CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two years after the old Charleston Fire Department Station #3 was condemned for structural problems, a new fire house takes its place. Members of the Charleston Fire Department and Mayor Danny Jones Monday cut the ribbon on the new station three.
“This is a modern day facility and one day I hope all of them in Charleston look like this,” said the Mayor soon after the ribbon was cut.
The station will be staffed by five personnel with living quarters above the bay for those individuals. The crews will staff the station 24/7. Charleston Fire Chief Rob Sutler says the fire station is position to protect a large number of homes and lives.
“While we still had a crew dedicated for it, they were over on Lee Street,” Sutler recalled. “If it hadn’t been for the South Charleston Fire Department working with us to help protect the area, we couldn’t have had the level of protection we had while rebuilding the station.”
The new station will also feature an ambulance and EMT service, which hasn’t been there since 2004 when the building was judged structurally deficient in the ambulance bay.
“It was torn down to the bare ground and they uncovered some old drain work that was probably covered up when Corridor G was built,” Sutler explained. “It could have potentially added to the problems, but they got it down tot he bedrock and we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
The station crew will be moving the rest of the equipment and belongings which go with the fire station in the next 24 hours and the station is now manned and in service.