If you look closely today, you can see a slight difference in two condos that are side-by-side in The Fields East. The material they’re made of doesn't match. It’s not a mistake… the bricks one is built from have a story behind them. “It was huge. It was tremendous; scary,” says Richard Newman, as he describes a scene in The Fields East neighborhood six years ago. “It destroyed two units completely, and almost a third.” Newman is one of the original homeowners in that subdivision. He vividly remembers a fire that destroyed 28 Fields East Drive in 2001. He lives just across the street and remembers watching the home burn to the ground. Then Newman watched his neighbors start from scratch. That's one reason fire protection service is so important to this retiree. “Right now we're getting our service from Savoy Fire Department by contract, and of course that's a lot farther so of course this would just be more comfortable if we're able to get that closer,” he says. Now Newman, his neighbors and homeowners at Brookview condominiums and The Champaign Highlands will get their fire and emergency services from Champaign. In exchange they'll pay an annual fee and some will eventually annex into the city. It's a deal everyone seems to be happy with. “They're so much closer, more available, more equipment, and just a short distance, less than a mile away,” Newman says about the benefits of working with Champaign. Savoy’s Fire Department decided to stop offering the service to some Champaign County neighborhoods because of growth in its own town. Officials say the village’s population has grown so much they can’t afford to commit so many resources. So now, homeowners like Newman will pay an annual fee based on their home values to use Champaign’s service. It turns out to be more convenient because the new fire station is closer on Staley and Windsor. And, there’s another hidden benefit for a neighborhood that is largely populated by retirees. “Our service is such that we have folks on twenty-four seven, 365 days. They are always at the station and every one of our guys is an EMT so when they respond you've got a first responder that has a level of experience there,” says Champaign’s Economic Development Manager Teri Legner. Experience Newman and others hope they can count on. Especially if a fire like the one that ravaged their neighborhood were to happen again. “Having that reassurance having the fire department so close is very comforting,” Newman says. And the Champaign Fire Department is looking at other changes it may have to make to keep up with growth. "I've the addition of two fire stations now, and that's the addition of personell also, and I've seen our calls increase almost 2000 calls a year just in the time i've been here," says Deputy Fire Chief Eric Mitchell. Right now they're working on a long-term plan that could include another new station. It would be in the Northwest area. Another option is moving a current station to that part of town. The police deparment is facing the same problem. It says the patrols that handle the west side of town.. have double the number of calls the all other areas. It hopes to split it into two districts.
