|
|
|
|
|
7 June 2024
|
Fire stations of the world: Plymouth celebrates opening of new Fire Station 2, Minnesota, US
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plymouth celebrated the official reopening of the city’s Fire Station 2 on 1 June 2024 at 12000 Old Rockford Road with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony or rather, a hose decoupling ceremony. In a formal presentation, Plymouth Mayor Jeff Wosje, US Rep Dean Phillips (DFL-Wayzata), Plymouth City Manager Dave Callister and Plymouth Fire Chief Roger Coppa all made remarks about the new station, which was then followed by an open house. Guests had the opportunity to walk around the newly remodelled fire station and see the upgrades first-hand.
Plymouth’s Fire Station 2 renovation was almost complete last summer but due to a construction delay, the reopening was postponed until this year. “The new fire stations are necessary to accommodate Plymouth Fire Department’s transition to a hybrid staffing model, made up of a mix of part-time and full-time firefighters,” Mayor Wosje explained. “This better accommodates the demand and the change for Plymouth firefighters to be on staff 24/7, 365 days a year will significantly reduce response times, especially overnight calls, and improves the health and safety of our firefighters.”
According to the city, Fire Station 2 was originally built in 1977 in eastern Plymouth and was demolished in spring 2021 “due to the station’s insufficient size and outdated infrastructure”
“The station was unable to meet the needs of the Plymouth Fire Department,” the city said in a press release. “To better accommodate 24-hour staffing, prioritise training and firefighter health, and improve emergency preparedness, the new station features residence space, including a kitchen, dayroom and dorms, on-site training facilities, an emergency operations centre, improved energy efficiency and more.”
“Finally getting to do the open house and being able to do training in both stations is invaluable,” Chief Coppa said. “Usually, a lot of times you have to send your firefighters out of your city, we’re able to keep them in our city and in response mode. That’s incredibly important. We’ve been able to build in safety components for the firefighters. It’s been mentioned that the alerting system, being woken up at three o’clock in the morning, is an incredible adrenaline rush. If we can soften that adrenaline rush, we can stave off some cardiac issues for our firefighters longer term.”
“We have wellness and fitness facilities. Some people ask why those are important. A fit firefighter is a better firefighter, a healthy firefighter is a long-term employee. So the more we can keep our firefighters fit and healthy, the better they can serve. So everything we’ve done in this station is designed to be a better fire department.”
As city manager, Callister noted the luck and partnership between city departments that led to optimal funding and minimal financial impact in renovating the fire department. “The timing was great in regards to the financing because when we approved this project in 2021 we locked in construction costs. We also locked in interest rates,” he said. “To get the facility done, the total cost was about $21.5 million.”
He shared that the city “hit the sweet spot as far as the bond market” with a 10-year low bond rate at just 1.6% interest, saving roughly $600 000 per year in taxpayer dollars over the 20 years of the loan.
“I’m very proud to stand here with the completed Fire Station 2,” Callister said. “We have constructed a valuable asset for the department and in the end, the project was done right, it was done at the right time and the result is a facility for generations to come.”
Phillips added, “We all know, as beautiful a facility this is, it’s absolutely meaningless, valueless without extraordinary men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting us. So to all of you, thank you with heartfelt gratitude. It’s also a manifestation of how government is supposed to work and I’m so honoured to be a resident of Plymouth and live in a city that actually works.”
Sources: Home Town Source, CNH Architects
Plymouth’s Fire Station 2 renovation was almost complete last summer but due to a construction delay, the reopening was postponed until this year. “The new fire stations are necessary to accommodate Plymouth Fire Department’s transition to a hybrid staffing model, made up of a mix of part-time and full-time firefighters,” Mayor Wosje explained. “This better accommodates the demand and the change for Plymouth firefighters to be on staff 24/7, 365 days a year will significantly reduce response times, especially overnight calls, and improves the health and safety of our firefighters.”
According to the city, Fire Station 2 was originally built in 1977 in eastern Plymouth and was demolished in spring 2021 “due to the station’s insufficient size and outdated infrastructure”
“The station was unable to meet the needs of the Plymouth Fire Department,” the city said in a press release. “To better accommodate 24-hour staffing, prioritise training and firefighter health, and improve emergency preparedness, the new station features residence space, including a kitchen, dayroom and dorms, on-site training facilities, an emergency operations centre, improved energy efficiency and more.”
“Finally getting to do the open house and being able to do training in both stations is invaluable,” Chief Coppa said. “Usually, a lot of times you have to send your firefighters out of your city, we’re able to keep them in our city and in response mode. That’s incredibly important. We’ve been able to build in safety components for the firefighters. It’s been mentioned that the alerting system, being woken up at three o’clock in the morning, is an incredible adrenaline rush. If we can soften that adrenaline rush, we can stave off some cardiac issues for our firefighters longer term.”
“We have wellness and fitness facilities. Some people ask why those are important. A fit firefighter is a better firefighter, a healthy firefighter is a long-term employee. So the more we can keep our firefighters fit and healthy, the better they can serve. So everything we’ve done in this station is designed to be a better fire department.”
As city manager, Callister noted the luck and partnership between city departments that led to optimal funding and minimal financial impact in renovating the fire department. “The timing was great in regards to the financing because when we approved this project in 2021 we locked in construction costs. We also locked in interest rates,” he said. “To get the facility done, the total cost was about $21.5 million.”
He shared that the city “hit the sweet spot as far as the bond market” with a 10-year low bond rate at just 1.6% interest, saving roughly $600 000 per year in taxpayer dollars over the 20 years of the loan.
“I’m very proud to stand here with the completed Fire Station 2,” Callister said. “We have constructed a valuable asset for the department and in the end, the project was done right, it was done at the right time and the result is a facility for generations to come.”
Phillips added, “We all know, as beautiful a facility this is, it’s absolutely meaningless, valueless without extraordinary men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting us. So to all of you, thank you with heartfelt gratitude. It’s also a manifestation of how government is supposed to work and I’m so honoured to be a resident of Plymouth and live in a city that actually works.”
Sources: Home Town Source, CNH Architects
