Reinbeck Fire Chief Chris Heasley, front left, and Assistant Fire Chief Tim Johnson, front right, give a presentation on the need for a new fire and emergency services building during a town hall held last Sunday, Oct. 29, in the Reinbeck Memorial Building. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – The Reinbeck Fire Department is ready to ‘ignite change’ by building a new emergency services building.

On Sunday, Oct. 29, roughly 20 members of the public joined practically as many members of the Reinbeck Fire Dept. in the Memorial Building for an afternoon town hall held to address the department’s fundraising campaign for construction of a new, $3.9 million Reinbeck Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services building on a city-owned lot located north of Hwy 175 on the eastern edge of town.

“This has been a project we’ve been talking about for a lot of years and we just want to move forward with it,” Reinbeck Fire Chief Chris Heasley said to kick off the town hall.

Back in April of 2022, the city council approved the purchase of a four acre parcel of land for $160,000 from Brad Ohrt with the intention of one day building a new fire station on the land by way of a general obligation bond measure which would require a supermajority of 60% public approval.

In the years since acquiring the land, the fire department has spent time not only fundraising for the new building – raising $314,777 total while spending $127,000 – but also fine tuning the project plans including scaling back from a steel building to a less costly wood frame option.

A map shows where the new fire and emergency services building will be built. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

On Sunday afternoon, Heasley along with Assistant Fire Chief Tim Johnson and EMS Captain Dan Mohlis gave a presentation on the capital campaign with the ultimate goal of avoiding a bond referendum by funding the building’s construction through community donations.

“It’s going to take everybody in this community and beyond to help fund something like this,” Johnson said.

Reinbeck Fire Dept. history

Heasley, Johnson, and Mohlis began their presentation by exploring the history of the Reinbeck Fire Dept. through a series of detailed slides.

“The Reinbeck Fire Department was established in 1892. We’ve consistently served the community for over 132 years and will continue serving both our city and our rural fire district for many years to come,” one of the slides stated.

The Reinbeck fire station located on Broad Street next to the Memorial Building pictured on Sunday, Oct. 29. The decades-old building is small, cramped, and becoming more and more outdated with each passing year. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Three main entities along with the community’s citizens fund the department: the City of Reinbeck, the Reinbeck Farmers Fire Association, and Reinbeck Firemen Inc.

While the city provides for the fire station, one city pumper, and an annual budget to sustain operations, the Farmers Fire Association funds all remaining fire trucks plus necessary PPE and equipment for fire, rescue, and EMS.

The third entity, Reinbeck Firemen Inc., is the non-profit fundraising arm of the department.

Current station

The presenters then moved on to the inadequacies of the current fire station which is located on Broad Street adjacent to the Memorial Building and was built decades ago. The chief problem with the current building, Heasley said, is size.

The inside of the current Reinbeck fire station located on Broad Street. When all the trucks are parked inside, space is extremely tight. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“The outdated building lacks sufficient space for housing modern apparatus and conducting essential training,” a presentation slide stated. “Congestion within the facility increases the risk of equipment damage and personal injury due to close quarters. Additionally, the scattered gear lockers can create communication challenges, further hindering operational efficiency.”

A visit next door to the station’s current six bays which are housed in two connected buildings quickly proves Heasley’s point – with all the trucks backed inside there is practically zero space remaining to access turnout gear unless a firefighter were the width of a board and somehow a magician who could get dressed while smashed against a fire truck’s side.

“Everything is so tight,” Heasley explained, “you can’t get [truck] doors open.”

“Firefighters are standing in the way of the trucks trying to get out,” Johnson said. “Sometimes we can’t even see them (when they’re dressing).”

The station measures 4,200 square feet. There is no safe drive through bays due to the building’s layout as the alley is too tight for anything other than grass trucks. There is also hardly any storage space leading to various hazmat, mass casualty, and grain bin rescue equipment stored all over the back of the building with no good way to transport it.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

But one of the biggest challenges lies in the overhead door height of the station’s bays which are not tall enough to accommodate the size of modern fire trucks.

“Any new truck,” Johnson explained, “would be too large to fit into the bays.”

In addition to all those issues, maneuvering fire trucks in and out of the building onto Broad Street — where parking can be extremely tight on Friday and Saturday nights due to all the patrons downtown — is set to become even more complicated once a new, 10-unit upper story apartment building on the corner of Broad and Main opens in the future.

Planning for the future

Countless times throughout the presentation, both Healsey and Johnson said their goal is to build a new fire and emergency services building that will serve the community well into the future – 50 years at least.

Pamphlets and blueprints line a table last Sunday during the Reinbeck Fire Department’s town hall. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“The plans will serve our community in the near-term but more importantly we’re planning now for the long-term,” a presentation slide stated. “This will be a challenge to fund as it stands, but this is a challenge we’re ready to take head on. Future generations will face higher prices and further funding challenges. We need to act now to continue to serve and protect our community.”

The proposed new building – measuring just under 14,000 square feet including 9,900 square feet of apparatus floor area – would cost $3.9 million to construct (including paving) while site prep would add another $310,000, bringing the grand total to $4.21 million.

The building would face Hwy 175 to the south and would include seven bay doors with four of those doors allowing entry and exit from both sides of the building. There would also be an office area, radio room, EMS storage, a training room, and kitchen and laundry facilities. Much of the storage space would be located on the building’s mezzanine.

Current plans are to hold a bond vote in November 2025 for $3 million with the remainder of the funds raised through donations, grants, and fundraising events.

“The more [funds] we can raise, the less that bond amount can be,” Heasley said before later stating, “The more we can raise … the less stress it puts on the city.”

While the fire department had planned to put a public measure on the upcoming Nov. 5 ballot, a mistake at City Hall over the summer regarding election deadlines ultimately sank those plans. It’s a situation Heasley admitted he was not too happy about but ultimately believes might be for the best due to all that is on the ballot next week including a Gladbrook-Reinbeck school bond referendum.

“We know there’s plenty of other things [on the ballot],” he said. “We don’t want to compete with (those) … because obviously we all want the school to stay.”

The Big Ask

At the conclusion of their presentation but before taking questions from the audience, both Heasley and Johnson admitted the amount the fire department is trying to raise constitutes a big ask but they said it’s a challenge they’re “ready to take head on.”

“We need to act now,” Johnson said in reference to the annual 3-5% increase in construction costs. “We’re going to continue to work on this through this winter and fundraise.”

To that end, those who would like to donate to Reinbeck Fire Department’s fire and emergency services building fund can make a tax-deductible donation by dropping off checks (made payable to Reinbeck Firemen Inc.) at City Hall (414 Main Street, Reinbeck, IA 50669) or at any Lincoln Savings Bank branch. As part of the fundraising campaign, plaques will be placed in the new building recognizing those who donate $1,000 or more.

Farmers can also give the gift of grain this harvest season toward the building fund at Heartland Co-op.

“Remember what we do for you in your community,” Johnson said as the hour long town hall neared completion. “Your money will be spent well.”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER