O’Dell Isaac
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
(MCT)
Nov. 1—Citing a need to expand the city’s emergency infrastructure, the Colorado Springs Fire Department officially opened its newest station, Fire Station 23, in a brief ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
Members of the City Council, Colorado Springs Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and other local leaders were on hand for the ribbon cutting outside the new depot at 393 Printers Parkway, near the Fire Department’s headquarters.
The city broke ground on Station 23 in August 2021 and the department had hoped to open the building in July of this year, but supply chain issues slowed the process, Fire Chief Randy Royal said.
The station will double as a radio shop, which should help streamline communications and reduce response times, officials said. The department’s goal is to reach any location in the city in eight minutes or less at least 90% of the time, City Council President Tom Strand said.
The presence of an additional station southeast of downtown should lessen the burden on neighboring fire crews and help the department meet the increasing needs of a growing city, station Capt. Juliet Draper said.
“Colorado Springs is growing, and the population is getting more dense,” Draper said. “Station 23 was created to take some of the slack off our busier stations.”
As the city has grown, so has the Fire Department’s capabilities, Draper said.
“We don’t just fight structure fires anymore,” she said. “We’ve got specialized response teams like Hazmat, Tactical Medical, Wildland — we’ve taken on so many different arms, we’re like an octopus.”
The new radio shop will be a critical part of the city’s firefighting apparatus, Mayor John Suthers said.
“Clear communication is very critical to public safety,” the mayor said. “This new shop will be an important communications hub for the department.”
The southeast region is one of the city’s busiest areas for emergency calls, Royal said, and Station 23 is expected to hit the ground running.
“We’ll probably be the fourth or fifth busiest station in the city, right away,” he said.
The city does not plan to stop with Station 23, Suthers said. Officials plan to add two more depots — stations 24 and 25 — at some point in 2024.
“Service calls have progressively increased over the years,” Suthers said. “Our public safety infrastructure will need to keep pace with the city’s growth.”
After the speeches concluded, the Fire Department’s color guard raised the station’s flag; Suthers, Royal and other officials cut the ceremonial ribbon; and Station 23 was officially in service.
“We’re looking forward to joining the other 22 stations in serving the community of Colorado Springs,” Draper said. “Station 23 is ready.”
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