SAUGUS — A preliminary report regarding the potential addition of a third Saugus fire station is expected to be presented to the Board of Selectmen this spring, Town Manager Scott Crabtree said.
Plans for the new station, which would be on the west side of town, were discussed at a Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday, where Crabtree gave an update on the project — which has been a topic of discussion among town officials for decades — at the panel’s request.
“When we met at the beginning of last year, one of our top priorities was to look at this and get data, rather than anecdotal information, to provide an opportunity for the residents of Saugus and Town Meeting to decide on the feasibility of (this project) moving forward,” Crabtree said, noting that the town had already engaged in an organizational and development analysis of its fire department.
“I think very shortly we’ll be able to finalize things and have something publicly to go over that information,” he added.
This past July, Town Meeting members voted to form a five-member committee tasked with conducting a feasibility study that would examine potential firehouse locations and determine related personnel and equipment requirements and costs.
The feasibility study, which would be the third one conducted for the project, would have to be completed before a report for the west side fire station is drafted and presented to the selectmen this spring, Crabtree said.
Fire service for the town is currently provided out of two stations and three entities: Engine One, in the Cliftondale neighborhood, and Engine Three and Ladder One, out of Saugus Center.
Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Corinne Riley told The Item on Tuesday that building a third firehouse is a priority for local officials as the town continues extensive private and commercial development along Route 1.
“We know that this is something that needs to get done,” Riley said. “This is an important issue. As Route 1 keeps developing and more condominiums are built, (first responders) have to go up and around the highway to (get to places). For safety reasons, we need a satellite-type fire station so it’s a lot faster for people on that side (of town).”
Despite notable progress, Crabtree told the board it’s still too early to decide on an exact location for the building, as a third party contractor tasked with creating a station plan will likely give officials location options based on optimal fire incident coverage.
Crabtree said an initial study, conducted several years ago, found that Saugus had roughly 90 percent coverage, meaning the town’s first responders are able to arrive at approximately 90 percent of the town’s designated locations within a given amount of time.
“There are a bunch of different locations (where the station could go),” Crabtree said. “You’ve got to balance the cost-benefit.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
