Park Ridge’s Fire Station 35 as of Nov. 28, 2025 (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter)
Renovations at Fire Station 35, which serves the section of Park Ridge south of the Union Pacific railroad tracks, are wrapping up — and Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen said he was quite happy with the considerable progress that has been made.
He recently gave the Journal & Topics a tour of the building at the southwest corner of Cumberland and Devon avenues. While the executive offices and the conference room are still works in progress, he showed off the larger living quarters, kitchen and lounge, and the completely separate area where firefighters wash and store their gear.
Firefighters’ individual rooms at the renovated Fire Station 35. While there is no door – just a curtain – they offer more privacy than previous sleeping arrangements (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter)
Overall, Sorensen said that the renovations give his department room for growth, and the layout reduces health risks for firefighters.
As Sorensen previously explained, one of the reasons why the firehouse expansion and renovation has taken so long is that firefighters are on duty 24/7, and construction has to happen around the regular operations.
He said that the new living area is larger, and each firefighter now has a separate room. While the rooms are small and have little furniture, they offer something the old living arrangements didn’t: some privacy.
Sorensen showed off the fitness room, a large kitchen and a lounge.
The new Fire Station 35 fitness area (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter) |
The new Fire Station 35 kitchen (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter) |
New Fire Station 35 lounge area is right next to the kitchen (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter) |
He said that, while he currently has five firefighters, there is room for three more, and the garage has space for an extra fire truck.
“I wanted to be ready if, in the year 2040, the population goes up,” Sorensen said, adding that, while he didn’t expect much growth in a landlocked city like Park Ridge, the past 10 years already proved him wrong.
Fire Station 35 fire trucks (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter)
Besides, he added, even if there is not much growth in Park Ridge, new developments on the Chicago side of Higgins Road would mean more calls for Station 35.
The offices, he explained, represent a significant shift. The fire department has had its offices in the city hall since 2014. Sorensen said that one advantage of this arrangement was that it was easy for him and other department officials to talk to their counterparts in the Park Ridge Police Department, Public Works Department and other agencies. While he said that he expects the collaboration to continue, “it’s going to be a shift.”
Sorensen said that he was happy that the “dirty” parts of the firehouse are far away from “clean” offices and living areas.
The room where firefighters store their gear is on the other side of Fire Station 35 from living/office areas (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Reporter)
When firefighters put out a fire, soot and other potentially harmful chemicals tend to end up on their gear. The showers firefighters take after they come back from a fire, the washing machines specifically for their gear, and the storage areas for their gear are now all in the firehouse’s new south addition. The living areas and the offices are in the expanded north area, and the garage separates the two.
“We hope that this improves the health and safety of our people,” Sorensen said.
If you like this story, you can get a whole lot more practically every day of the week by subscribing to journal-topics.com. Click here to choose your preference of either print or online, or call 847-299-5511.
