PORTAGE, MI -- Construction will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 21 to replace Portage’s oldest fire station.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the $6 million project will be at 4 p.m. on the site of the new Fire Station No. 2 at 6101 Oakland Drive.
A 2015 evaluation found that it would be more cost-effective to build a new building rather than renovate the current station, built in 1974. The project will be funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Program funds.
The new 18,000 square-foot layout was designed to improve wellness, Senior Deputy Fire Chief John Podgorski said in May when the project was approved.
The top priority was adding “clean” rooms for firefighters to remove used equipment as soon as they get off the truck. Clean rooms will prevent cross-contamination and the spread of carcinogens. This is an effort to prevent cancer, which has become a leading cause in death in firefighters across the U.S., Podgorski said.
Additionally, the new layout allows for better in-house training and individual sleeping quarters to accommodate both male and female firefighters.
Fire station No.2 will continue to serve the most populated region of the City of Portage, including highly-populated residential areas, apartment complexes, multi-story commercial buildings and significant retail facilities.
The station is also the closest to I-94 and often deploys the first response team. In 2018, the station responded to 2,154 calls, Podgorski said.
Construction on the project is expected to last about 13 months.
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