Ferguson Township receives fire station feasibility, desirability report

Alpha Fire Company has three fire stations in the Centre Region, and a new one might be on the horizon.

Centre Region Council of Governments Fire Protection staff evaluated the desirability and feasibility of establishing a fire station in Ferguson Township, at the request of the township.

That report was recently provided to the township.

At some point, a fire station will need to go in Ferguson Township, said Steve Bair, COG fire director.

He said the township doesn’t need to hurry up and do it, but added that his advice to them is to start planning.

A Ferguson station would “significantly” decrease response time to the western part of the township, Bair said.

He estimates that it would reduce that time by 2 minutes, which he said doesn’t seem like a lot but it makes a difference in how much damage a fire can do.

The township would pay for the land acquisition and construction of the fire station, and COG would then fund the operating and maintenance costs, said township Manager David Pribulka.

The township’s 2017 budget has $80,000 set aside for land acquisition, Pribulka said.

The next step for the township is for the Board of Supervisors to discuss the report and its results at an upcoming meeting.

The report recommends that construction take place either in the short term (one to three years) or the near term (three to five years), and finds that the most desirable location for a station would be along West Whitehall Road between West College Avenue and Plainfield Road.

Alpha has stations in Patton and College townships and State College borough.

The fire company has more than 100 volunteers, and three staffers who work in COG’s fire protection program, including Bair.

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Ferguson Township receives fire station feasibility, desirability report."