Title
REQUEST FOR FUND TRANSFER FOR REPLACEMENT OF FIRE STATION 31 (ANDALE).
Presented by: Valerie Kaster, Project Services Manager and Rusty Leeds, Assistant County Manager Public Safety.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve the fund transfer.
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This project will replace the existing cramped and inadequate 2,304 SF fire station facility located in the Public Works yard in Andale. Fire District 1 Station 31 was built in 1998 as a one bay structure with a small combination living and work area, and a small single room sleeping quarter. Station 31 serves a response area of 36 square miles, including the City of Andale. The station currently houses three crew members per shift. It lacks adequate interior space to accommodate 4 crew members per shift. While other stations provide sleeping space and facilities to accommodate both male and female fire crew members, Station 31 does not. Station 31 lacks contemporary turnout gear storage and ventilation present in other Fire District 1 stations to protect the integrity of the equipment and reduce crew exposure to harmful odors and substances, thus enhancing the life of the gear and the environmental health of the fire crews when in quarters.
Station 31 has barely adequate space to house 1 fire engine. The engine assigned to Station 31 was limited in size by the undersized, single bay. When in quarters, the engine leaves less that one foot of clearance at the rear loft, and insufficient space for a person to walk in front of the engine to the driver’s side when the overhead door is closed. Clearance on the sides of the engine, when inside the bay, is equally cramped and inadequate. As a rural fire resource, Station 31 utilizes a brush truck to fight grass fires in northwestern Sedgwick County. Unlike other Fire District 1 stations, Station 31 stores a brush truck at another station during periods when grass fire concerns are low, as it does not have capacity to store the vehicle inside, out of the elements when not in use. Additionally, while other stations house tender trucks for water supply at rural fire scenes, Station 31 does not have the capacity to keep and house a tender out of the elements when not in use.
A modern facility, similar in size and design of other Fire District 1 four bay stations, enhances the capacity and capabilities of the fire service in northwest Sedgwick County by allowing the assignment and storage of needed apparatus and vehicles, and the housing of a desired crew size of 4 members per shift.
Total project costs including land, design, construction of a pre-engineered metal building, and owner’s items are estimated at $1,745,277.
Alternatives: Not approve the project.
Financial Considerations: Transfer of cash from the Fire District General Fund to the Fire District Special Equipment Fund in the amount of $1,750,000. This amount was included in the 2019 Adopted Budget in the Fire District Contingency. This item authorizes budget authority of $1,750,000 to be established within a new fund center established for remodel/construction of Fire Station 31 within the Fire Special Equipment Fund.
Legal Considerations: The Board of County Commissioners sitting as the governing body of Sedgwick County Fire District Number One is authorized, pursuant to K.S.A. 19-3612c, to make the transfer.
Policy Considerations: Per the County’s CIP policy, this amendment had unanimous support from the CIP Committee and approval from the Interim County Manager. However, amending the CIP is not necessary as that fund is strictly a County (not Fire District) function, per K.S.A. 19-120.
Outside Attendees:
Multimedia Presentation: PowerPoint