A community built to keep families safe.  One of the pillars that I have worked to uphold saw another addition come online to do just that!  Last week, we celebrated the grand opening of Fire Station 7 in South Meridian, and what a reward it was to see all of the hard work of so many pay off.  Meridian should be proud of how this project came about and was executed, and I want to thank all involved from our employees, our partners both in government and the private sector, and City Council for their willingness to approve the funding necessary for this facility.

The impressive amount of work performed by the project management, fire administration, and construction teams has led to Fire Station 7 being delivered on time and under budget, not to mention the efforts that the Fire Department also led to recruit and onboard the necessary new firefighters who are now ready to staff your new fire station.  This was a big lift by all involved and one that I remain deeply proud of everyone who helped make it happen.

Fire Station 7 is built on land provided by the Meridian Rural Fire District.  This strong relationship between the City and Meridian Rural Fire is a demonstration to the collaboration that is necessary to delivering vital emergency services.  Thank you to the Meridian Rural Fire Commission for your continued partnership and efforts to keep both incorporated and unincorporated areas of Meridian safe.

Unique to Fire Station 7, and the soon to open Station 8, is the opportunity to co-locate Ada County paramedic ambulance services inside of the stations.  This effort is a huge accomplishment and testament to the strong working relationships we have with our partnering agencies.  I want to extend a big thank you to Chief Blume and Paramedic Chief Rayne for getting an agreement in place that both saves the taxpayers money and will bring the delivery of paramedic services closer to the residents of north and south Meridian. With the addition of Fire Station 7, the Meridian Fire Department and Ada County Paramedics will have more resources in the field that can contribute to response times, reliability, and service to the community. 

In addition, the construction of Fire Station 7 showcases our commitment to the safety of our firefighters as they provide the emergency saving services to those in our community.  The station is specially built with better ventilation and isolation areas for contaminated gear to help reduce Meridian firefighter’s exposure to carcinogens that result from the work they do every day.

As you are out and about in South Meridian, feel free to stop by and welcome the firefighters to the neighborhood and take a look at your newest public safety resource!  And, if you live in North Meridian don’t feel like you need to drive across town to take a look because we will soon be opening First Station 8 and our new police precinct and will invite the community out to take part!