City officials get first look at new fire station

Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Scholfield, second from left, explains to Councilman Carlos Graham the exposed pipe before them was intentionally left visible so the public could see the sprinkler system lines. Scholfield led city officials on a tour of the city's newest fire station, NO. 2, located on East McCarty Street, just across from entrance to Scholastic headquarters. He explained many of the features of the new facility, which they currently set to occupy in mid May.
Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Scholfield, second from left, explains to Councilman Carlos Graham the exposed pipe before them was intentionally left visible so the public could see the sprinkler system lines. Scholfield led city officials on a tour of the city's newest fire station, NO. 2, located on East McCarty Street, just across from entrance to Scholastic headquarters. He explained many of the features of the new facility, which they currently set to occupy in mid May.

After more than two years of conversations and anticipation, city officials got a first glance at the new Fire Station No. 2 Thursday.

Jefferson City Council members and other city officials toured the new 10,500-square-foot Fire Station No. 2 at 3025 Robinson Road during the Jefferson City Public Safety Committee meeting.

"Our goal from the very beginning of this project was to build a building that would be functional and durable, but we also wanted it to be something that the community would be proud of," Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Schofield told council members as they toured the facility.

The new fire station has 2.5 bays and allows fire trucks to pull through, providing more flexibility. It also has a training room, gear storage room, training mezzanine, kitchen and dining area, bunk rooms, and a multipurpose room for community meetings.

Down the hall from the bays, a police substation looks out over the parking lot and street. Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder said he is "very pleased that we have an area" at Fire Station No. 2, adding officers can work on reports at the station instead of driving downtown to the police station. It also provides an opportunity for police and firefighters to interact.

"There's a dual purpose there, and it's an efficient use of our time for officers assigned to the east side of the city, and it's just an extension of our public safety friends at the fire station," he said.

A bright red wall accents the training room toward the back of the station. The room also sports a heat room, a feature that is "on the leading edge of station design," Schofield said. After fighting a fire, firefighters can go into the heat room to exercise for a period of time to help "purge those toxins out of their systems" before taking showers, Schofield said.

Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schreiber said he thinks the new fire station is a "great opportunity" for the community and firefighters.

"We certainly need facilities that are state-of-the-art to serve our citizens but also protect our firefighters, with some of the innovations here to take care of carcinogens that we didn't really know about - the heat room, the washing stations, the training facility," he said. "They've done an excellent job of taking space and utilizing every inch of it for some purpose for the fire service."

The Fire Department plans to hold an open house in mid- to late May, Schofield said.

The Jefferson City Council approved a $2.9 million contract with Curtis-Manes-Schulte Inc. in June 2018 for the project.

The city authorized the sale of the old Fire Station No. 2, at 2400 E. McCarty St., last month.