Remodel plan for Prospect Heights Fire District’s headquarters wins city approval

Prospect Heights city officials approved plans to remodel and expand the fire protection district’s 80-year-old headquarters.

Voters approved a $10 million tax hike for the Prospect Heights Fire Protection District two years ago to help fund the project.

The 10,000-square-foot fire station at 10 E. Camp McDonald Road will undergo renovation and expansion of an additional 5,000 square feet later this summer. The remodeling is expected to take a year to complete.

During that time, all the firefighters will be packed into the district’s smaller second station at 1275 S. Wolf Road near the southwest corner of Chicago Executive Airport.

The administration will work out of temporary office space, probably along or near Palatine Road, while spare vehicles will be stored in other short-term facilities, district officials said.

Prospect Heights Fire Chief Drew Smith said the new station will still be smaller than the average suburban station, but is not considered a stopgap measure. A training room, meeting room, three single-occupant restrooms and other amenities will be able to accommodate eight employees on 24-hour shifts.

“The firehouse we’re in right now was not built for full-time employees,” Smith said. “The biggest thing is we’ll have a cohesive workspace that will help keep our staff prepared.”

Though about a third of the current firefighters have joined since the success of the April 2023 referendum, Smith said the promise of the improvements has improved morale.

“We’re in competition for people with all the other departments,” he explained. “We have to be mindful of people’s personal needs.”

Though there were earlier upgrades to the station — most recently in 1992 — the transition to a full-time, non-volunteer workforce has occurred largely during the 21st century, reaching completion only since the pandemic, Smith said.

While the rising cost estimate for the project is now at about $7 million, contingencies will still cover it, according to Smith. The referendum also included some modernization of equipment, such as the hook-and-ladder truck acquired last year that’s much more of a multi-tasker than the 30-year-old vehicle it replaced, he added.