For the first time since the 1930s, as far as Biloxi Fire Chief David Roberts can determine, the city is opening two new fire stations at once.
Residents eager to see new stations in their neighborhoods provided refreshments for open houses at Station No. 2 on Howard Avenue and Station No. 9 in Woolmarket off Interstate 10.
The stations, which are similar, cost about $1 million each. The 6,882-square-foot buildings each sleep up to eight firefighters. They feature two drive-through engine bays and electronic communications systems with uninterrupted power supplies to run both buildings during emergency outages.
The East End station, named in honor of fallen firefighter Kurt Jacquet, replaces an aging building. It will be equipped with one truck and staffed by 12 firefighters working in three shifts.
The Woolmarket station, which will serve an area annexed in 1999, has a fire truck and a tanker truck designed to fight fires in rural areas. Fifteen firefighters will work in three shifts at the station.
"These stations were built for longevity," said Roberts, whose 176-member department saw a 24 percent increase in emergency calls last year. "Typically, buildings are built to withstand winds of around 110 mph, but these are built to 155-mph standards. In addition, the design of the stations - things like the layout, the sleeping quarters, the kitchen - was based on input from the firefighters who will be working in the stations."
