The City of Westfield and the Westfield Fire Department are preparing to break ground on a new fire station.
Construction is anticipated to begin soon for Station 84, a two-story, 20,000-square-foot facility at 191st Street and Chad Hittle Drive. The new station design includes three apparatus bays, living quarters, sleeping quarters and a museum. The site will house up to 12 fire department personnel for 24/7 response with a ladder truck and an engine.
City leaders said the new station is in response to rapid growth in Westfield and will support the 114-member WFD.
The WFD regularly answers 300 to 400 calls per month or more. In 2023, the department answered 4,859 calls for service, including 1,648 for fire and 4,859 for EMS. Station 81 handled 2,079 calls; Station 82 answered 1,681 calls; and Station 83 responded to 1,089 calls.
“We are woefully behind in the number of fire stations needed for the City of Westfield,” Mayor Scott Willis said. “It is a priority of my administration to provide exceptional public safety to our residents and visitors, and this is one of the first steps in accomplishing that goal. We can only advance Westfield if we get projects like these started.”
WFD Chief Rob Gaylor was one of the featured speakers at the Westfield Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon in June, updating those in attendance on the department’s activities. He said the department focuses on the community, which he referred to as the fire department’s “customers.”
“We value our customers and recognize that our customers are both internal and external,” Gaylor said. “We’re responsible to (residents) and we have that as a core value, being a valued partner. To be a valued partner in the community, we recognize that we’re an expensive entity. Anything, if you paint it red and put ‘rescue’ on it, it’s going to cost about six times what it should. So, we’re a high user of your tax dollars, and we don’t take that lightly. We want to be responsible.”
Gaylor said one way the members of the department contribute to Westfield is to interact with the community at regular events.
“I hope that if you ever see an engine or a truck out at the store or the park, you take a few minutes and walk up, ask how the day is going,” Gaylor said. “We love having that interaction with people. Too often we get called out when folks in the community are having their worst day. It’s always nice to meet and greet people when circumstances are a little different, and we appreciate that.”
As the department grows, Gaylor said he plans to rethink priorities to make sure staff are capable of answering any call, no matter the issue.
“We handle anything and everything,” Gaylor said. “We’re not just an agency that puts out fires. We’re not just an agency that responds to emergency medical calls. We truly are an all-hazards response agency, and we have to be very good at a lot of different things.”
Station 84 will serve the U.S. 31 corridor, Grand Park and Chatham Hills. The station is expected to reduce response times by more than two minutes to those locations.
Envoy Construction is the developer/contractor of WFD Station 84.
Construction of Station 84 is expected to cost $11 million, financed through a Build-Operate-Transfer, or BOT, bond. A BOT is a proposal to build, operate and transfer via public-private partnership for the development, design and construction of public facilities, provided for by Indiana law.
A construction timeline for Station 84 has not been released. The station is anticipated to open and be operational by October 2025.
Gaylor said the strength of the WFD is its staff.
“We have some extraordinary people among the members of the fire department,” Gaylor said. “Our core values are one of those things that we hold near and dear to our hearts. If you don’t have core values or stand for certain beliefs, then you’re kind of misguided. In public safety, safety and performance measures are the norm. We take pride in maintaining the thought that our job is inherently dangerous by nature, so we’re going to risk a lot to save a lot and risk a little to save a little. We do that through performance measures — training and education.”
WESTFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT EXPANSION PLANS
The Station 84 project is one of two new planned fire stations for the City of Westfield.
Designs for Station 85, a one-story, 16,000-square-foot building, are underway. Station 85 is expected to be constructed near Ind. 32 and Centennial Road/W. 31st Street. The building will house 10 fire personnel and include living quarters, sleeping quarters and offices, as well as three apparatus bays.
Construction of Station 85 could begin as early as March 2025, with a completion date of April 2026.
Studio Axis is the architect/designer for both projects.
Stay updated with the Westfield Fire Department at facebook.com/WestfieldFire.
