Yuma’s new fire station to be built after 77% call increase in 3 years

The city of Yuma broke ground last week on a new fire station that will service the eastern side of town to address an increasing number of emergency calls in a rapidly growing area. It will be the city’s first fire station built in a new location in more than 15 years.

The 9,500-square foot, 2-bay fire station will be the city’s seventh fire station to help service an increased number of calls on the eastern boundary of the city. It will be located at 3293 S. Avenue 8-1/2E in the city of Yuma.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on March 6, Fields said calls in that area increased by 77% over the last three years.

Data from the city recorded an increase in calls from 484 calls in 2020 to 1,090 in 2022 with response times ranging from 9 to 10 minutes with the closest station to the area about 3.5 miles away.

“We hope to reduce response time by half that with the new fire station,” Fields said in an email. Construction of the new station is expected to be completed next year.

He noted the most common calls the fire department responds to are medical emergencies, which account for 78% of the total calls. The most common emergencies include fall injuries, heart attacks and difficulty breathing.

The station is needed because of natural and manmade barriers that affect response times, such as State Route 195 and the “A” Irrigation Canal, as well as an increase in city population, Yuma Fire Captain Steve Legros, said in an email.

Construction for the facility began on Monday and will take about a year to complete and cost over $5.5 million. Funding for the station came from a variety of sources with $2 million from the federal American Rescue Plan, $1.5 million from Fire Facilities Development Fees, and about $2 million from the Public Safety Tax, a 0.2% tax approved by voters in 1994 and renewed in 2010 for 25 years.

According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, the city of Yuma has had stable population growth over the last decade, increasing 1.3% from 2020 to 2021, which was estimated at 97,000 people.

Legros noted that the department began the planning process several years ago by putting Engine 7 in service when the eastern side of the city began to grow.

“Community concerns were centered upon reducing the response time to this specific area where the new fire station was subsequently built,” Jay Simonton, acting city administrator, said in an email.

Two fire engines currently cover the area, one of which will be moved to the new facility, as will existing personnel and equipment from Fire Station No. 5 on Araby Road.

The cost of operating the new fire station will be about $163,500 per year, according to the city.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Douglas Nicholls noted how the planning for the new station started 15 years ago.

“After many years of planning to have the right personnel and equipment ready, it’s great to see the next station address the community’s growth and become a reality,” Nicholls said in an email.