Lebanon breaks ground on Station 213; new ladder truck, reserve equipment and training aim to cut response times

Lebanon city officials and Fire Chief Chuck Batts on the Love and Lebanon podcast described the city’s groundbreaking for Station 213 and the simultaneous addition of a new ladder truck intended to shorten emergency response times on the city’s west side. "We're very excited about the new fire station. We've been working on this project for about 7 years now, and finally, we're breaking ground," Chief Batts said.

The project is driven by the department’s deployment analysis, which aims for a four‑minute response time to all addresses inside the city. "We use a deployment analysis. We try to have a 4 minute response time to all addresses within the city of Lebanon," Batts said, noting the western side of Lebanon showed a gap in coverage and that bridges and local roadway constraints complicate vehicle movement there. The new station will also provide southbound access to roughly 11 miles of I‑65 that the department covers, Chief Batts said, helping crews respond to crashes and medical calls along the interstate.

The station is expected to house Ladder 213, the department’s reserve ladder (renumbered Ladder 210), Squad 213 and Boone County EMS Medic 213. Chief Batts said the department recycles…