Sylvania Twp. assesses fire station on Central

10/11/2001

Sylvania Township's fire station on Central Avenue should be moved or remodeled, according to township trustee Dock Treece.

“It is the single most visible township building and it is the worst,” Mr. Treece said.

The station, on the north side of Central, is near the exit and entrance ramps to I-475/U.S. 23.

During a recent trustees' meeting, Mr. Treece said he often stops at the station on his way to work, “and there's siding coming off of the building. We have to figure out what to do.”

Trustee Dick Moses said he wasn't sure what a consultant could do, but suggested that trustees discuss the problem with Fire Chief Christopher Maurer.

Chief Maurer was out of town at the time of the meeting, but Trustee Jim Schwerkoske said he would “sit down with the chief and discuss capital needs,” of the department.

The township has a levy on the November ballot seeking 1.5 mills for expected increases in expenses. Included in the plans are equipment purchases and the hiring of 18 firefighters by 2004.

Township officials anticipate opening a fourth fire station in the 8100 block of Sylvania Avenue.

Deputy Chief Ray Segur said the station on Central has the most calls and had more than 1,000 for the year, by mid-September.

The station was constructed in the 1950s, he said, “and one of the problems is that it was designed for the fire trucks of the day.” Fire trucks today, he said, “have a much higher profile.”

The deputy chief, who once was based at the station, said it originally had only three bays, but there have been two additions, one of which added three bays at the rear of the building.

He said six fire trucks are at the site, “but two of them are specialty rigs.”

One is a tanker truck that is called out in response to a fire where water lines may not be, and another is a multi-purpose unit with an air system to fill self-contained breathing apparatus.

Mr. Segur said it would take time to determine if the station should be moved to a different site to better accommodate the township's needs.