Follow us
Fire stations of the world: New fire station opens at Naples Airport in the US after 30 years
After more than 30 years, there is a new fire station at the Naples Airport. Construction on the Naples Fire-Rescue Department's Fire Station No 3 or the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station, began in July 2019 and was completed earlier this summer. The new fire station is located on Tower Drive at the southern end of the airport. The previous station, which was built in 1989, was located closer to the airport's north end. About 27 Naples Fire-Rescue fire fighters staff Fire Station No 3, Zachary Burch, a spokesman for the Naples Airport Authority, said. The airport fire fighters require special certification. Just a couple of them work in the station at any given time, Burch said. The biggest duty for the fire fighters at the station is to respond to issues at the airport but they also can respond to emergencies in the city as well, Burch said. For example, Rock Creek RV Resort sits just south of the airport. More residences are located off of Avion Place to the west of the airport. The fire station’s location can help fire fighters respond faster to emergencies in those communities. “It’s a benefit to the airport but also the community as well,” Burch said. The new station is built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. “We’re really proud of the new facility,” said Chris Rozansky, executive director of the Naples Airport Authority. “It’s the most storm-resistant facility we have on the airfield now. The prior facility served us well for 30 years but it was not built to these current standards.” Inside, there are amenities for the fire fighters, such as a workout room, a training room, a kitchen and dining room and dorm rooms. A large bay holds two neon-coloured fire trucks. “It’s a larger facility. It has a conference room we can use as an emergency operations centre,” Rozansky said. “We think it can serve us well into the future.”
“It was time for an upgrade,” said Burch. “It’s a tremendous improvement. It’s going to improve safety on the premises and off as well.” It cost around $5,8 million to design, build and furnish the new fire station, Burch said. The Florida Department of Transportation funded $2,7 million and the Naples Airport Authority paid for the rest. Naples Fire Chief Pete DiMaria said seeing Naples Fire Station No 3 completed is part of an effort the fire department has taken to analyse its facilities across the city. “This is kind of another milestone in developing that critical infrastructure for not only the Naples Fire Department and the city of Naples but the Naples Airport,” DiMaria said. Naples Fire Station No 1 is located next to City Hall off Eighth Avenue South in downtown Naples. Fire Station No 2 is located east of US 41 and north of 26th Avenue North. Naples Fire Station No 1 opened in 2019 at a cost of $9,5 million. Sources: Naples News, Fox 4 Now |
|
