At Tuesday's Wichita City Council workshop, Fire Department officials said for some emergency calls in west Wichita, it can take them longer than 4 minutes to respond.
To improve response times, officials recommend adding 2 new fire stations, one in the southwest and another in the northwest part of town. City Manager Robert Layton says that work is ongoing to address potential sites for future land acquisition.
Compounding the issue: a 26% jump in fire-structure calls in the last three years.
The department also recommends replacement of aging fire stations and proposed a 2-year pilot program that would respond to medical calls, mostly in the core of the city.
In other news, the approved a $500 thousand settlement with a 24-year-old man who was shot during a September 2020 reenactment at Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum.
The victim suffered injuries to his face, head and upper body. The man who fired the shotgun was charged with aggravated battery but pleaded no contest and was put on probation.
The funding for this settlement is available from the City's self-insurance fund.
The council also accepted a $4.896 million bid from Mahaney Roofing Company to replace the blue, dome roof at Century II. There’s no word on when that work will begin.