About this plan

The Fire Station Plan to 2040 is a long-range planning study completed in 2021. It helps the City understand how future growth could affect emergency response and identifies areas where changes to the fire station system could improve response times.

The plan does not:

• Approve construction of new fire stations
• Establish a construction schedule
• Allocate funding
• Replace future City Council decisions

Where a fire station is located affects how quickly firefighters and paramedics can respond to emergencies.

As Tempe changes, the City periodically reviews its fire station system to understand whether it will continue to provide timely emergency response throughout the community.

This study looks at how future growth could affect emergency response and identifies areas where changes to the fire station system could improve response times. It is one of the tools the City uses to plan for future community needs.

Emergency response changes as a community changes.

New housing, redevelopment, employment centers, transportation improvements and changing travel patterns all affect how quickly firefighters and paramedics can reach an emergency.

The study also looks at where emergencies happen, how often crews are already responding to other calls, and how future growth could affect response times.

The study projects that emergency incidents will increase by about 30% by 2040, from approximately 24,500 incidents each year to more than 41,000. The largest increases are expected in parts of northeast Tempe where future growth is planned.

As emergency calls increase, fire companies spend more time helping people who have already called 911. That means they may already be responding to another emergency when the next call comes in.

Without changes to the fire station system, the study projects response times will gradually increase over time.

There isn't a formula based on population alone.

The goal is to understand where firefighters and paramedics can respond most quickly as Tempe changes.

The study looked at many factors that affect emergency response, including:

• Where emergency calls happen today
• Future population and employment growth
• New housing and commercial development
• Traffic patterns and travel times
• Existing fire station locations
• How often fire companies are already responding to another emergency
• Planned growth through 2040

Using this information, the study tested different fire station locations to see how they would affect response times across the city.

The study found that the planned opening of Station 8 will improve emergency response in a growing area of the city.

It also identified additional station locations and station relocations that could improve response times as Tempe continues to grow. The study proposes implementing those changes over the next two decades as community needs change.

The study identified the general areas around:

• Station 8 (planned): Dorsey Lane and Third Street
• Potential Station 3 relocation: Rural Road and Baseline Road
• Potential Station 4 relocation: Kyrene Road and Elliot Road
• Potential Station 9: George Drive and Southern Avenue
• Potential Station 10: Priest Drive and University Drive

These are planning areas, not final construction sites.

If the City moves forward with any future project, the final location would depend on property availability, engineering, environmental review, funding, community input and City Council approval.

Not necessarily.

This study is one step in the City's planning process.

Before any future fire station is built—or an existing station is relocated—the project would still go through budgeting, site selection, design, public engagement and City Council approval.

The study identifies where future investments could improve emergency response. It does not make those decisions.

Fire stations are long-term infrastructure. Decisions about where they are located affect emergency response for decades.

This study provides a roadmap for how Tempe's fire station system could evolve as the community changes. Like other long-range planning efforts, it will continue to be updated as development patterns, transportation, emergency call volume and community needs change.