When people talk about the need for additional fire stations in Columbus, I don't think they realize just how big the scale of the issue is. Much like in the late 1880s and the late 1950s, Columbus finds itself needing at least ten new fire stations.
To provide some idea of where they are needed, check out the map this link: Proposed CFD Stations You will find some suggestions that might be new or perhaps controversial. Not the least of which is fixing the location of Station 28 and placing a new firehouse on the north end of Easton. Additional "in-fill" stations are identified for Marion-Franklin, Frank Road, and Trabue Road. As a reminder, in developed areas, the standard is that every address should be within 1.5 miles of a fire station.
In some of these cases, it may be time to work with surrounding departments to identify ways to cooperate on firehouse construction. For example, a new 12s could be built to house both CFD Station-12 and Franklin Township 192s. Same on Frank Road where a new firehouse could serve both the needs of Columbus and Station 193. In the growing area west of Station-34, located not far from a proposed Washington Township fire station, a cooperative effort may also be the way to go.
No matter how the solution is reached, however, Columbus is far behind in its need to add fire stations in both the outlying areas of the city as well as some of the urban core. The impending construction of Station 35 on Waggoner Road is a start, but it must be followed up by a concerted effort to catch-up or response times to fires and emergencies, as well as dependency on mutual aid partners, will only increase.
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