The Kannapolis Fire Department dedicated Fire Station #3 today with a fire hose uncoupling ceremony and public tours of the facility located on Concord Lake Road.
Kannapolis City Council members were on hand to dedicate the station by uncoupling a fire hose which was stretched across the fire truck bay which signaled the station is now operational. N.C. Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey gave remarks congratulating the City on the new station.
Fire Station #3 was relocated from Florida Avenue due to the fact that a larger station could not be constructed at that location. The new site, on Concord Lake Road, is more centrally located, will allow for quicker response times to a larger area of the city, and is in a commercial area versus the residential neighborhood where it is now.
The original Fire Station #3 was built 50 years old ago in 1967 and only had 3,200 square feet with two bays. Originally a volunteer fire department with no areas for sleep or training, firefighters were using a mobile structure for their living quarters due to inadequate space.
The new Fire Station #3 has 11,000 square feet, two larger bays, eight bedrooms and four bathrooms.
“This station allows our firefighters to have workplaces that are constructed specifically for professional staff who are working 24/7 shifts. The station gives us the opportunity to have training spaces and other facilities we need in order to meet the emergency needs of Kannapolis residents,” said Kannapolis Fire Chief Ernie Hiers.
“This new station serves as a beacon and a symbol of where we are and where we are going. A fire department with great firefighters who will continue to serve our City’s residents with excellence as our population grows,” said Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant.
“Our firefighters working out of Station #3 have waited years for this day. The citizens of Kannapolis can be as proud of this station as I am of the courageous men and women who make up the Kannapolis Fire Department,” Hiers further commented.
Check out the feature on Cabarrus This Week.
