New health-conscious, innovative fire station opens in Goodyear
Jan 21, 2021, 4:05 AM | Updated: 1:54 pm
(City of Goodyear Photo)
(City of Goodyear Photo)
PHOENIX — New year. New fire station.
The city of Goodyear announced on Tuesday that a new health-conscious and innovative fire station is now in service.
Located northeast of Willis and Rainbow Valley roads, Goodyear Fire Station No. 186 is a 12,587-square-foot facility that was designed to ensure the long-term health and safety of firefighters.
The station has two corridors: one designated for firefighters to decontaminate their turnout gear immediately upon returning from a call and another that will allow firefighters to rid contaminants from their bodies as soon as possible.
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Most fire stations don’t have these facilities, as bigger fires usually feature teams that are solely in charge of firefighters’ health and safety while on site.
“We have paid particular attention to the voices we’re hearing from our firefighters, from the end-users,” Goodyear Deputy Fire Chief Tom Cole said.
“We’ve worked hard on getting best practices from local experiences and then from experts around the country to try and integrate those best practices and ideas into cutting edge design.”
Another safety feature of the facility is a vestibule that separates the two areas where firefighters eat/sleep and work.
The Goodyear City Council in December 2019 approved funding for the completion of two new fire stations, with a heavy emphasis on firefighters’ safety and improving response times for the community.
The second of those stations — No. 181 on 143rd Avenue between Van Buren Street and Celebrate Life Way — is scheduled to be completed in the spring.
The new procedures go along with Goodyear’s clean cab fire truck system that requires firefighters to keep their gear in separate compartments within apparatus in order to limit contaminant exposure.
“This fire station is a reflection of the Goodyear City Council’s goals to make public safety a top priority for them,” said Goodyear Fire Chief Paul Luizzi.
“This station will provide fire and EMS coverage to an area of current and future growth.”
