New fire station opens in Capital City

A brand new, more than $2 million facility is now being used for the safety of Jefferson City residents.

Firefighters moved into Fire Station 3 last week, and crews said they’re already noticing a difference in response time.

It also has more privacy features for the firefighters.

For those that serve as first response in case of an emergency, whether it be a fire or heart attack, proximity is everything. That’s why the 47-year-old station was moved to a new, more convenient location.

Adding new features to the new design, like a weight room, large living space, an industrial-sized kitchen that feels homey, individual bedrooms for each shift’s workers and room to grow.

“It has a lot more space, a huge kitchen where everyone can cook and do what they want, everyone’s got their own bedrooms, we have separate bathrooms,” said firefighter Lisa Layton-Brinker.

“That’s the nice thing, having separate sleeping quarters, not just for having more women in the fire service now, in our department and other departments, even for the guys it’s a lot more restful. We don’t have to deal with other guys snoring and making noise, going to bed or getting up at different hours, we get a lot more rest that way,” said firefighter Jake Holee.

Compared to previous bunk rooms, these crew members are big fans of the new layout.

Holee said, “Now the sleeping quarters and the living quarters are attached, the old station actually separated it by the apparatus bay, so if you’re in the kitchen or living room and needed to use the restroom you actually had to go outside the apparatus bay and go over to the other side.”

The old Station 3 was off Industrial and was extremely close to Station 1. With the new location off of Hwy. 179 just north of Truman Blvd., routes for each station in that area have changed.

“They’ve changed the run boxes that we do and I think it’s going to take a little bit of time to figure out, different stations have gained area. It is a little bit better for all of the stations in the community,” said Layton-Brinker.

The station was paid for by a voter approved half-cent sales tax. The old facility is currently up for sale.