Waco officials Tuesday celebrated the groundbreaking of Fire Station No. 15, which will serve areas of West Waco and aid response times for residents in Waco’s District 3.
The Waco City Council awarded John W. Erwin General Contractor Inc. a $4.99 million construction contract Nov. 7 for the facility at 10905 Panther Way set to open in early 2025.
Interim Fire Chief Kevin McGee opened the cold, windy ceremony Tuesday. McGee said some digging had already occurred on the site before the official groundbreaking.
“We just couldn’t wait to get this station started so that we could begin providing vital public safety services to the neighbors here as soon as possible,” he said.
Staff is busy hiring and training new firefighters and buying equipment and trucks for the facility “that’s going to be staffed with the best firefighters that you’re going to find anywhere in the world,” McGee said. He said the fire station will hopefully serve as a community hub, with open houses for public education, child passenger safety training opportunities and an open door to parents and kids wanting to see the trucks.
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“We’re going to be here so that the District 3 community will have even a greater sense of safety and security knowing that when they need us we’re going to come quickly,” he said.
Mayor Dillon Meek acknowledged District 3 Council Member Josh Borderud, “who definitely represents this district with intentionality and strategy;” Council Member Jim Holmes, who also attended the ceremony; members of city management and staff.
“Building a facility that’s going to be as beautiful and as important as this really does take a full team, so I’m really appreciative of our entire city staff,” Meek said.
He said the year is historic for the Waco Fire Department, celebrating 150 years of service and courage. He said it is exciting to see how far the department has come, from the days of volunteer firefighters and horse-drawn carriages to now more than 200 personnel spread across more than a dozen stations.
WATCH NOW: Former and current Waco firefighters, local officials including Chief Gregory Summers (at 1:01) and community members came together Monday, April 3, 2023, at Fire Station No. 1 to celebrate 150 years of Waco Fire Department history, from horse-drawn to high-tech.
Meek thanked the fire department for its unwavering commitment to its community and to ensuring public safety in Waco.
Borderud said the new facility, built in one of the fastest growing areas of Waco, will reduce response times, ensure the department is available to handle emergencies of all kinds and help maintain the six-minute national standard for getting a truck on scene after 911 is called. At least three of the station’s 12 firefighters will staff the station each day, he said.
“In the past three budget cycles, our city council has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public safety,” Borderud said. “For the fire department, seven new firetrucks were placed in service in 2022, and we are expecting three more Spartan fire engines to be delivered early this year.”
He also thanked Meek’s leadership for 18 new firefighter positions and the hiring of more than 20 new police officers.
Borderud said the city is committed to infrastructure investment in West Waco, pointing to a new water tower at Richie Road and Panther Way that cast its shadow over the fire station site and reconstructed sections of Mars Drive and Old Hewitt Road many attendees likely took to get to the event.
Facilities Director Derrick Oltmann listed some of the design features and amenities the new station will have, including three vehicle bays, strategically placed beds and storage, washing machines able to clean the firefighters’ gear, apparatus exhaust removal systems and decontamination areas available before entering the station, all measures to increase safety.
Construction is expected to take 15 months, with substantial completion anticipated in the first quarter of 2025, Oltmann said.
