Construction is set to begin this fall on a more modern, more efficient Fire Station No. 1 in Downtown Arlington (TX).

The two-story, 17,667-square-foot station will replace the existing Fire Station No. 1, which originally opened in 1954 and has gone through various remodels over the decades. Fire Department response times are not expected to be affected during demolition of the existing building and construction of the new station, which is set to open in 2023, Assistant Fire Chief Jonathan Ingols said. Fire Station No. 1 crews will temporarily work from nearby fire stations No. 3 and No. 4.

The future facility is designed to provide a better work and living space for Arlington’s firefighters. Features will include five larger, drive-thru apparatus bays that can hold more equipment, training areas and indoor and outdoor kennels for the Fire Department’s K9 Unit, a full kitchen and a dining room, and various offices.

The station will also include a public space for community events and meetings as well as a museum area where residents can learn about the Arlington Fire Department’s history and accomplishments and see historical items up close, such as an antique fire engine.

“It’s going to have a community center where citizens can come and see some of the history of the Fire Department and be more active with us, Ingols said. “All in all, we are trying to put a building together that is going to be more efficient and better for the citizens and the firefighters who work here.”

The Arlington City Council recently approved a construction contract for up to $9.2 million with Steele & Freeman, which has built two other fire stations within the city. Arlington voters approved funding to rebuild the City’s oldest fire station as part of the 2014 Bond Program.

Living quarters for the station’s three shift crews, who each spend 24 hours working from the Downtown station, will also be an improvement. Firefighters on shift will no longer have to share an open dormitory space. The second story of the new station will offer 12 private dorm rooms and separate men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers.

The new station’s design also includes several energy-saving features, including Low-E windows with a solar ban coating, a mechanical system with variable refrigerant volume, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and native landscaping that requires minimal irrigation systems.

The city of Madison (WI) is considering leasing a fire station from the town of Madison (WI) while the city renovates and expands its own fire station, according to a report published by the Wisconsin State Journal.

The newspaper reported the lease would be rent free for two years in exchange for a promise the city would guarantee five town employees would be hired by the city in comparable positions when the city absorbs most of the town on Oct. 31, 2022.

Since Nov. 1, 2020, the city of Madison has been providing fire and emergency services to the town while waiting for the merger to happen.

Meanwhile, the city of Madison will remodel and expand its station, increasing the building size from 10,850 square feet to 13,250 square feet and make other improvements to the tune of $3.96 million.

The Exeter (NH) Select Board recently approved a contract with architecture firm Lavallee Brensinger Architects to complete an analysis on potentially building a new public safety complex for the fire and police departments, reports seacoastonline.com.

The deal comes after voters approved in March spending up to $100,000 for the study. Town officials say the analysis will look at three different alternatives for the complex.

According to the report, they are:

1. Expanding and renovating the existing complex;
2. Renovating the existing complex for either police or fire on their own and relocating the other department to a two-acre parcel at 24 Continental Dr.;
3. Building a new combined public safety complex on a 17-acre site on Holland Way. Option, officials say, may require a smaller fire substation on the western end of town and using the aforementioned two-acre parcel on Continental Drive for the substation.

The current public safety complex was constructed in 1979 and hasn’t seen any major renovations, the report says.

The Merrimac (MA) fire chief says he has found a deal where he can get a pumper and an aerial for $149,000 more than the cost of the aerial alone and he’s looking for voter approval to make the purchase, according to a report published by the Newburyport Daily News.

The newspaper reported that Merrimac voters approved the purchase of one combined aerial and pumper for $1.2 million at town meeting this past spring and the fire chief found a deal that he said will save the taxpayers about $700,000.

For an additional $149,000, the chief claims that he can buy two trucks, a pumper and an aerial, as a package deal and he needs the voters to approve the additional money to save more, the newspaper reported.

The funds are already in a stabilization fund, so no additional money would have to be raised, but the voters do need approve the additional expense, the newspaper reported.

The fire chief said Merrimac will be able to replace two vehicles for about the price of one, the paper said, noting the special town meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 18 to gain voter approval for the proposal.