City of Sheridan discussing a second fire station

Sheridan Media reported in an earlier story that over a 10-year period, the City of Sheridan’s population increased by 7.44%.

This rate of population increase is below average (.9% per AdvisorSmith) for small-sized cities in the U.S. But according to Sheridan City Councilmembers Greg Luhman and Steven Brantz, Sheridan’s population and development increases are already putting pressure on the services provided by the City. 

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Luhman, who worked for 27 years for the City as a fireman, earning the rank of Captain within Sheridan Fire-Rescue, told listeners that Sheridan has already outgrown the reach of the single fire station.  

According to documents from the City, a 1998 Consolidation Study stated that the City was approximately nine square miles in size. Currently, the City of Sheridan encompasses 13 square miles, which has accompanied an obvious population increase and increase in structures within expanded city limits.

This increase in population and distance to cover has led to a higher call volume and longer response times from Sheridan Fire-Rescue Department. If distance wasn’t enough, increased population brings increased traffic, making the standard of response times more challenging to achieve. 

The short-term solution sees the City Council supporting attempts to secure Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants to help pay for the needed staffing increases.

The long-term solution, according to the City, is to add a second fire station to provide more complete coverage and bring Fire-Rescue response times more in line to the NFPA 1710 standard of four minutes an average 90% of the time.

The City reports that the Fire-Rescue Department is currently working on identifying the location for station two and has discussed potentially setting a goal of having that station completed by 2027.

Due largely to General Purpose Excise Tax (GPET) funding allocations, Fire-Rescue has purchased an Aerial Ladder Fire Truck. The department also continues to purchase breathing apparatus with the goal of each purchase being a long term investment in fire equipment that meets the current needs of the community, while also anticipating the community’s needs as far as a decade into the future, because should this current population trend continue, the City of Sheridan’s average population could result in an estimated 21,785 people by 2030.