Festive downtown congregations usually coincide with street festivals, not public-works announcements. But the unveiling of the city’s new fire station drew a crowd all the same.
The brand new building sits on the corner of E Street and Shoup Ave. Specifically, its address is 343 E Street – a tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
To say the new digs are overdue would be quite an understatement. The former Station No. 1, which sat inside the City Hall building, housed IFFD staff and eight firefighters since the 1930s.
Some fun facts from the City of Idaho Falls press release:
- For the first time in 35 years, the Fire Prevention Bureau and ladder truck are at the same location as the administrative staff.
- At full capacity, the new station will also be living quarters for 11 firefighters.
- Planning for the new station began in April 2015.
- Site plans and design boards were revealed and discussed during a groundbreaking ceremony on January 8, 2016.
- The General Contractor for the new 24,000 square foot facility is Morgan Construction, with design provided by CRSA Architecture.
- The total cost of the building is $4.1 million, which came in under the $4.3 million guaranteed price given by Morgan Construction.
“We are very grateful for the professionalism, hard work and expertise provided by Morgan Construction, CRSA Architecture and all of the subcontractors involved in this project,” noted Idaho Falls Fire Chief Dave Hanneman. “A special thank you goes out to Deputy Chief Duane Nelson who spent countless hours on this project to make sure it was done right and within budget.”