The City of Camdenton is making use of empty space by bringing higher education and law enforcement training to town.

The partnership with Missouri State University will give lake area residents access to college classes and public safety training, in a location that used to be a fire station.

"I always saw a need for higher education in this area," Camdenton Mayor John McNabb said.

McNabb says fulfilling that need began when the city contracted its fire services to another department and left the building vacant.

Authorities said a firetruck was returning to the station when a white sedan heading south on Fredericksburg Road veered into oncoming traffic.

Authorities said the firetruck tried to avoid the vehicle but hit it on its side.

The Springfield Township Fire Department will receive a $132,057 regional grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants program.

The Ida Township Volunteer Fire Department, Roseville Fire Department, Plymouth Community Fire Department, Kimball Township Fire Department and Franklin-Bingham Fire Department will receive grants, as well.

The 32nd Street fire station was built in 1953 and sits on 11,612 square feet in a mixed-use area with limited onsite parking for fire personnel. Its garage cannot fit the ladder truck, fire engine and two ambulances assigned to the station all at one time, and with street access only from 32nd, it lacks a pull-through for the large ladder truck, requiring firefighters to stand on the street to pause traffic so the truck can back in, Duncan said.

The new site, about 0.3 miles away, can be accessed from three streets: 28th Street and both directions of Newport Boulevard, which runs in the area as one-way stretches separated by a short block.