Mich. FD unveils new $7M fire station, under budget

By Melissa Frick
mlive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids residents on the city’s southeast side will see faster response times from firefighters during emergencies thanks to a new fire station that just opened in the Third Ward.

The new Kendall Street Fire Station, 4044 Kalamazoo Ave. SE is the first new station to be built in the city of Grand Rapids in nearly 40 years.

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City officials opened the 12,600-square-foot facility to the public for the first time at a Friday, Sept. 26, groundbreaking ceremony.

Located on the corner of Kalamazoo Avenue SE and Kendall Street SE, the new Fire Station No. 12 will help speed up response times in the city’s Third Ward, which serves around 14,000 residents on Grand Rapids’ southeast side, said Fire Chief Brad Brown.

Before now, there was only one fire station serving the entire Third Ward, at 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue.

Brown said that station was the busiest fire station in the city because it served such a large region by itself, and its response times lagged significantly as a result of that.

Grand Rapids firefighters generally have a goal of getting to the scene of an emergency within six-and-a-half minutes of a 911 call, Brown said.

In the city’s Third Ward, firefighters only meet that goal around 50% of the time because of the lack of resources, Brown said. In comparison, the fire department meets that goal over 90% of the time in other parts of the city.

Brown said this new station will ensure that every Grand Rapids resident has access to fast, reliable public safety services.

“This fire station is more than bricks and mortar,” Brown said. “It stands as a lasting symbol that in Grand Rapids, no matter who you are or where you live, help will always be close at hand.”

Photos: Grand Rapids’ new Kendall Street fire station

The construction of the new Kendall Street Fire Station was initially expected to cost $8.1 million, but the final cost ended up coming in slightly under budget at $7.8 million, Brown said. The extra funds will go toward the construction of the city’s new Division Avenue fire station .

The new fire station features private living quarters with individual dorm rooms for firefighters, modern amenities, kitchen and dining areas, a fitness room and on-site parking.

The two-bay facility has drive-through apparatus bays, advanced exhaust systems and ample storage for equipment.

The most notable feature of the apparatus bays is the bi-fold glass doors, which Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand noted will bring daylight in while also allowing firefighters to look right out into the surrounding community. He said the doors were designed to be a lot more durable than traditional doors and will last 50 years.

The construction of the new station was fully funded by a $35 million state grant that was allocated by lawmakers in last year’s state budget . That funding is also going toward the construction of the new Division Avenue fire station and a new fire training and operations center .

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State Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids, said the advocacy of Grand Rapids city officials and firefighter union representatives was instrumental in the state deciding to allocate one-time federal pandemic dollars to the Grand Rapids fire station projects.

“We got calls from the city, from the union, and the fire department, that asked us if we could step up at the state and make a not once-in-a-generation, but really a once-in-a-century investment in our fire department and public safety in Grand Rapids,” Skaggs said at Friday’s ribbon cutting.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also chipped into the project, fully funding the staffing of the fire department for the first three years. The station will have 12 personnel assigned, resulting in a three-person engine crew being staffed 24/7.

Third Ward Commissioner Kelsey Perdue called it a tangible example of investment in the city’s Third Ward, which has been historically underfunded compared to other parts of the city.

“We are looking to ensure that everyone in our city receives an adequate service, and that we are investing in all aspects of life throughout the city and throughout the Third Ward, whether its public safety or economic development,” she said.

“I’m really proud of the direction we’re going, to better meet the needs of everyone in the city.”
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