The effectiveness of the proposed $14 million fire station came into question earlier this week when a public safety commissioner revealed that the new station could increase response times.
The revelation, uncovered by Chairman Roy Belluz, found that fire engines originating at the existing Fire Station 2 reach their destination in under four minutes, 93.4 percent of the time. Meanwhile, fire engines originating at the proposed site reach their destination in under four minutes, 65.1 percent of the time. Belluz attributed both figures to the city’s own Fire Service Master Plan, published in 2013.
“This analysis shows that the proposed location for Fire Station 2 does not provide the coverage of historical workload as well as the current location,” according to the Fire Service Master Plan document.
But Battalion Chief Mark Clayton, of the Lompoc Fire Department, defended the proposal since things have changed since 2013.
“As we see the city build out north, the calls start to shift in that direction, so part of the planning process is looking out ahead and getting a trajectory for where (calls) will come in,” Clayton said.
Clayton added that in 2013, the Fire Department had just two engines responding, whereas now they have three.
But some still have concerns, including Councilman Victor Vega.