The City of Fort Worth has broken ground on its 45th fire station, which will serve one of the fastest growing areas of the city. The station is being built in North Fort Worth at the corner of Harmon Rd and Quail Grove Rd, northeast of the Hwy 287/I35W split.
The station is expected to cost $4.6 million; the cost was included in the 2014 bond package.
"This has been a long process," says Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis. "There was fitting into the neighborhood, fitting into the development, widening of the road. There was a lot of work that went into this. There is a lot of community support that goes with this."
"As the community grows, public safety becomes more a part of the conversation," says Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington. "People want to know about response times and how quickly the fire department or police department is going to show up if you need them."
Washington says the station can also help the fire department build closer relationships with residents.
"It's a pretty magical combination when you look at long-term recruiting efforts and just teaching residents about the fire service, leading to a safer community," she says.
"These are people on whom we rely," says the North Fort Worth Alliance's Randy Fuller. "These people, the people on our police force and the people at city hall strive to make this the best small city that's gotten to be really, really big."
Construction has already started to widen Harmon Rd.
The station will have three engine bays. Construction is expected to take about a year.
"A lot of work went into this," Davis, the fire chief, says. "There was a lot of community support that goes with this. This is a commitment by the City of Fort Worth to the fire department to continue to provide timely, quality service in a rapidly growing area."
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