In the event, there was no need to worry. Bay area residents packed the new facility located at 215 Sixth Street East for the open house event. There, they marveled at the spacious new facility, ate brats and sipped root beer, toured the new building, chatted with fire fighters and generally admired the structure that took less than a year to complete.

"This celebration is for you, Ashland, proclaimed Ashland Fire Chief Wayne Chenier," at the beginning of the open house festivities.

Ashland City Administrator Mary Garness noted the multi-decade effort to build a new fire hall, calling it "a major milestone in Ashland's history: the building of a modern, strategically located fire and EMS facility, with the help and support of the community, past and present city councils and mayors, city staff and engineers, construction managers and construction crews."

The Ellis fire station on Stuntz Avenue was built in 1920, while the Beaser fire station on Third Street West was built in 1921. Garness said the two structures served as the home of the Ashland Fire Department until January of this year.

"It is through these types of events that we continue to strengthen the foundation of the fire and EMS department and the city of Ashland as a whole," Garness said, thanking the community to an event she said celebrated the past and a vibrant future.

Fire Chief Chenier recalled that less than a year ago the community had gathered at the site of the fire station to break ground on the project.

Chenier said in the 94 days the station has been occupied, he has heard many comments from staff remarking about how the new facility had made the department more efficient. He observed that one of those efficiencies was the ability to launch the Ice Angel 12 minutes sooner than before, which could result in saving lives in ice-water related emergencies on Lake Superior.

 

But now the station has a new, $140,000 dollar state of the art ambulance made possible by a $25,000 dollar Department of Insurance Fire Grant and donations.

The 2015 model truck has been in operation for a week now and is especially needed now that their call volume has increased because volunteer stations like Shine Fire and EMS and Castoria Fire Department have discontinued their ambulance services. Gilbert says Walstonburg will discontinue ambulance services in June.

he Joint Base Charleston Reservists flew to Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, to pick up the cargo. After working several hours with ground crew there to load the donated vehicle, the crew was able to deliver it to La Antigua, Guatemala.

Since 1993, Coral Gables and La Antigua have been sister cities for cultural exchange and opportunity to expand business relationships.

This humanitarian cargo delivery was made possible by the Denton Cargo Program.