From Phil Stenholm:
Another installment in the History of the Evanston Fire Department.
THE RAND REPORT
As enthusiasm for the Fire Station Relocation Plan waned, the Evanston City Council turned to the renowned Rand Corporation in 1986 to conduct an independent evaluation of the Evanston Fire Department. The goal was to assess whether relocating one or more fire stations could improve response times for structure fires and EMS calls. It was made clear that Stations #2 and #4 were considered fixed, but moving Stations #1, #3, and/or #5 was seen as acceptable.
Rand identified two key areas that had experienced the highest number of structure fires and EMS calls over the past two decades. One area was bounded by Howard Street to the south, Ridge Avenue to the west, Main Street to the north, and Lake Michigan to the east, with the "bull’s eye" at Oakton & Custer — essentially the first-due area for Station #2. The second area was near Emerson & Dodge, bounded by Dempster Street to the south, the Metropolitan Sanitary District canal on the west and north, and the C&NW RR tracks to the north of Emerson Street and Asbury Avenue to the south. This area saw a high volume of EMS calls, though not as many structure fires.
Rand confirmed that the southeast quadrant of Evanston, served by Station #2, was well-covered. However, the farthest intersections from any fire station in 1986 — Church & Pitner, Emerson & Hartrey, and Foster & Grey — fell within the second square mile. Based on this, Rand recommended that moving Station #1 to Lake & Ashland and consolidating Stations #3 and #5 into a new station at Ashland & Noyes would significantly reduce response times in the 5th Ward. However, this would lead to longer response times in the downtown area and especially in the northwest part of the city. Despite this, the overall average response time across Evanston would decrease.
Rand also suggested placing the “jump ambulance†at Station #2, staffed by personnel from Truck Co. 22 when needed. The two full-service MICU ambulances were recommended to be stationed at the new locations: Lake & Ashland (Station #1) and Ashland & Noyes (Station #3). Station #4, however, was not recommended for an ambulance, which would have reduced its staffing to three firefighters — something the EFD chiefs avoided.
With the Rand Report recommending new stations at 1500 Lake Street and 2210 Ashland Avenue, it seemed likely that these would be built. However, the EFD chiefs disagreed with the proposed deployment and moved the second engine from Station #1 to Station #3, and placed the MICU ambulances at Stations #3 and #4 instead of #1 and #3.
Yet, just like the earlier proposal for a new Station #2 in South Evanston, opposition arose quickly against the new station at Ashland & Noyes. Residents of the High Ridge area, located north of Crawford and Gross Point Road, feared long response times if their closest station was at Ashland & Noyes. They argued that even with fewer calls, they deserved equal emergency service.
Wilmette Fire Station #27, just a mile away from Central & Crawford, could have provided rapid assistance, but no automatic aid agreement was proposed due to a lack of mutual benefit. In the end, Ambulance 2 was moved from Station #1 to Station #4 in 1987, and the city council approved rebuilding Station #4 and remodeling Station #2. Further plans for new stations were put on hold.
The rebuilt Station #4 opened in 1989, costing $643,000, while Station #2 was renovated in 1990 to accommodate female firefighters and expand apparatus space. In 1991, Truck Co. 21 moved to Station #3, becoming Truck Co. 23.
In March 1993, new Fire Chief James Hunt proposed moving Station #1 about a mile northwest to a vacant lot at Emerson & Wesley — halfway between the original planned locations. Under his plan, Stations #3 and #5 would remain, with Engine 21 serving the east side and Engine 25 the west, divided by the canal. Station #1 at 909 Lake Street would become the headquarters, housing training, offices, and storage.
Despite pushback from downtown merchants and lakefront residents, the plan was supported by 5th, 6th, and 7th Ward residents who benefited or kept their stations. It was approved by the city council. However, construction of the new Station #1 at 1332 Emerson Street took nearly five years, with costs doubling from $1.2 million to $2.2 million. Similarly, converting the old Station #1 into headquarters faced delays, leaving administrative offices in a cramped space on Dodge Avenue for several years.
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