Bernalillo County opens Fire and Rescue Station 66; officials, staff mark dedication

Bernalillo County held a dedication ceremony for Fire and Rescue Station 66, where elected officials and fire-rescue leaders praised the new facility and the emergency personnel who will operate there. Remarks at the event highlighted the station’s living and operational spaces and its expected role serving nearby detention, commercial, and anticipated residential areas. The ceremony included expressions of gratitude to the many people involved in planning and building the station and repeated recognition of the county’s commitment to public safety.

County speakers described the station’s interior features — including 11 bunks and four apparatus bays, as well as showers, a day room and kitchens — and said the layout reflects operational needs and staff well-being. One speaker said the station “will play a critical role in serving the Metropolitan Detention Center, the surrounding commercial development, including the warehouses and manufacturing facilities that are north of here, and the anticipated residential growth in this rapidly expanding part of our community.”

Speakers repeatedly thanked firefighters, paramedics and EMTs for their service and noted the stresses of responding to emergencies “day and night.” Remarks emphasized that public safety involves multiple parts of government and administration, not only frontline responders, and recognized behind-the-scenes staff who contributed to the project. The event included an opening invocation and ceremonial comments of appreciation but did not include formal policy actions, motions, or votes during the recorded remarks.

No budget figures, construction contracts, project timeline milestones beyond the station opening, or formal directives to staff were stated in the transcript provided; such details were not specified during the recorded remarks. The ceremony focused on recognition and dedication rather than on policymaking or operational changes.