Prince George’s County (Map, News) - Prince George’s County should build 20 new fire stations in the next 10 years, according to a report released this week by the county’s planning department.

“We did an analysis of response times, and these 20 stations represent areas outside of the recommended response times,” Chris Izzo, project manager for the preliminary Public Safety Facilities Master Plan, told The Examiner on Thursday.

The department used a five-minute response time for fire/EMS, according to public facilities planner Scott Rowe. But he said a current county subdivision ordinance requires new developments to be within seven minutes of a fire station, or the applicant has to meet with the county to determine a mitigation plan.

Of the 20 fire stations, 14 would be new and six would be facilities with relocated existing stations. The report also recommends the creation of two additional police stations, relocations of two existing stations and renovations to the police headquarters and special operations buildings.

Rowe said it costs about $5 million to construct a new fire station and roughly $8 million for a police station.

The report suggests renovations or replacements of 15 other fire stations, construction of a new Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Park Police headquarters, a new sheriff’s headquarters, a public safety training facility, and expansion and renovations of various Department of Corrections facilities.

Izzo said the recommendations address the current needs of the county’s population and “what we expect to happen in the future.” Generally, he said, projects inside the Capital Beltway are higher priority.

The 2007 plan updates the county’s 1990 Public Safety Master Plan, when the population was 729,268. According to the report, the county’s population was 846,123 in 2005 and is projected to reach 893,310 by 2015.

John Erzen, a spokesman for County Executive Jack Johnson, said the report provides “guidelines” but added that not all projects would necessarily come to fruition.

A public hearing on the plan is slated for 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.

The County Council must approve the plan for it to go into effect.

At a glance

» Proposed locations of 14 new fire stations: St. Barnabas, Konterra, Snowden, Northview (Bowie), St. Joseph’s Drive, Woodmore, Beechtree, Piscataway, Mount Calvert, Croom-Naylor, North Keys, White’s Landing, Aquasco, Danville

» Six fire stations recommended for relocation: Seat Pleasant Co. 8, District Heights Co. 26, Oxon Hill Cos. 21 and 42 (consolidation of two), Forestville Co. 23, Marlboro Co. 45, Brandywine Co. 40

dfowler@dcexaminer.com