NLV wants five new stations

Diana Sahagun

Monday, July 31, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

The North Las Vegas Fire Department, which has not seen a new fire station since 1995, wants to match strides with growth.

In order to do so, five more fire stations will be needed in the city's northwest over the next 10 years, Fire Chief Robert Dodge said.

The City Council will address that goal Wednesday as members vote on items dealing with fire services.

A development agreement up for vote would net a fire station at Ann Road and Allen Lane. The station would be built within two years by a developer who is planning a master-planned community on 57 acres.

The land, however, must conform with the city's master plan. To make that happen, the council will vote on a second item authorizing a zone change from residential to commercial/office.

"This is a win-win situation," Councilwoman Shari Buck said. "We're getting a good office project and also getting help in solving a fire safety issue."

The council also will vote on purchasing a second rescue rig from a $175,000 check given to the city by Avante Homes in lieu of a requirement to install fire sprinklers in its new homes. The city already has one rescue rig that has helped with response times.

"But it's still not going to bring us up to where we need to be," Dodge said.

Currently, there is only one fire station in the northwest, at Ann Road and Camino Al Norte. It handles more than half of the city's population.

Fire officials had been planning to build a new fire station at Allen Lane and Washburn Road but had not identified where the $2.5 million to fund it would come from.

Landowner Arik Raiter stepped in last month, offering to construct a $1.2 million fire station a little down the road as part as his development. Raiter will also turn over property to the city for a bike trail.

The developer will construct the shell of the station, including electrical and plumbing. It is not yet known how much it will cost the city to staff and purchase equipment for the station, Dodge said.

But even with a new fire station, the northeast will still be faced with the problem of long response times, Dodge said. There is not enough development in that area to support another station any time soon.

The northeast is speckled with housing developments and will be home to a 7,500-acre project, which is expected to come online next year.