The city will consider proposals from firms to do a study of service needs and conditions.

Portland is looking to hire a consultant to study the condition and location of the city’s fire stations, with an eye toward consolidation.

The cost of the six-month study will depend on the response the city receives from a request for proposals, which will be opened on Jan. 11. Eighteen firms from throughout Maine and the U.S. are weighing whether to submit proposals, according to the city.

“The consultant will identify future fire station locations and current fire station updates and upgrades to meet the future service needs of the community,” the city’s request for proposals says.

The move comes as city officials are looking to get a handle on capital investment needed to improve the city’s infrastructure. The highest profile buildings in need are the city’s four elementary schools, and Mayor Ethan Strimling and parents are pushing for a $60 million to $70 million bond to pay for upgrades.

Fire Chief David Jackson said that, like many city buildings, deferred maintenance in lean budget years has taken its toll of the city’s nine fire stations, which include the Marine Division in the Casco Bay Lines parking garage on Commercial Street and the Air Rescue Division at the Portland International Jetport.

Few investments have been made in those stations with the exception of the Marine Division, which received a $300,000 investment in 2012.

Before making investments in the city’s stations, Jackson said it makes sense to look at the city’s call volumes and neighborhoods with the largest demand for services to determine where the city’s stations are ideally situated.

The study will look at future growth projections for certain areas of the city and whether its makes more sense to invest in existing stations or replace them, according to the city’s request for proposals.

“It’s not always smart to build where the stations already are, because that might not be the best location,” Jackson said. “We’re talking about planning a station to be built in five years hopefully.”

Jackson said the study could lead to the consolidation of some off-peninsula stations, possibly combining crews at North Deering station on Allen Avenue and East Deering Station on Ocean Avenue. He said the East Deering station is in particularly rough shape. It was built on ground that has continued to settle over the years, causing walls to separate from the floors.

This will be the second study of the city’s fire department in recent years.

In 2013, Maryland-based consultant Public Safety Solutions was paid $39,000 to conduct a performance and management review of the department’s operations, leading mostly to a reorganization of administrative functions.