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SPRINGVILLE -- Firefighters in Springville will move their fire trucks to a new home. On Saturday, a brand new fire station will open its doors, and KSL got a preview of the station Friday.
Springville firefighters have been in their current station for 45 years, back when the population of the city was just a few thousand people. Things have changed a lot since then, and with a growing community of more than 30,000 residents, the fire department has been desperate for a new station.
Station 41, as it is named, is located on Center Street in Springville, just across Main Street from the old station. It includes drive-through garage bays so firefighters will no longer have to back in the trucks to be ready for the next call.
There are also training areas, a storage area and something the firefighters are especially happy about: their own individual lockers for their fire gear.
The fire chief told us the new and modern facility is already proving to improve service on emergency calls. "Our response time has been able to improve because we don't have to move other equipment around. We've been able to design and develop some new things, so we are changing the way we operate. We are now running our ambulances out of this station, as well as the engines, and there is plenty of room to grow in," Chief Phil Whitney said.
The new station does have some history parked inside. A 1937 American LaFrance fire truck that served the city for decades has been restored and is on display with gold trim and a bell that was used in the days before sirens.
The station has a $2.6 million price tag, but city officials say it came in under budget. An open house for the new fire station is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Instead of a ribbon cutting, they will be cutting a fire hose -- a tradition for opening new fire stations.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
