Excited to "turn some dirt" this a.m. on @austintexasgov 4th of 5 new Fire/@ATCEMS stations in 6 years! Thx to COA Public Works, @PGALdesign, @JEDunn, Interim CM Jesus Garza, @VanessaForATX, and @MK6ATX for joining us. See you in 2024 when we open Fire 53/EMS 42!

📷 © AFD/PGAL pic.twitter.com/BgTcXDFA9g

— Austin Fire Dept (@austinfiredept) February 22, 2023

Austin broke ground Wednesday on the newest joint fire-EMS station as part of a bigger project to increase the emergency response times in areas around the city that have expanded in recent years, kxan.com reported.

The new station, located at 9400 Capitol View Drive, near the Midnight Ranch neighborhood in southeast Austin, will be the fourth joint station built by the city in the past five years, the report said.

The goal is to reduce response times in emergencies after it was discovered Austin did not have enough fire stations to accommodate the expanding areas of the city, according to the report.

Wilson’s Mills broke ground Tuesday on its newest fire station at 2024 Gordon Road in Clayton (NC), wral.com reported. Even though the fire station will be in Clayton, it will be the third to serve Wilson’s Mills.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the start of construction of a temporary fire station, which is set to open by July. The permanent fire station is set to open in 2024, the report said.

After the permanent station is built, crews will turn the temporary facility into a training facility, according to the report.

White Oak Fire Department celebrated receiving its new Pierce fire engine Tuesday, kltv.com reported. The new engine took about a year and a half to be delivered since it was custom built.

A fire official said their previous main engine was aging out and parts were getting hard to find, the report said.

The fire official said the department will train on the truck before it’s put into service in the next few weeks.

Washington County has agreed to pay for an unexpected expense for the Chappell Hill Volunteer Fire Department, kwhi.com reported.

Commissioners Tuesday voted to reimburse the department in the amount of $38,830 to replace a fire truck engine, the report said. This came after a commissioner workshop last week where it was discovered that insurance did not take care of the cost for the engine.  

A county official said this is an emergency situation for the community and surrounding areas, and that it is “crucial” to have the vehicle running properly, according to the report. 

A commissioner said expenses like this cannot be budgeted for, but the interlocal agreement the county has with the volunteer fire departments allows for these purchases, the report said.

“Thank you Washington County commissioners for the help, greatly appreciated… and Great job Captain Dustin Brown for Representing the Chappell Hill Vol. Fire Dept. At the meeting!” the fire department posted on Facebook.