Burr Ridge Neighbors Upset By Planned Fire Station Project

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Burr Ridge fire station may expand if area voters approve a $38 million measure on the March 17 ballot.

Some neighbors oppose any expansion, saying it would disrupt the neighborhood.

The Tri-State Fire Protection District has stations in Burr Ridge, Darien, Willowbrook and Willow Springs. The Burr Ridge station is at 10S110 S. Madison St.

Under the plan, the district hopes to significantly renovate and expand the Burr Ridge station, saying it wants to better serve residents, according to the agency's website.

The proposal includes adding a bay for an in-house maintenance shop and creating living and workspaces that support firefighter health, safety and wellness.

Based on resident feedback, the district said it was looking at other sites for the Burr Ridge station.

In an interview, Tri-State Fire Chief Patrick Brenn said the district is considering a site north of the current one, near Interstate 55 and Madison Street.

During this week's Burr Ridge Village Board meeting, resident Carissa Means, who lives on Madison Street, said she opposed an expansion.

"A larger building footprint and apparatus bays or relocated parking will disrupt the neighborhood character, especially since it's near so many homes," she said. "They're doing this with buffers or landscaping, but landscaping doesn't disguise the enlarged building."

Means said the firefighters have been good neighbors. And she said she didn't realize she was moving in near a fire station because it's so blended in.

"The whole building was serene," she said. "Then they painted the doors bright red. I don't know why they needed to do that because the firefighters know where the doors are."

Barbara Pearson, who owns property nearby, said she feared that a fire station expansion would cause more carcinogenic emissions.

"Expanding the facility would only increase those risks and bring more emissions into our neighborhood," she said.

On its website, Tri-State presents statistics showing that firefighters are more at risk of cancer. In recent years, the site says a dozen reported cancer diagnoses and three known cancer-related deaths have occurred among fire district employees and retirees.

Brenn said firefighters get particles stuck to their clothes during fires. Many fire departments, he said, are working hard to reduce cancer risks.

At the same time, Brenn said the particles don't affect nearby buildings.

The houses near the fire station are on large lots. For instance, Means' property is more than 5 acres.

If the referendum passes, the tax bill for a home valued at $400,000 would increase by $140 a year. The debt for the projects would last 20 years.

A section of Tri-State's website is about the referendum.