Fruitland firefighters throw open house for new station

Finally, there's a spot for every truck.

After years of struggling with storage and equipment issues in a 29-year-old station, members of the Fruitland Fire Department celebrated the opening of a new facility Sunday.

Construction on the new facility for Fruitland Fire Station No. 1 began last fall by Zoellner Construction of Perryville, Mo.

The old station -- built in 1977 -- had only three bays to accomodate the department's five trucks, no living quarters and little space for storage and training, according to fire chief Dean Riley.

At a cost of about $550,000, the new building has five bays, two of which have drive-through, 14-foot-wide doors to accomodate a ladder truck. Living space for four people and a large training room are included in the 8,300-square-foot facility.

The facility is on the site of the current station, 7273 U.S. 61 near Jackson. Since construction began last year, the department has used a residential shop building as a temporary station.

The new station was paid for with county tax dollars collected on personal property. Riley said the fire district board has been putting money back each year for a new station so the funds would be available.

Last year, the Fruitland Fire Department responded to 235 calls, mostly for medical emergencies.

Staff writer Callie Clark Miller contributed to this report.