SJFD narrowing down locations for South Side fire station 

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Plans are moving forward for a new fire station on the South Side of St. Joseph. 

Earlier this year, the St. Joseph City Council approved an agreement with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., to begin design planning on the new location for Fire Station No. 10, which will cost $4.29 million. 

The St. Joseph Fire Department has narrowed down its choices to three locations for the new station. 

“The architect's going to help us look at different plots of the identified locations to see what the firehouse would look like and fit and what we could get in that plot,” said Jamey McVicker, SJFD interim fire chief. “That will help us determine where we want to go.” 

Officials aren't disclosing the specific locations under consideration, but they’ve indicated that they’re narrowing in on a particular site, with response time being a key factor influencing where the new station will be placed. 

“Past administration has set us on a good path of our goal of being within every house in our district within four to five minutes,” McVicker said.  

The current Fire Station 10, located at 101 Illinois Ave, is more than a century old and showing significant signs of deterioration, with plaster peeling from both the walls and ceilings. 

While staffing will remain the same, some upgrades with the new fire station include many amenities crews are looking forward to, including a climate-controlled workout facility, sauna for detoxification after fires and larger apparatus bays. 

“It’ll be a huge relief for the city in helping utility bills go down,” firefighter Justin Roarty said. “The way these stations were built, they're hard to do, hard to control climate-wise wise so they get really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter.” 

Mollie Botts said she's looking forward to the benefits of more privacy as a female firefighter, which can be challenging with how the current station was built. 

“I think all of us will notice the big difference, especially knowing the new station is being designed for engines and not horses like this one was,” Botts said. “Having to share an open bedroom can be a challenge for someone who’s never had to deal with that before, so we’re all anticipating it.” 

The department has discussed repurposing the current Fire Station 10, but a final decision on its future use has not yet been made.