WS Chronicle

Photo by Tevin Stinson

BY TEVIN STINSON

THE CHRONICLE

Fire Station No. 9 will be getting some much needed improvements very soon. The station at 4685 Ogburn Ave. will be getting a new fire truck bay, and the living quarters will be expanded and renovated.

During a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 15, Fire Department Chief Trey Mayo said a lot has changed since the station was originally constructed in the early 1960s, and the renovations that will be completed next is a step in the right direction to accommodate the growth and changes within the department over the years.

“For us, this is a step toward having facilities that support our deployment model rather than dictate our deployment model,” he said. “A lot has changed in the last 52 years since the station was built. Apparatuses have gotten larger as the fire services have increased, and that has made fire engines larger.”

Currently the station doesn’t have room to store a fire engine with a ladder, Mayo said, adding that the renovations will change that. He mentioned the station will also have separate dormitories and locker facilities for men and women, individual bedrooms for more privacy and a multi-purpose room for training.

The project will cost the city $420,000. According to Mayor Allen Joines, the renovations are part of the $139 million bond project approved by voters in 2014.