Fire Station nearing completion, grand opening

An important addition of the Perryville Fire Department is close to completion. Perryville Administrator Brent Buerck noted during his report at the Board of Aldermen meeting May 2 that the Perryville Firehouse No. 2 will hold a grand opening on May 17.
The new structure, on the west/north side of the Highway 51 bypass, that is in front of the Citizens Electric facility and is the first firehouse built in Perryville since 1974.
Members of the fire department, city officials, and county officials and others broke ground on the structure’s construction July 7, 2022.
“It’s a huge deal that we are getting a new firehouse,” Perryville Assistant Fire Chief Bill Jones said.
The Fire Department recently acquired a building on Delaney Street in the fall of 2022, which will give the department full fire protection coverage of the city.
“That essentially gives us a fire station and equipment on the south end of town, the central part of town with the current fire station, which will remain the headquarters, and then with Station 2 on the bypass it gives us a northwest coverage.”
The extra coverage also helps the city’s Insurance Services Office score, which takes into account how prepared a community an area is for fires and affects homeowner’s insurance as a result.
“Our ISO rating is a four which doesn’t mean a lot to people,” Jones said. “But when you can split up equipment where it covers that large of an area, it really helps. Right now, all of our equipment is within a few blocks of everything. If we would have something come through downtown it could wipe out all of our equipment, or at least make it inaccessible.”

Jones feels that Fire Station 2 is a prime location.
“That will have access to the northwest of Highway 51, but it also puts us in a good response area for anything near the interstate area and all the businesses at that end of town,” Jones said. “that helps us with everything for the industrial park such as TG-Missouri, Citizens Electric, Atlas, Robinson Construction and the heavier industrial area.”
Jones noted that they will reposition some equipment to fit the needs of the area of the city.
“We are working on that now,” Jones said. “We will reposition equipment for specific use and where we think the equipment will be better served.”
Despite the fact that the grand opening is still weeks away, the department has started the move-in process already.
“We started moving in some furniture,” Jones said. “We have some conference tables, and chairs we are waiting on. We are also waiting on some desks and things for the classrooms inside the building. The important thing is that we move in the equipment as soon as we can and the rest we can move in gradually.”
With the building close to its grand opening, Jones is glad to see the city invest its resources in fire protection for its citizens.
“The investment that the city made in that station will reap the rewards in the amount of money that is saved through insurance rates,” Jones said. “The station will certainly benefit everyone, but most importantly the citizens of Perryville.”