Canby Fire District’s new north side medical response station — a central component of the 10-year, $4.9 million capital bond voters passed last November — will be built on city-owned land immediately south of the Canby Public Works Department and Canby Wastewater Treatment Plant on North Redwood Street, pending ongoing negotiations.
City Administrator Rick Robinson made the announcement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, saying he anticipates the lease being presented to the Canby Fire Board in late July. It would be presented to the council for final approval a couple weeks later.
The station is critical to the district’s service needs, as it would improve emergency medical response north of the railroad tracks. About 70 percent of the district’s calls are medical, and responders can be delayed several minutes if they encounter a train while attempting to cross the tracks to the north side.
It would also help guide the district’s expansion, if future growth creates the need for a full fire station on the north side of town. But, Fire Chief Jim Davis says the need for the station is even more immediate, as CFD firefighters and operations will be relocated to the new station while the headquarters on South Pine is being remodeled — another component of the bond project promised to voters.
The main station was originally built in 1996, and its roof, floor and other critical areas are in need of serious maintenance or repair. Also, staffing levels for the district have more than doubled since the station was first constructed. The renovations would not only expand, but also rework, staff quarters to give firefighters more privacy while on duty.
The Canby Fire District covers 54 square miles and serves over 30,000 residents and businesses in the towns of Canby and Barlow, as well as the surrounding area.