The City did a two-fer on Monday, breaking ground at one site for two new fire stations.
Here are some numbers that tell the story:
- The two most important are 6 and 90. As in, the new stations will help the Fire Department achieve its goal of responding within six minutes to 90 percent of its emergency calls. The response time is key to saving lives. Once a heart attack occurs, or a victim stops breathing, if firefighters can administer advanced life saving actions within six minutes the odds of survivability increase significantly.
- Cost is $4.1 million per station; each will be 11,779 square feet, one story, with three apparatus bays
- It will take 11 months, weather permitting (fingers crossed!), to complete construction
- Addresses are 1301 Double Creek Road for Station No. 4, and 1612 Red Bud Lane for Station No. 8
- Alert readers will note we already have a Station No. 4, at 3300 Gattis School Road. The growth in southeast Round Rock and the critical need to improve response times is why we need two stations to serve that section of town. The existing Station No. 4 will likely be repurposed by the Fire Department.
- Last but certainly not least, voters approved in 2013 a $16.5 million bond proposition for fire facilities. These stations are the first projects to be funded from those bond proceeds.
- And here’s one great video that captures today’s ceremony
