Rural/Metro’s new Fire Station #79 will host its Grand Opening Celebration on Friday, June 14th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The ceremony, which will consist of a barbeque for the community, station tours, and a special ceremony to recognize the stations’ completion, comes on the heels of months of dedication and hard work.
The ceremony at the Grand Opening event will start with an official “Raising of the Flag” in remembrance of and to honor all firefighters. After months of work and anticipation, the firefighters and EMTs are very excited for this final step.
Families are welcome to visit the station, as the firefighters and EMTs have already been giving tours a few times a week for the past several weeks. While they have always done tours for various organizations like Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, or schools, the firefighters and EMts have seen more frequent tours in response to the completion of the new facility.
The new station, which stands tall in the Sahuarita Town Center at just over 9,000 square feet, houses nine firefighters and paramedics for service each day. The new facility was constructed within feet of the temporary station. The project was orchestrated without a disruption of existing firefighter and EMT services.
The design includes a semi-commercial kitchen, a large day room, and more space within living quarters to accommodate the firefighters and EMTs’ needs. The station also allows for greater efficiencies, and houses five apparatus areas; including two engines, one ambulance, a water tender, and a brush truck. The double rows of glass in the bay doors afford a view from the curb, allowing residents and their families the chance to see the impressive vehicles on a daily basis.
The station not only provides the living quarters for the firefighters and EMTs while on duty, but also serves as a focal point in a growing community. Rural/Metro is proud to be a part of that growth. Captain Michael Metropoulos said of the new station, “A fire station usually serves as a lamppost for a community, and it is nice to have a structure that is so worthy of that. We are excited to raise the flag over the station.”
Progress has begun on a second station in the northern corridor of Rancho Sahuarita, which is planned to be just as nice. David Eves, President of the Rancho Sahuarita Construction Company, said of the project’s completion, “It has been an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to build this facility for the men and women who put their lives at risk on a daily basis serving our community’s needs.”
