PLEASANT PLAINS - The Pleasant Plains Fire Department has opened a new substation at Farmingdale Road and Illinois 125 to better serve the growing number of families moving into the area.Chief Bob Schafer said the new station will allow the volunteer firefighters to have a quicker response time in the area.
Chief Bob Schafer said the new station will allow the volunteer firefighters to have a quicker response time in the area. The department will continue to operate its main fire station in Pleasant Plains.“Our district isn’t growing in size, but our population is shifting,” Schafer said. “Originally, when the fire department was started in Pleasant Plains, the major population was in Pleasant Plans. We’ve gotten a lot of influx from Springfield, people moving out closer to Plains, and our population has shifted. We need to take care of our people in this area. We don’t want to leave them out.
”On Sunday, an open house was held to give people a look at the new station. Schafer said the new station is open, and they are ready to start running calls from the facility.
The new station was built at a cost of about $200,000 and has four vehicle bays. Initially, it will house three vehicles: an engine, a rescue truck and a brush truck. The engine, also called a pumper because it pumps water, was purchased used for $70,000 and the rescue truck was purchased used for $50,000.
Schafer said the new station was built without a tax increase.