Two residents urged the Town of Normal council on Dec. 1 to stop plans to relocate Fire Station No. 2, saying the move would weaken neighborhood safety.

Eric Hall, a nearby resident, told the council that the station provides his neighborhood with "peace of mind" and urged transparency about the data used to justify relocation, saying: "If this decision is truly based on data, then that data should be easily visible for all to see." He asked the town to publish the data used for the relocation plan and to place it side by side with a firefighters' union response-time study that the union has already released.

Pastor Trevor Gearhart (the meeting introduction lists him as "Trevor Gerhardt," but he self-identified as "Trevor Gearhart") recounted suffering a massive heart attack seven weeks earlier while driving and said he was reached by the crew from Station 2 "just over 2 minutes later." He credited those responders with saving his life and told the council, "I owe my life to the brave men from Station 2." Both speakers argued that the relocation plan, which they said would mean four to five additional minutes for some calls under the plan described in the transcript, risks worse outcomes for residents.

Neither speaker called for a specific alternative site; both framed their appeal around public safety and called for the town to demonstrate, with transparent data, that any relocation would not degrade service to neighborhoods that currently rely on Station 2.

The council did not take action on the station during the meeting; public comment concluded and the council moved to adjourn.

Notes: The agenda introduction identifies the second commenter as "Trevor Gerhardt," while the speaker self-identified as "Trevor Gearhart." The transcript contains the address "College Avenue" for the station and references Carl Brohman Hospital as the hospital to which the survivor was transported.