Fire Chief Michael Mons told the Common Council the city is planning a series of maintenance and rehabilitation projects for Syracuse fire stations, many of which are more than 50 years old.

Chief Mons said the work will focus on three categories: external facility upgrades, interior upgrades and replacement of environmental and mechanical systems. He listed oil-water separators, fire-exhaust removal systems and other station maintenance as priorities and said some floors and roof elements have never been replaced since the buildings were constructed.

"We've been catching up the last few years replacing roofs and overhead doors," Mons said, describing a preventive maintenance cycle that the department is now following after decades of underinvestment. He said two stations that have already been inspected for needed repairs are Station 25 and Station 9; he also referenced Station 2 on Danforth and Salina Street as an area the council may need to consider for expansion.

Councilors asked how long the upgrades will last and whether the work is part of the capital program. Mons said the items are included in the city's capital plan and that the work is an ongoing cycle: once one wave of repairs is complete, other elements will later need replacement.

The presentation also covered communications purchases (items 20 and 21): portable radios, mobile data terminals for apparatus, and a communications system for the technical rescue team. The communications request was described as a $31,000 item to ensure tactical communications in noisy environments.

No vote on a final appropriation is recorded in the meeting portion provided; staff and councilors discussed possible expansion of Station 2 property in the coming year and requested more information about schedule and scopes.