A full schedule is pending, however, local leadership is hopeful groundwork could begin later this year on Emporia’s new fire station.
During the monthly Q&A With Trey on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Monday, City Manager Trey Cocking provided an update on the new station set to be located east of the current firehouse in the 500 block of Market Street.
Cocking tells KVOE News the new facility will encompass right around 24,000 square feet.
When it pertains to the location of the new station, Cocking says the land it is set to be located on is “tight” but will be able to accommodate the new building. A question Cocking says he has been asked throughout this process is why the city did not elect to place the new facility “south of the railroad tracks?”
Cocking says placing the station south of the tracks would have negatively affected the department’s response times to certain areas of the community.
A major issue noted by city and fire leadership in recent years is a significant lack of space for crews and their equipment. Part of this has to do with the evolution of equipment in recent years and also the fact that Emporia Fire is essentially three departments in one.
Cocking says the updated facility will not only provide more space for the department, but it will also be a much safer environment for firefighters. Cocking says the new station will include three specific spaces, red, yellow and green.
The red and yellow spaces will be used for the cleaning and storage of equipment that has been used in the process of fighting fires. The station itself will be maintained as a “green space” which will be kept clear of gear and any contamination from a fire scene.
Cocking says by doing this, the department will help to prevent the spread of carcinogens and limit the potential for long-term health issues for EFD staff, specifically cancer something firefighters are especially prone to contracting due to the nature and hazards of their work.
The new fire station is just one phase of a larger project that will also see updates to Fire Station 2 located on Industrial Road in West Emporia. Full details on those plans are currently pending.
