Progress Reported on New Fire Station

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2001
Contact: Terry Levin
(312) 744-9277

Steady progress is being made by the Daley administration toward building a new state-of-the-art fire station at 67th and Dorchester.

All of the land needed for the new Engine Co. 63 firehouse has been acquired and bids are being sought from contractors interested in building the station, according to Public Building Commission executive director Eileen Carey.

"This will be the first of at least eight new fire stations citywide to replace ones that are extremely old and outmoded," Carey said. "We hope to break ground on this particular firehouse by spring."

Some of Chicago's oldest fire stations were built in the days when fire equipment was pulled by horses; one firehouse still in operation was opened in 1873-just two years after the Chicago Fire. The current Engine Co. 63 firehouse was built 72 years ago and must struggle to house the large, modern emergency vehicles of our own era, Carey explained.

Funding for all the new fire stations is being provided through Mayor Richard M. Daley's Neighborhoods Alive 21 program, which also is replacing outdated police stations and building new branch libraries throughout the city. Daley chairs the PBC.

The new firehouses, including the one for Engine Co. 63 on the north side of 67th Street between Dorchester and Blackstone, each will feature a command center and the latest in emergency communications equipment; oversized garage doors to accommodate today's larger fire engines; and a circular driveway to make it faster and safer for emergency vehicles to leave and re-enter the building.

All the stations will be single-floor structures, eliminating the traditional fire pole for the improved safety of the firefighters. They also will have separate accommodations for male and female emergency personnel. In addition, Engine Co. 63 will feature a special outdoor training area for firefighters.