Six firefighters now can stay at the fire station in Upper Canyon, increasing onsite manpower in emergencies The station is the first point of dispatch for fires reported in Upper Canyon, but for years Fire Station Number 3 remained cramped and minimally staffed. When a fire flared, backup raced up Sudderth Drive from the main station.
One of former fire chief Harlan Vincent's last projects before his retirement was to transform the station into a more spacious and efficient operation to protect the canyon with its narrow point of access and hundreds of homes and rental lodgings constructed along both sides of the Rio Ruidoso and into the forest leading off Main Road.
Village Manager Debi Lee said the project came in under budget and within the planned time-frame.
"It's beautiful," she told village councilors at their meeting Tuesday. "That was one of Harlan's last activities, bringing in that project under budget and within the time frame allocated. We're having a grand opening and I want to make sure when you will be taking vacations to find a date on which everyone can attend.
The canyon is considered the historical core of the original tourist lodging and homes of the families who came to stay each summer before Ruidoso was incorporated as a village in 1945. The heavily forested canyon with the Rio Ruidoso running through it remains a favorite place to stay in the summer, especially with those coming from flat, dry land. But the forest also presents a constant threat of wildfires.