MISSOULA — A station location study conducted on behalf of the Missoula Fire Department recommends placing a voter-approved sixth fire station on the western edge of the city.
But while many anticipated that would mean placing the station in the rapidly growing Sxwtpqyen neighborhood, data suggests that property near Third Street West and South Curtiss may offer the greatest benefit.
Rodney Mascho with Emergency Services Consulting International said the three scenarios presented Wednesday to the Missoula City Council each provide unique benefits. With the city growing, response time and address points will play a role in selecting the right location.
“The greater density of incidents are falling in the same area as the greatest density of population,” said Mascho. “Where the people are is where the calls are. That's seen as a common theme throughout the nation.”
The study recommended a number of models, including more collaboration with the Missoula Rural Fire Department. Under that scenario, MFD would place Station 6 near Third Street West while Missoula Rural builds a new station out near the airport.
Mascho said that roughly 71% of the city's address points would sit within a four-minute response time from MFD. When Missoula Rural is added to the equation, the figure increases to 74%.
“We really only ended up with one proposed joint model,” said Mascho. “This really seemed to provide the greatest benefit.”
The second scenario excludes Missoula Rural from the equation and recommends that MFD place Station 6 closer to West Broadway and the airport. That would leave 59% of address points within a four-minute response time.
“It definitely covers the city more from the city stations and where those address points are,” Mascho said. “But you still have some areas in the north and northwest that aren't within that four minutes.”
Mascho said the third scenario would see MFD move Station 2 further west and place Station 6 near the airport. That proposal would bring 67% of address points within a four-minute response time from city fire crews.
Projected development patterns and increasing density will be key to the chosen location.
“It's a paradigm shift from what we were discussing last year,” said council member Gwen Jones. “In the Mullan area, we have a lot of greenfield development going on there. But we're also seeing a lot of growth in Franklin to the Fort and west. With code reform, we'll be seeing more.”Voters this summer adopted a fire levy to fund the construction of Station 6 and hire a new fire company to staff it. The levy will generate around $7 million annually to support growth in the fire department, enabling crews to keep pace with an increasing call volume.
Fire officials and council members admitted Wednesday that a Station 7 may be needed in the near future. But for now, placing Station 6 in the right location remains the top priority.
The preferred station location will likely be selected this year.
“We appreciate that we have a mutual aid agreement with Missoula Rural. But we also don't have any control over what their board does and where they build stations,” said council member Stacie Anderson. “Making sure we're making the best decisions with what we have control over is the question we're trying to get at.”
