The new 21,400-square-foot station will house an engine, heavy rescue, a tanker, a basic life support ambulance, hazardous material response units and a brush truck. The existing station is 18,500 square feet and was built in 1979. It will be razed at the completion and occupation of the new building.

The county’s Department of Fire and Rescue Chief, Kevin McGee, also spoke at the groundbreaking and said the new station will be energy efficient and cost efficient to operate and maintain. The new building will also allow fire and rescue personnel to work more effectively by shortening response times, McGee said. “This station is designed to get our responders to their apparatus and on to their response route as quickly as possible in a faster and safer way than we are today. That’s going to be shaving off response times from the many thousands of emergency incidents we respond to from this station for many decades to come.”

Back to school traffic can come as a surprise for some folks, so the fire truck with flashing lights serves as a friendly reminder for people to pump the brakes. It is a yearly tradition to keep small citizens safe. It is also a good way for the department to build trust with the kids.

The engine was down last week when a car fire broke out, locally, Owens recollected. Luckily, neighboring fire stations were available to respond with the appropriate equipment, as Vernon typically also responds when other cities have engine problems.