Chandler fire station built in 1986 getting $5.8M update to expand capacity, improve service

PHOENIX – A 36-year-old East Valley fire station is getting a $5.8 million facelift to keep up with the area’s population growth.

Chandler Fire Station No. 2 will remain functional during the phased reconstruction, which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

The station, also known as No. 282, opened on Alma School Road just south of Warner Road in 1986.

It now serves a district with more than 50,000 residents and receives more emergency calls than any other station in Chandler.

When the rebuild is done, Fire Station No. 2 will have space for a second engine company and more staff, allowing for improved emergency response times.

“Response times are probably the most important metric for the fire service, and that’s because of the nature of the emergencies that we respond to,” Assistant Fire Chief Keth Hargis said in an online video about the project.

“For example: a house fire. Fires double in size every 30 to 60 seconds depending on the fuel that they’re burning. So, our ability to respond to your house fire fast and efficient as possible is critical to the outcome in reducing the size and the scope of the damage in that fire.”

The new station is also designed to reduce firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens, Hargis said.

The City Council recently approved the renovation, which is being paid for through a bond passed by voters in 2021.

Core Construction Inc. is overseeing the project.

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