engine, incident command trailer and fire prevention trailer have to be stored outside because they don’t fit in the building.

The firefighters’ gear isn’t stored in a sealed, accessible space. Instead, because of limited space, it’s stored on shelves that are exposed to sunlight and UV radiation, which can weaken it over time.

“Our gear should be in a room that’s sealed because after a fire, the gas produces carcinogens,” Higgins said. “Plus, we don’t want the gear exposed to sunlight.”

The shower and laundry area, a vital service for firefighters after calls, is cramped. Higgins said there are also Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues with the current building.

For the most part the fire department has been making do with what it has.

“We make it work, and the crews do an awesome job,” Higgins said. “But there comes a time where I can’t stand by and say, ‘This is OK.’ I need to let the public know we have some major concerns, and here’s what we want to do. It’s for the benefit of everybody.”

For Higgins, the biggest concern is the response times for fires, but also medical issues. The department’s goal is to reach 85% of the community within five minutes. Right now, the department is in the low 70% range.

“We’re not reaching our performance measure,” he said. “So those are triggers that make us really evaluate what’s going on and what’s causing those delays. It’s really where the station is located.”

City officials say moving the fire station to State Avenue would improve response times across the city.

City planning experts used computer models to study response times. They found the new location would help firefighters reach about 120 more emergency calls within the target time compared to last year. The new location is projected to especially help the west side, where the city plans to see future growth.

The new station would have four bays instead of three, giving firefighters room to store all their equipment indoors. Firefighters could also do maintenance inside.

Cost of a new west side fire station

Here’s the breakdown of the expenditures of the $10.5 million bond:

• Base Construction Costs (building, contingency, mezzanine): $7,691,344
• Net Zero Ready Upgrades (geothermal wells and pumps, increased electric service and square footage): $1,245,230
• Owner Provided Services (design fees, project management): $1,519,554
• Total: $10,456,128

The building would be funded by property taxes:

• Residential: $11/year for every $100,000 assessed value
• Commercial/Industrial: $97/year for every $500,000 assessed value
• Overall: 2.1% increase in the city portion of property tax

“It is more money, and we want to be cognizant of that when we ask the public to pay more in property taxes, that what we’re asking for is not a, ‘Hey, this would be a good idea,’” Higgins said. “We’ve reached that point where we need to do something about it.”

52 years of ISU land

The land deal with Iowa State would let the city lease 29 acres of land on State Avenue for 52 years at no cost. ISU President Wendy Wintersteen supports this plan, and the Iowa Board of Regents must approve the lease agreement, which should happen in November after the public vote.

This isn’t the first time Iowa State and Ames have worked together on the fire station. In 1966, the university helped pay for half the cost when the station moved from the university to Welch Avenue. Under their 1981 agreement, if the city sells the old station, Iowa State gets half the money. The university plans to put its share toward the new station project.

Timeline for the fire station

Community members will cast their votes in early voting and on election day. If the bond passes, then plans begin right away and would take about six months to complete. After that, the city would go out for a bid.

Higgins said he hopes to break ground by next fall. If everything goes as planned, a new Fire Station No. 2 would be servicing Ames in 2027.

Bill Monroe contributed to this story.