The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District will reopen its Station 16 about six years after it and four other district stations were closed in 2013 during lean financial times, largely the result of diminished property tax revenues (a temporary $75 parcel tax to fund the fire district was rejected by voters in 2012).  

The newly refurbished station, where the old station was, is on Los Arabis Drive north of Highway 24 off Happy Valley Road.

That heavily wooded area is densely developed with single-family homes on often narrow and/or winding streets, and residents there in the past have said having a fire station nearby is crucial for safety. Until the new station opens, the Station 16 crew is working out of the district’s Station 15, on the east end of Lafayette near the Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa.

In April 2017, the Smyrna City Council awarded the construction contract to the lowest bidder, BM&K Construction Inc., for about $2.7 million from 2016 SPLOST funding.  

The new building has a full-size pull through with a driveway for the equipment.

Training Chief Jon Hyatt has been involved in grant writing for several years and says they’re purchasing spreaders, cutters, and Jaws of Life. “Which is going to allow us to get to patients faster in a car wreck. It will allow us to instead of having to deploy traditional equipment, they are battery powered so instead of hooking up to a generator and hoses and what not, which takes time, we can just go straight to work.”

A lieutenant, two career firefighters, and one call firefighter was on the truck at the time of the crash. Two members were taken to Harrington Hospital with minor injuries.  

The accident is being investigated by the Southbridge Police Department and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Accident Reconstruction Team.

His 3-month old son, also named Kenneth, and the baby's mother, 19-year-old Dariana Serrano, were both pronounced dead at a hospital.  

They say the fire truck was responding to an emergency call at the time of the crash and had its lights and sirens on. Investigators say Collins made a left turn in front of the oncoming fire engine.