Wilmette firefighters will get private sleeping quarters at a station that has housed them in open bunk rooms since 1958.
The Village Board on Sept. 8 approved a contract with Chicago-based BKV Group for up to $71,500 to design renovations at Fire Station #27, at 747 Illinois Road, and Fire Station #26, at 1304 Lake Ave., as first reported by the Chicago Tribune. Both stations are more than 60 years old.
The redesign at Station #27 will replace a seven-bed open bunk room with five private rooms, each with its own locker and privacy door. The department has 45 firefighters. None are women. Village leaders said the upgrade is meant to help change that.
"We have long had difficulty attracting women to our fire service and this step is long overdue," Village President Senta Plunkett said at the Sept. 8 meeting.
A $350,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will cover the full cost of the initial renovation phase. Illinois House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, an Evanston Democrat whose district includes Wilmette, secured the grant and was honored by the board at the same meeting. Braiman told the Tribune the grant would cover "the entirety of the project."
Both stations will also get enclosed vestibule airlocks between the vehicle bays and living quarters. Those barriers will keep vehicle exhaust and fire-scene contaminants out of the areas where firefighters sleep and eat, while also lowering heating and cooling costs.
Fire Chief Brian Lambel told the board in a memo that the upgrades would bring both stations into compliance with current National Fire Protection Association recommendations and updated building codes. The stations are not currently in violation, Lambel noted, but standards have changed over the decades.
BKV Group completed a space-needs study in 2025 that outlined renovation options running through 2036 at a potential cost of nearly $24 million. Village Manager Michael Braiman told the Tribune the village is early in its review and the final cost could be far less. No timeline for construction or a construction manager selection has been announced.
The fire station work comes as Wilmette's $41.5 million police station rises nearby. Henry Bros. Co. won the construction contract in February 2026. As of August, excavation was substantially complete and foundation work was underway. The old station was demolished in May.
Construction bids came in about $9 million below initial estimates, according to the village's project page. The 53,000-square-foot station is being built without a property tax increase. The police department is temporarily operating from 3220 Big Tree Lane during construction.
Water infiltration at the excavation site and rain have raised concerns about possible delays. Braiman said the project still targets a move-in date in October or November 2027.
State Sen. Laura Fine, a Glenview Democrat, separately secured a $500,000 state grant for the police station and $400,000 in the state's fiscal year 2027 budget for broader Wilmette capital projects, including water main replacements and road work, as reported by Patch. The Village Board honored Fine at its Sept. 22 meeting.
