Waco Fire Station No. 5 crews will soon be back in a home base of their own, and its Bagby Avenue location will position them to protect growing areas of the city.
“We’ve made progress, and it is an actual physical building at this time with the projected completion date in September 2019,” Waco Fire Chief Bobby Tatum said. “There have been some delays because of the rain we’ve had in the last couple of weeks, but they are working diligently to stay on task and complete the station.”
For the past three years, Station No. 5 crews have been temporarily housed in the Central Fire Station with fire administration, at 1016 Columbus Ave. The department moved out of the old Station No. 5 at 2624 Speight Ave. in early 2016. The 60-year-old building needed costly repairs, and the city decided the money would be better spent on a new station in a more strategic location at 4515 Bagby Ave., near Bagby Avenue and New Road.
“This fire station replaces the old Fire Station No. 5 on Speight that was built in 1958,” Tatum said. “It is being relocated here to improve our response times to the Central Texas Marketplace, parts of (Interstate) 35, and be close to the growing areas of our city.”
With a cost projection of $2.75 million, the new station will include an office for a battalion chief and living quarters for firefighters. Tatum said updated equipment and safety features that should be standard for modern firehouses will also be included in the new station.
“The architectural design of this station is going to be different from any of our current stations,” he said. “We’ve looked at what we’ve accomplished in the past and we want to improve on our fire stations, but also take into consideration the comfort of the firefighters who are there for 24 hours per shift.”
New to Station No. 5, the building will be open to the public during business hours so residents can consult with firefighters on any noninvasive health concerns. A public restroom and water fountain will also be available.
“We want to build a station that fits into the station and is a part of the community,” Tatum said. “We want to be involved, meet the neighbors and to see the benefits of having a fire station in their neighborhood.”
Although weather pushed back the anticipated completion date from August to September, an open house is planned for the fall, Tatum said.
— WACOTRIB
— WACOTRIB
