x
Breaking News
More () »

Jacksonville preparing to build new emergency services headquarters

The main reason the city is building the new center is due to the fact emergency personnel currently have a lack of space.

JACKSONVILLE, Texas — Jacksonville's city council recently approved the creation of a public safety headquarters that will house police, firefighters and EMS under the same roof.

The main reason the city is building the new center is due to the fact emergency personnel currently have a lack of space.

Space is limited for all of the first responders in Jacksonville. The fire department is the service facing the most urgent issues with facilities.

"The fire departments facilities are outdated and antiquated," City Manager Greg Smith said. "We can't even put some of our equipment in this base because of the size of the bays are not adequate."

The downtown station was built in the 1960's and began sharing its space with EMS in the 1980's. In addition, fire trucks have grown in size since the station was originally built.

The new station will more than double the size of the bays from around 30 feet to 70 feet, allowing all of the station's trucks to be stationed in the bay.

"This ladder truck is housed outstation too, but it's needed on this side of town. It's about eight to nine foot short of making clearance inside fitting this bay," Fire Chief Keith Fortner said.

Construction will begin on the 900 block of South Bolton in 2020. The work is expected to be completed by 2021.

"If something happens, somebody in need and they drive to the public safety complex, if they need a police officer, a firefighter or paramedic, whatever they need, they'll all be at one location," Smith said.

Once everyone has moved into the headquarters, the fire station will be re-purposed or sold off by the city 

Before You Leave, Check This Out