City leaders helped cut the ribbon at the new versions of Station 21 and Station 23 Monday, which are replacing their much older counterparts. They were some of the oldest fire stations that were still in service, built in 1951 and 1975 respectively, but these new state-of-the-art facilities are helping bring the department into the 21st century.
Inside the identical buildings, shiny new rigs, color-coded LED lights, personal bedrooms and personalized alert systems are not just for the looks. Fire Chief Richard Kelley says, “Everything is designed here to get them out of the fire station in a quick manner.”
The goal is to be gone in 60 seconds or less. When an emergency alert activates, red LED lights guide the way to the engine, signs above the doors to the garage flash the address of the call while a timer in the garage counts the seconds.
During a firefighter's 24-hour shift, alarms are programmed to sound for their individual duties. “It will only activate if their company gets an alarm rather than having to be woken up for no reason,” explains Battalion Chief Brian Stanaland.