KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The northeast corner of Kansas City, Missouri, is now a little safer. Tuesday, the city officially opened a new fire station near Interstate 435 and Cookingham Drive to better serve the area.
City leaders said the population in that part of Kansas City is growing, and the new fire station is built with space to add more firefighters if the population requires it.
Deputy Fire Chief Jimmy Walker said it used to take ambulances and firetrucks up to ten minutes to get to an emergency in that part of town. Now, crews are better positioned to get to emergencies in less than five minutes.
Walker said what makes the fire station unique is the focus on protecting the firefighters. Research shows gases, smoke and soot from fires involving synthetic furniture and construction materials can lead to cancer in firefighters. The new station includes showers, washing machines, ventilation and other decontamination options in the garage, keeping all fire-related materials separate from the living quarters.
“Knowing that we still have a job to do, we’re taking every measure that we can to protect our firefighters,” Walker explained.
The city broke ground on the $6 million project in May 2018. Councilwoman Heather Hall made the new fire station a campaign promise prior to the 2015 election.
