The site for a second Draper fire station has been moved for a second time after city officials decided the land was too narrow and steep to house a full-size station.
The station was set to be built at 825 E. Traverse Ridge Road, but City Manger Jim Smith said the poorly fitted terrain coupled with neighbors' opposition made the site undesirable.
Residents near the site said that siren noise would be too loud in the neighborhood and that they were not informed of a possible station when they bought their homes. Smith, however, said the land has always been marked for city use and there was a misunderstanding among residents that the land would remain as open space.
"It's evident that no matter where the council tries to put the station, there are going to be some people who are unhappy," Smith said.
Smith said the city is considering three plots of land close to the Traverse Ridge Road site that could accommodate the fire station. The areas are just north of Highland Drive, near the intersection of Highland Drive and Traverse Ridge Road, and north of East Frontage Road.
Draper officials have been surveying land for the second station for more than a year now in response to concerns raised by the distance between the city's sole station and many of the residents who live in the southern areas of the city.
Duane Park, assistant chief for the Salt Lake County Fire Department, said the distance between homes in southern Draper and the fire station is not only unsafe but also defies federal emergency standards.
For basic life-support measures such as CPR, ambulances are supposed to be able to get from the station to any home within four minutes. Eight minutes is the maximum suggested for advanced life support where more thorough procedures are required. The Draper station is 10 minutes from many homes.
Ty McHutchin of SunCrest developments, a master-planned community in Draper, said the need for a station closer by is so important that he offered financial support to the city to build a temporary station until a suitable site can be found. McHutchin also plans to lobby for another station to be built permanently in SunCrest.
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