Station 8 Hose Uncoupling

On January 23rd, 2023 the Grand Junction Fire Department held an opening ceremony with a hose uncoupling for the new Station 8. Members assigned to Station 8 on and off duty, Clifton Fire Protection District, administrative staff, police department command staff, city officials, contractors and builders gathered to celebrate with the public. Fire Chief Watkins, members of the city and building committee spoke during the ceremony. The event included station tours and refreshments. The station will be home to an engine company and ambulance with additional space for future apparatus and spare apparatus.

Station 8 will serve a response area of 6 square miles, roughly 5,000 homes, and 180 businesses which continue to grow. The station can house 8 first responders, and staffing is projected to be 5-6 per shift. The station is designed with safety in mind for carcinogen reduction, response times, and healthy sleep cycles, made possible by a state of the art station alerting system based on unit assignments, exhaust removal systems, clean-cab apparatus, and PPE free zones. The station was built in 11 months by different subcontractors, allowing for a new year opening. The station was constructed by FCI Construction and Blythe Group designers.

This is the second of three stations built with the 2019 City of Grand Junction First Responder Tax. This station was made possible by the City of Grand Junction, Grand Junction Fire Department, and City of Grand Junction taxpayers who passed the 2019 First Responder Tax which allocates millions of dollars to support the city’s fire and police departments. The tax includes an approved capital of $17 million to construct three additional fire stations in the city’s fire district, funds to hire the personnel to staff each station, and funds to purchase new apparatus to replace current aging apparatus. Fire Station 6 (Hose Uncoupling in 2020) was built in 2020 and serves north Grand Junction including Horizon Drive and the Airport, and Station 7 is scheduled for 2024, serving the Appleton area. Station 8 will reduce Station 4, Station 1, and Station 2’s call volume along with mutual aid requests, while Station 7 will help alleviate Station 3 and Station 6’s call volume.