Prospect Heights Firefighters Ask Voters For Improvements At Station

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, IL — With a fire station that hasn't been renovated in over 30 years, the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District is asking voters for help. According to Fire Chief Drew Smith, approval of a tax referendum on the ballot April 4 will help update the station and replace some vehicles.

"We're not asking for tax money to approve more salaries," Smith said in a Friday news release. "We think our normal budget can take care of our personnel needs, but it can't take care of our capital needs because it's millions of dollars and we can’t put it off any longer."

According to Smith, if the referendum is approved, the owner of a $300,000 house would pay around $135 more a year, creating an additional $10 million in revenue for the department. Residents can estimate their tax increase costs by looking at their last tax bill, finding the fire district’s charge and multiplying the tax by 15 percentage percent (0.15).

Smith said the last renovation at the 79-year-old headquarters (Station 9), located at 10 E Camp McDonald Road, was in 1992. He added that when the station was originally designed, most employees were volunteers or part-time firefighters.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, fire officials realized the need to switch from communal living quarters to individualized, non-gender specific sleeping areas and reconfigure the showers into individual stalls, according to Smith.

"During COVID, we were challenged and had to hope the disease didn’t spread," Smith said. "Additionally, our workforce is going to become more diverse and we’re not prepared for it. We want it, but we aren’t prepared."

Smith said two 16-year-old ambulances and a 30-year-old aerial ladder truck are among the vehicles that need to be replaced. He said the district’s vehicle replacement plan has not been funded since 2009.

According to Smith, last year was the department's busiest year in history, with 2,722 calls answered. He said the number of emergencies has grown by 49 percent over the last 10 years.

The district is hosting an open house at 7 p.m. March 16, at the fire station. Residents are encouraged to attend, ask questions and see the station themselves. A special referendum edition of the fire district’s newsletter with more information is being mailed out.