Phoenix Fire Department debuts first new station in 10 years
Oct 14, 2019, 5:30 PM | Updated: Oct 21, 2019, 1:08 pm
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Fire Department unveiled its first new station in 10 years over the weekend.
Mayor Kate Gallego was among those in attendance Saturday for the grand opening of Station 55 at the northeast corner of Interstate 17 and Jomax Road.
Phoenix’s oldest living firefighter, 102-year-old Benny Ashley, also made an appearance, and members of the public were invited to tour the facility.
“To ensure that we can meet increased demand for city services, we are planning hard and making sure that we can work with you to deliver the service that you expect,” Gallego said during the event. “This station is the hard work of many community advocates who worked with us.”
RELATED STORIES
Gallego cited Councilwoman Thelda Williams and Vice Mayor Jim Waring for their efforts in getting the station built.
The 12,000-square-foot station in the Norterra neighborhood was a long time in the making. The station was initially planned as part of 2001 bond project. Construction was to begin in 2007, but funding fell through when the economy took a downturn.
Firefighters had been operating out of a long-stay hotel in the area since January 2018.
A groundbreaking was held at the new site in October 2018, while Williams was serving as interim mayor.
Array
