LANCASTER, Pa. — Lancaster mayor Danene Sorace announced Wednesday that construction of the city's first new fire station in more than 45 years has been completed.
The new, 18,000-square-foot station, located at 425 W. King St., "is a milestone for the Fire Bureau and the City of Lancaster," city officials said in a press release.
“One of the foundations of a strong city is public safety," Sorace said. "This new fire station is a major investment and reflects our commitment to providing for the safety of the public by protecting life, property, and the environment.”
Crews at the roughly $6.5 million station are expected to run 4,000 calls for service each year. The station will house the City's two specialized fire units – Engine Company 1 and Truck Company 2 -- while responding to emergencies 24/7 with a minimum of 8 firefighters on duty.
“From day one, Mayor Sorace and I made a commitment to our dedicated men and women of the Fire Bureau, that improving their workspace would be a top priority," said Lancaster Fire Chief Scott Little. "Everyone recognized early on that these facilities had to be built in a specialized manner – it’s not just a garage to house a fire truck as they were designed years ago."
A key initiative in this station design is how it controls dangerous contaminants, Sorace said.
Early on, city leadership recognized the reality that cancer rates among firefighters are about 40-50% higher than the general population. Research has shown that the regular exposure to known carcinogens at fire scenes exaggerates these health concerns.
Architect Bruce Evans took this knowledge and incorporated it into the layout and design of the fire station, which is broken up into three zones to address the issue: the Hot Zone (dirty), that includes fire apparatus and equipment rooms, the Cold Zone (clean) that includes administrative and living spaces, and the Transition Zone between.
With the West King Street station completed, construction crews have arrived at 333 East King Street to begin a second new fire station that will complete the $12.7 million dollar infrastructure upgrade for both stations.
The East King Street fire station will be under construction for approximately 12 months, Sorace said.
