Leaders with the City of Wichita gathered Thursday morning near Pawnee & Maize Road, breaking ground for a new Wichita fire station.
Station 23 is the city’s first new fire station in 17 years. The groundbreaking comes about five months after the Wichita City Council approved more than $5 million to fund the new facility in the southwest part of town.
The new station is just down the street from where a married couple was killed in a house fire earlier this month.
Ted Bush, President of Wichita Firefighters IAFF Local 135, said the new station will improve response times.
Station 23 is the first step in a broader improvement effort for the Wichita Fire Department, the city said. Plans call for construction of two more fire stations in the city, and reconstruction of existing stations.
