The TU/e fire service and VRBZO have been working together since 2017. Their cohabitation initially started in the Multi Media Paviljoen, which was purchased in 2019 by property manager Kadans and now houses the Eindhoven Engine, among other things, and it continued in the Fenix building on the east side of campus. “It was always intended that this would be a temporary home”, says Van der Heijden. “We made plans to construct a new building and the envisioned location for the new station was P10 next to the Acoustics Lab. Partly because the VRBZO fire trucks could quickly turn onto Dorgelolaan from that location.”

Campus Manager Safety & Security Gijs Spiele adds: “The steering group Campus 2030 ultimately did not approve the construction of the new building because of a combination of factors, including the expected nuisance of tremors and noise at the research sites on campus, in particular at the Echo building that houses the Acoustics lab, and potential future developments on campus.”

Experience has shown that the fire department that serves the entire region should be able to deploy faster than it does from its current location. Likewise, Fenix also remains a temporary location for the TU/e fire service. “Real Estate is using a Schedule of Requirements for a new fire station for its own TU/e Fire Service to find a suitable location on our campus”, says Van der Heijden.

No nuisance

The Eindhovens Dagblad reported last weekend that ‘the university has indicated that this fire station causes nuisance and unwanted tremors and wants to get rid of it’. Van der Heijden stresses that this is not true. “We don’t want to get rid of our colleagues at all. When there is good cooperation, it’s actually nice to have each other close by”, the fire chief thinks.

VRBZO will now look for another location, probably near the Berenkuil. “But it will be several years before we have the permits for a new plan, so we still have some time together”, Van der Heijden says. 

The Eindhovens Dagblad has concluded that the fire department may be leaving the central fire station on Edenstraat downtown, based on the handover document presented by former mayor John Jorritsma to his successor Jeroen Dijsselbloem.