News & Events

Hanover Park NEW Fire Station #16

Construction of a new fire station that will be located at 2355 Schick Road is underway. This new station will replace the current station which is located near County Farm and Army Trail Road. The Village has worked for more than 18 months to design the station with our design/build team of R.C Wegman and Dewberry Architecture.

In order to meet the 21st century needs, this new station will replace the outdated and inadequate station located at 3855 County Farm Road, which we have outgrown. In fact, the current station was built at a time when the Fire Department operated out of three locations and housed only 2-3 firefighters per shift. This facility uses layout and physical features to decrease the exposure to carcinogens, products of combustion, and other pathogens by dedicating areas as green (clean), yellow (decontamination areas), and red (potential for contaminants). The firefighters will be able to return from an emergency response and contain the tools, equipment, and uniforms in the red areas then be able to wash the tools and uniforms, and take a shower in the yellow, before entering the green living areas of the station. It is critical to separate the eating, sleeping, and office areas to prevent exposure to possible contaminants.

One of the yellow decontamination areas will include an ultrasonic cleaning device that will be new to the department. We will now be able to decontaminate equipment with a new level of precision and the area will be used for gear from both stations.

The new station incorporates formal work areas that are not present at the current location. A conference room/training area will allow the crews to stay in the station for meetings and daily training instead of traveling to the North station. The Lieutenant, who is the manager of the station, will now have an office to conduct their daily business, and multiple workstations are designed to allow more than one person to work on reports or a department project at the same time, which is not a reality in the current fire station. 

Strengthening mental health and physical wellbeing through station design was a critical goal of our team. The new station incorporates a fitness facility for exercise with group driven programs, individual dormitory style sleeping quarters allow for more restful sleep, and a private area allows the station crew to decompress after a stressful situation. The station also incorporates an outdoor wellness area where, during the warmer months, where on duty staff can interact with each other or eat outdoors. 

As our department has grown over the years so has the apparatus. We now house vehicles which are physically larger as each new model has more features to meet the growing needs of a modern fire service. The new station will have larger apparatus bays that are properly sized for our vehicles, with a three-vehicle bay design instead of the current two. 

The station training components will be enhanced by realizing more area behind the station to maneuver vehicles and areas to set up and operate the tower ladder. We will also now be able to have an indoor training area where ladders can be raised and fire fighter safety drills, such as bail outs or ladder rescues, can be completed. 

The property, which is well-located and adequate in size, was already owned by the Village, which provides for significant savings. In addition, the project has been designed to minimize the use of steel to reduce material costs. As we have been planning for this station replacement for many years, the Village is able to fund the project through budgeted reserves and will not have to issue bonds, resulting in a significant savings for the cost of the station. 

The new fire station groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 18th, and construction began early July. The new facility is scheduled to open in the spring of 2024. The current station located at 3855 County Farm Road will remain open until the new station is fully operational.