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Medford Fire to get station No. 5 By JIM DAVIS The first new fire station to be built in Medford in more than 25 years will start going up early next month. The city's fifth station, at North Phoenix and Barnett roads near the Scottish Rite Temple, is expected to be finished and occupied in six months, said Larry Anderson, the Medford Fire Department planning chief. "This is a real critical time to get going in order to beat the weather window," Anderson said. The station is expected to greatly improve response times to fires and medical emergencies for east Medford and backup responses for all of the city, Anderson said. According to a computer model, the department can now reach 56 percent of the population in its service area within five minutes. After the new station opens, firefighters will be able to reach more than 72 percent of the population in that time. The City Council's goal is eventually to reach 90 percent of the population in five minutes. On Thursday, the Medford City Council approved a $1.49 million contract with Eric Artner Construction of Central Point to build the station. The city budgeted $2.1 million for the project, and Anderson said much of the rest of the money will pay for furnishing the building with everything from radio equipment to beds for firefighters. The city bought the 3.6-acre site earlier for $330,000. The building -- designed by The Abell Architectural Group Inc. of Medford -- includes three bays, an office, dormitories, kitchen and storage areas. It also includes a multi-purpose room that can be used for training, for neighborhood gatherings or for an emergency-response center during disasters, Anderson said. The new station will be called Fire Station Six because the city's four stations are two through five. Department headquarters at City Hall has always been considered Station 1, although it is not a fire station, Anderson said. The building is much larger than the city's four other fire stations -- for example, it's three times the size of the station near Railroad Park. Anderson said newer fire engines are larger than older ones, and other equipment has increased in size as well over the years. The city isn't able to put some of its engines into its garages, including a new ladder truck, which is 48 feet long and 9 feet wide. The Medford Fire Department won't need to hire new firefighters: Two crews occupy a station adjacent to Bear Creek Park at Siskiyou Boulevard and Highland Drive; one crew will move to the new station. This station is the first part of a project to shorten response times throughout the city. The plan originally called for another new station at Columbus Avenue and Garfield Street, but officials are taking another look at how best to cut response times, Anderson said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA