Groundbreaking for New Lafayette Fire Station Monday

Construction for the new fire station #3 in Lafayette will begin Monday, July 19 with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The old fire station that was at that location had to be torn down in March of last year because there were some serious concerns with some structural integrity of the facility.

The new station will be located at 429 Cooper Drive which is the same place as the old station that had been erected in 1978.

It's going to take about a year to complete the building of the new firehouse, and it's going to be done at a cost of around $2.5 million. It will be a 7,300 square foot firehouse.

It will have three bays for emergency vehicles to use, and the newly constructed facility will be made in such a way that it will better serve the needs of a modern-day firehouse. The sleeping quarters will be separate as the new facility will feature 8 rooms for sleeping that are gender-neutral.

Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit had this to say about the exciting plans,

We are thankful to the administration and council for supporting the construction of a new fire station in City Council District 1. The new fire station will support the fire department's goal in delivering quality public service to the citizens of Lafayette.

With the old fire station, they only had one way to get in or out when it was time to respond to a fire. They could only access Cooper Drive. Now, with the new construction, the way things are laid out, firefighters will be able to leave from Benoit Falgout Drive. The added advantage? Quicker response times for those who need them.

So many things have changed since 1978 so this new firehouse has enough space now to be able to handle all of the extra equipment vehicles that are part of the modern-day fleet.

The groundbreaking ceremony will happen Monday morning at 11 on Cooper Drive.