Work Begins on New Twin Falls Fire Station 3

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-Construction on a second new fire station in Twin Falls officially got under way Monday afternoon. Located just a few hundred feet south of the current Fire Station #3 will sit a brand new facility along Washington Avenue, next to the Swensen's Grocery Store. A group of city staff, including firefighters, city council members, and the public, broke ground for Station #3 on a bare dirt lot. In a little more than a year Twin Falls will have two new fire stations. Construction began on Station #2 on Cheney Drive earlier this summer.

Both new facilities replace aging and inadequate buildings that are no longer meeting the needs of the city and its firefighters according to officials. The new station will be able to accommodate more firefighters according to Twin Falls Fire Chief Les Kenworthy, "This will really allow us to, if we get to a place we had an EMS unit, or brush truck, or something like that, gives us that ability. It also gives us the ability to bring people back in if we have a another fire at night, let's say, which we do quite often, but it gives us the ability to have other places to keep people while they're here working." Station #3 will not be as large a facility as Station #2, but it will be much larger than the current station built in the 1970s. The building will be large enough to fit all the current equipment under one roof. The station is also designed to meet the future needs of a growing community, "Of the three stations, this is the least amount of call volume. But, as you know, living in the area we see expansion going all directions. South is one of those areas we see a lot of growth," said Kenworthy. Work should last a little more than a year before the station becomes operational.

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