Alexandria Fire Department officials said Tuesday moving the department’s fire fighting operations from its Windsor Avenue facility to the Potomac Yard development in north Alexandria would not adversely affect fire coverage in the city.
“Our study shows that moving the fire company to Potomac Yard would not adversely affect coverage,” Alexandria Fire Chief Gary Mesaris said. “We actually realize improvement in some areas, but we’re not compromising coverage in other areas.”
The city found, however, that transferring emergency medical services, which are also housed at Windsor, to the planned Potomac Yard station would increase the number of people outside an ambulance’s four-minute response zone.
“We do have some areas that have better coverage” if the ambulance services are moved to Potomac Yard, Mesaris said, “but the most populated areas outside of the coverage zone actually gets larger.”
Ambulance services are expected to remain on Windsor Avenue for the next five to eight years.
Art Dahlberg, director of code enforcement at the Alexandria Fire Department, said the bays at Windsor where fire trucks are stored are not large enough for modern
equipment, and the building is not large enough to store the other gear that sits outside the fire house.
“We do have a challenge with the age and condition of our fire stations,” Mesaris said. “Most of them are over 35 years old.”
If the plan for the station goes forward as proposed, developers Pulte Homes and Centex Homes will provide $7 million for the station, as well as additional money through tax credits. The city is only expect to pay $750,000 for the facility, officials said.
The proposal is set to be reviewed by the Alexandria Planning Department in October. If approved, it will be sent to the Alexandria City Council.
