New fire station in the works for McCammon
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McCAMMON – The city of McCammon is hoping to begin construction on a fire station equipped with an ambulance bay.
The need for a fire station on the south side of Bannock County has been a discussion for many years. After securing all the funding amid rising construction costs, the project can finally move forward.
The plans call for a 13,000 to 14,000-square-foot building with living quarters to accomodate on-site paramedics and possibly a substation for the sheriff’s office. City Council President Aaron Hunsaker says they’re still discussing the possibility of having an ambulance placed in the station once it’s completed.
“A precursor to even having that discussion is you have to have a place to put (an ambulance),” Hunsaker said.
At 2,200 square feet, the current fire station was originally set up as a maintenance shed. McCammon Mayor Karlene Hall says it isn’t big enough to meet the growing need. The city’s newest fire engine is 50 years old, but they’ve had to turn down any opportunities for a new one due to lack of space.
Right now, McCammon relies on volunteer ambulance services from Lava Hot Springs and the Bannock County Ambulance from Pocatello. There are a few local residents with EMS training that respond to emergencies as well. As a result, people often wait 15 to 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
“Building the new station will allow for more volunteerism. It will have a training facility to help train the volunteers. It will allow for future growth with a second floor sleeping quarters and kitchen. We will also be eligible for new equipment, which is desperately needed,” Hall says in a recent news release.
Work on the new fire station was scheduled to begin in early 2022, but rising construction costs have made paying for it a challenge.
The cost of the original project was around $2 million. Voters approved a $1.285 million bond in May 2021 and the city was also awarded a $500,000 grant. It ended up not being enough, and officials were worried they’d have to scrap it.
Additional federal funds became available earlier this year. The American Rescue Plan Act provided the county with $1 million. Another $813,000 was allocated by Congress in February.
Hunsaker says all the funding is now in place so the project can finally move forward.
“The possibility of having a 24-hour staffed ambulance specifically for south county will not only help the communities down here, but will also alleviate some of the load from the county-staffed ambulances in Pocatello that currently respond to this area,” Hunsaker said.
The city hired a general contractor about a year ago who will oversee the project and hire subcontractors to build it.
An official start date has not been determined, but they hope to begin this spring. Hunsaker anticipates it will take about a year to complete, barring any supply chain issues.