Springfield's new Fire Station 4, located along the boundary of the Doling and Robberson neighborhoods, replaces a structure built in 1968.
The city held a ribbon cutting Thursday for the fire station on Delaware Ave. Fire Chief David Pennington said that station’s response area is one of the largest in the community.
Community need
"There's a lot of need up here, and we're thankful that we're here to address that need," said Pennington.
"It was critical that we got the station back open in a timely manner. We were able to provide services during the time of construction through some relocations, but having the crew in quarters, providing that level of safety to the neighbors is really essential," Pennington said.
Individual bedrooms and a mother's room
The station is designed to be able to house new, larger fire trucks. Firefighters, who work 24 hour rotating shifts, have their own bedrooms at the new facility. Pennington says that allows for better sleep quality and infection control.
It also addresses gender needs, he said.
For example, there's a mother's room for female firefighters who are new moms. There's also a large kitchen and an area with recliners where firefighters can watch television while waiting on calls for assistance.
The station also incorporated a hot zone concept where all dirty equipment stays in the apparatus bay, and firefighters go through a decontamination corridor on their way into the station.
Jacob Kerr, a firefighter at Station 4, said the new facility gives staff a lot more space and allows them to have more interaction with neighbors.
"We already enjoy doing the job," he said. "But then getting to connect with kids that might, you know—I have another 25 years left—I might get to see those kids come through the fire department at some point in their lives."
Kerr said visits to fire stations when he was young contributed to his decision to become a firefighter.
Fire station improvement in Springfield
Other fire station improvements in Springfield are finished, underway or planned.
Fire Station 10, at 2245 E. Galloway, was renovated and became operational earlier this year. And the 64-year-old building housing Fire Station 7, at 2129 E. Sunshine, will be torn down and rebuilt. The city is building a new station—number 13—in the 1900 block of W. College, which will become operational in 2023. Yet another new station—number 14—will be built at the northeast corner of W. Chestnut Expressway and N. Duke Ave.
Pennington said the new stations will reduce response times.
Funding for the projects comes from the voter-approved Level Property Tax.