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Cardinal Joint Fire District asks Canfield voters for funding operations of new station
By ROBERT CONNELLY
CANFIELD
The Cardinal Joint Fire District is asking Canfield voters to approve a levy to operate a proposed new fire station.
That station would be in the northwest corner of the fire district’s coverage area, both Canfield City and Canfield Township, on Herbert Road next to the township’s athletic fields. The fire district has the funds to build the new station but will not build it unless the funding is secured to be able to operate the building, CJFD Fire Chief Don Hutchison explained.
The permanent levy is 1.25 mills and would generate $627,854 annually. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $43.75 per year.
The new station was selected to be built there so the district could cut down on response time in that area as well as freeing up personnel at its main station to go to other parts of the coverage area. “We need people to get out fast for medical calls,” Hutchison said.
Current response times to the north and northwest are between six and eight minutes from the main fire station, a part of Canfield City Hall, 104 S. Lisbon St. A new station would cut that to four minutes and under, which Hutchison said is the preferred time for insurance standards.
Reducing response time can be the determining factor in whether someone lives during a medical emergency. “Just [Wednesday] it made a difference, and it made the difference at the Canfield Fair,” Hutchison said. “Our guys got there within two minutes and were doing CPR on him and now he’s back out on the street; and that’s what this levy is all about — quick response time.”
Fire-district board member and Canfield Township Trustee Marie Cartwright said, “This levy is really based on safety, and the best thing about this is, it’s going to reduce the response time for medical [emergencies].”
Both Cartwright and Hutchison noted that Canfield’s average response time has gone from 3.8 minutes in 2006 to 5.4 minutes now.
“We need to make sure our residents are protected and get the best medical response they can get and for fires as well,” said Cartwright.
In late May, the fire-district board selected Balog, Steines, Hendricks and Manchester Architects Inc. of Youngstown as the architect for the project. Negotiations for the design and plans are ongoing, Hutchison said.
Hutchison said the new station would house one full-time paramedic and one part-time worker. The new station would feature two bays and have one engine and also would double as a training facility.
The Cardinal Joint Fire District Board is made up of members representing Canfield City Council, Canfield Township Trustees, a citizen from both the township and city, and one at-large member.