Chief: Firefighter health a ‘priority’ in BC station upgrade proposal

Nick Ponton
·2 min read

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — The first of several community conversations was held to discuss a proposal that would bring major changes to Battle Creek Fire Department stations.

The meeting was held Wednesday at Station 1. Plans were unveiled to build a new Station 2 near where the current one stands on Washington Avenue. It would close Station 3 on Cliff Street altogether and merge its crew into Station 1 on E. Michigan Avenue.

Both Station 2 and Station 3 were built in the early 1900s. Over the years, there have been issues with the size and being able to fit equipment into bays that are smaller than modern firefighting equipment. The fire chief said call volume and call types have changed and the historic buildings are no longer suitable as modern fire station buildings.

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At the meeting, which is the first of several, City Manager Rebecca Fleury, Fire Chief Bill Beaty and an architect broke down station costs for residents and showed images. People were able to offer feedback about what they want from the fire department.

Battle Creek Fire Department Station 2 at 145 N. Washington Ave. (April 17, 2024)
Battle Creek Fire Department Station 2 at 145 N. Washington Ave. (April 17, 2024)
Battle Creek Fire Department Station 3 at 222 Cliff St. (April 17, 2024)
Battle Creek Fire Department Station 3 at 222 Cliff St. (April 17, 2024)

“A lot of people consider these municipal buildings but they’re also homes for our firefighters. So, the dynamics, the technology, theories behind firefighter safety and health have changed as well as the dynamics of the community and our incident response and all those things,” said Battle Creek Fire Department Chief Bill Beaty. “Firefighter safety and health is a big issue and that’s a priority for us. We believe that the city is now in the best position to be able to take this on and do these projects.”

Part of the proposal includes updates to all stations in the city at an estimated cost of $20 million to $25 million, which the city would issue a general obligation bond for.

The proposal must be approved by city commission.

The city will hold more meetings about the projects at the following times and locations:

  • April 27, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Station 2 at 145 N. Washington Ave.

  • May 1, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Station 3 at 222 Cliff St.

  • May 6, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Station 4 at 8 S. 20th St.

  • June 1, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Station 5 at 1170 W. Michigan Ave.

  • June 3, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Station 6 at 2401 Capital Ave. SW.

Questions can be directed to the fire department at 269.966.3519 or by emailing publicinput@battlecreekmi.gov.

— News 8’s Rachel Van Gilder contributed to this report.

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