The Town of Leland is excited to officially open the new Leland Fire/Rescue Station 53 with a dedication and open house on Sat., June 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. The community is invited to help the Town celebrate with a short ceremony featuring a traditional hose uncoupling and tours of the new station.
Station 53, located at 187 Old Lanvale Road, was built in a strategic location to serve the rapidly growing area along Highway 17. Travel times to incidents in this area that used to be 8 to 12 minutes will now improve to 4 to 8 minutes.
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“I am very excited about the opening of Station 53. This station improves our ability to serve the community and create excellent outcomes,” Fire Chief Ronnie Hayes said. “This facility is a great example of the dedication and commitment that the Town Council and staff have to the safety and welfare of the citizens of Leland and northern Brunswick County.”
The state-of-the-art facility includes four bays and will house Battalion 5, Engine 53, and Truck 53. The station has eight dorm rooms, a kitchen, a day room, and a gym to keep staff ready to serve. The station also has a dedicated decontamination room, allowing staff to properly decontaminate after a fire and decrease the spread of cancer-causing carcinogens.
Eight people will man the station 24/7. The department hired 12 new people to staff it.
“The addition and location of Station 53, our third fully-staffed fire station, will help the Town increase its Public Safety infrastructure in order to keep up with the continued growth we are experiencing, and to improve our ability to effectively provide service to our community,” Public Safety Director Chris Langlois said.
Work on the site started in July 2021 and involved transforming the Town’s former Municipal Operations Building.