CLEVELAND — During a presentation before the Cleveland Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, city officials unveiled a $245 million plan to repair, renovate and replace the city's aging fire stations.
The city estimates it will cost $150 million to replace 10 aging fire stations and $95 million to repair and renovate the buildings.
The plan calls for repairs at 24 of the city's fire stations, which would include fixing leaky roofs, broken HVAC systems and plumbing problems to create conditions that are "warm, safe and dry" for firefighters.
Officials said the city would renovate 12 of the city's stations that are in reasonably good condition for long-term use.
The plan would also move seven standalone EMS facilities into fire stations, which is where most EMS facilities are currently located.
Ward 10 Councilman Mike Polensek said the repairs are long overdue.
"This council does not want to kick the can down the road anymore," he said. "It's been for decades, kick the can down the road, don't fix nothing round here."
Ward 11 Councilwoman Nikki Hudson also said many stations are in need of significant upgrades.
"There's been a lot of deferred maintenance at all of our stations," she said. "I've been involved in advocating specifically for Station No. 23 because of the health concerns that have been coming out of that station, but I know that they're not alone in the design of the building and that a lot of our stations need multiple issues remedied, including things like HVAC, plumbing, inadequate living quarters."
News 5 Investigators first reported on poor conditions at the city's fire stations in September 2025.
Firefighters at Station No. 23, which is located on Madison Avenue on Cleveland's West Side, have expressed concern about diesel exhaust exposure.
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An internal report we obtained showed none of the 27 fire stations reviewed were in good overall condition. The problems included leaky roofs, broken HVAC systems, broken windows and plumbing issues, like clogged sinks.
