Chief Alan Berkowsky said he is happy with Evanston fire department’s new facilities at 909 Lake St., with the exemption of a few missing parts.
“We’re still waiting for some of our building elements to arrive, like our front door,” Berkowsky said.
The department is currently getting by with a temporary door after packing up for the new location in December. The move culminates more than a decade of planning to pair the police and fire department headquarter next to each other.
The administrative offices include those of Fire Chief John Wilkinson, as well as for the divisions of operations, life safety, finance and fire prevention.
Chief of Police Frank Kaminski said having the fire department next door to EPD, 1454 Elmwood Ave., strengthens an already healthy bond.
“We’ve always had a good relationship, no matter where they’ve been,” Kaminski said. “The fact that we’re closer means we have to travel less.”
Until 1990, the fire department’s administrative offices were housed on the second floor of the fire station at 702 Madison St. When renovations to that station forced the administrative offices to move to 1335 Dodge Ave., the police and fire departments started developing a plan for connected headquarters.
In 1996, the fire department moved another one of its stations from 909 Lake St. to 1332 Emerson St., creating a vacancy next to the police station. Construction on the facility began in 2001 after five years of planning and fund raising to convert the station to an office building.
Berkowsky said communication between the departments has simplified since December. Police detectives investigating fires can now walk next door and get the information they need.
Both departments use the same phone systems and computer servers, giving them easy access to the communication center, which fields all 911 calls.
The move also makes it possible for residents to go to the same set of buildings for all emergencies.
“It’s worked out very well,” Berkowsky said.
The new headquarters also include a conference room and a large classroom. Several groups have used the classroom, including paramedics learning life-support techniques.
“A lot of people consider these (rooms) to be necessary elements,” he said. “We never had them.”
The police department has also used the classroom for a promotion ceremony.
Berkowsky said the fire department plans to conduct an opening ceremony for its new building in April — provided that the front door and other necessities arrive by then.
