Airway Heights Fire Department pondering facility options

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Facility options for city departments have been a topic of discussion for some time. With some of the details yet to be ironed out, issues with the fire department have become more pressing as call volume increases.

Airway Heights Fire Chief Mitch Metzger discussed the department's urgent needs and pointed out that it's run primarily by volunteers, which means the city doesn't have to pay for wages or benefits for 15 workers.

"The thing to remember is that volunteers primarily run our department, so we save the city over $3 million annually," Metzger said. "And we need more volunteers, but our facilities are currently inadequate."

According to Metzger, the city is making moves to reduce some facility stressors. He said that city leaders are planning to move city hall into the community building across the street from where it currently sits, allowing the fire department to utilize that space and no longer have to share it with city hall.

"Currently, our lunchroom sits in our garage," Metzger said. "And our equipment has to be stored in the same space, so we have to eat in the space we store firefighting equipment. Simply put, it is inadequate, but we make it work."

Police Chief Brad Richmond took things one step further, saying the fire department's needs outweigh all other departments.

"Mitch is being a little conservative and is in dire need of a different fire department," Richmond said. "He can't do anything to expand his services or bring anyone else on without having proper facilities first."

Improved facilities could also lead to the purchasing of some newer equipment.

"Our ladder truck is 21 years old," Metzger said. "With the increase in population, construction and business, we need to have a larger truck to provide the best possible services we can.

"We can't fit a bigger truck in this current facility, but we aren't going to go out and spend a million dollars on a truck to park it outside either. We need a bigger building."

One major topic of discussion that has surfaced is to have a sort of campus-style all-in-one city resources building that can initially house the fire department and city government offices. The city could then build on that foundation by adding other city services such as the police department.

Metzger said that would be the most cost-effective solution while getting the results they need departmentally.

"We're certainly leaning towards the combined facility because it just makes sense," he said. "Putting our efforts into a single facility will get our city and our taxpayers the most bang for their buck to improve city services."