New Jackson fire station to help improve response time

Jackson residents dug deep and invested heavily in public safety when they opened a new satellite fire station on the east side of the city March 30.

"A satellite fire station was one of the things that I mentioned as a priority when I campaigned for mayor more than five years ago," said Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr. "One of my first acts as mayor was to establish a committee to research the establishment of an additional fire station."

There is much that is new at the station on Old Orchard Road, a $900,000, 4,600-square-foot structure, a $120,000 fire truck and six recently-hired firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for 95 percent of the truck through a grant, said Chief Jason Mouser.

Voters passed a sales tax in November 2010 to fund the satellite station's operations, including personnel and equipment.

"That is what will be used for ongoing operations of the facility," Lohr said.

The tax, which took effect April 2011, passed 3,073 votes to 1,788 votes. The city's eight-member board of aldermen was split 5-3 on placing the tax on the ballot, citing concerns with the proposed location. Some aldermen said the location was too far away from most of the population.

However, a committee selected to find a more suitable location than the property already owned by the city determined buying land elsewhere would be too expensive.

Jackson firefighters David Uptmor, left, and Justin Farrar show the new brush/rescue truck at the new fire station Thursday, May 10, 2012. (Fred Lynch)

Alderman Mark Dambach, co-chairman of the committee in charge of developing recommendations for the station, said at the time that the eight committee members exhausted every possibility. He said they looked at a number of parcels on the east side of town, including properties on East Main Street, Bent Creek, Klaus Park, South Bainbridge Road and Old Orchard Road.

Jackson's growth caused the demand for a new station, said city administrator Jim Roach. He said the sprawl of the city has caused response times for the fire department to inch upward, threatening its ISO (formerly the Insurance Services Office) rating. The ratings indicate how well departments can respond to structure fires. The lower the number, the better the rating.

"That facility should decrease our response time on the east side of town," Roach said. "That was the primary goal." He added that the new facility should help when multiple calls for assistance come to the fire department. The old station responded to about 1,300 calls each of the last two years, 1,364 in 2010 alone, said Mouser. On 80 occasions, the station responded to multiple calls at the same time.

Three firefighters will man the new facility at all times.

"We're assigned to this station. This is my crew," said Capt. Mike Massey.

Massey is one of three shift captains assigned to the new facility. To have enough personnel available to post three firefighters at the station at all times, the city had to promote Massey and two other firefighters to captain and hire six new firefighters.

The new facility has an office for use by the shift captain, a lounge, a kitchen and three private bunks for the firefighters. By comparison, firefighters at the old station bunk in the same room.

All the firefighters in the department are men, but the new station is equipped for privacy for women, should any be hired by the department in the future.

One feature housed in the new structure is a brand new brush/rescue truck, Mouser said. The new rig is a Dodge 5500 equipped with a 300-gallon water tank, extrication tools and products used in rescues, such as rappelling equipment.

"This truck serves multiple roles for our department. We've got everything we need right on this truck," Massey said.

Jackson Fire Department captain Mike Massey, right, discusses the new Fire Station #2 in its kitchen Thursday, May 10, 2012. Fire chief Jason Mouser, left, and assistant chief Randy Davis listen. (Fred Lynch)

As firefighters become accustomed to the new facility, they will make adjustments to meet their needs, Mouser said. He said traffic engineers have already made arrangements to place yellow flashing lights along Old Orchard Road to warn drivers they are approaching a fire station where trucks will be entering and exiting the road.

David Uptmor is a former U.S. Marine who grew up in Cape Girardeau and has been a volunteer firefighter in Gordonville for the past two years. He said he doesn't mind bunking with other firefighters in the new structure.

"Being a Marine, it was an easy transition for me to make," Uptmor said.

The addition of the facility gave other firefighters a chance for advancement, said Justin Farrar. Farrar said he is preparing to begin taking "captain's classes" so he can fill in for Massey when he's away.

"I'll be captain for a day," he said.

jgamm@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Station 2

2448 South Old Orchard Road, Jackson, MO.

Station 1

525 South Hope Street, Jackson, MO.