Pueblo officials outline new fire stations, net‑zero design and training upgrades

Pueblo City Council received a progress report on the fire department Monday that laid out opening dates for three new stations, energy and health‑safety design features, and a series of operational and training upgrades aimed at improving response times and community safety.

The update said Station 11 is on schedule to open in June 2025, Station 8 in July 2025 and the new Station 6 in December 2025. Officials described the new facilities as “designed to a net‑zero standard” using geothermal well fields for heating and cooling and on‑site solar to offset electric demand; only backup generators will use fossil fuel, officials said.

The station builds are intended to improve coverage and lower travel times across the city. “With the new locations, all the stations will have full coverage of the city with a 4 minute response time,” Captain Dan Jones, accreditation manager, told councilors. Jones said the department is focused on reducing turnout time — the interval from notification until apparatus movement — toward the national 90‑second standard: “We’re a little bit over that and we’re shooting to improve on that.”

Barb Huber, who presented the update for the Pueblo Fire Department, and Andrew Hayes of Public Works provided status details for each site. Officials described Station 11 (at 24 West 204th Street and Perry) as roughly 60% complete; Station 8 (on Jerry Murphy Road, replacing the facility on Bonfort) at about 40% complete; and Station 6 (near East Fourth Street and Victory Lane) at roughly 15% complete. Hayes said site curb and gutter, grading and structural steel work vary by site and noted related street improvements on Victory Lane near Station 6.

Councilors asked how the city would use the old stations. Huber said the existing Station 8 will be converted to office space for administrative personnel and storage rather than first‑response; equipment from the current Station 8 will move to the new Station 8. The current Station 6 building will no longer be used as a fire station, she said; no firm plans for that facility were announced.

The department also outlined planned personnel and equipment moves. Huber told councilors the council will see a final ordinance next week to convert three firefighter positions to engineer positions needed for the new Station 11; those positions, she said, had already been included in the 2025 budget and the ordinance finalizes their classification. Jones said nine of 18 newly created promotional positions have already been filled and others will be promoted closer to station openings so they have facilities to occupy.

Officials described several program and equipment upgrades: expanded hands‑on training and practical promotion exams, a mentoring program, state‑level certification efforts, and medical equipment upgrades including electrocardiogram monitors that the department said were funded in part by a prior council appropriation. Huber said the department purchased new laryngoscopes and EKG monitors and noted about $250,000 was approved for those monitor purchases.

On community risk reduction, the department said last year’s wildland mitigation operations cleared more than 80 acres in areas including Menoqua Lake, the Fountain River and the Arkansas River; staff reported about 45 public events, 18 fire‑safety education outreaches and roughly 3,000 individuals reached through public education. The department reported roughly 26,000 calls in 2024, a 4% increase over the prior year, and said its “directing others to services” program handled about 859 calls.

Staff also described technology and building‑design choices intended to reduce lifetime operating costs: geothermal HVAC, solar, and building compartmentation designed to keep contaminated gear out of clean areas. Huber said the city received grant funding to offset station energy system costs; the transcript contained differing figures (a statement of $390,000 and a later statement of three $90,000 grants totaling $270,000). The presentation did not resolve which total was correct.

Finally, the department described preparations for lithium‑battery and electric vehicle fires and said new containment blankets and special containers are being added to apparatus because such fires can reignite and require different tactics. Huber closed by thanking council and the community for support and said the department will continue commissioning, testing and measurement to verify expected energy and operational savings.

The council will see the ordinance converting three positions on next week’s agenda; station openings and additional staffing moves were set to occur as each building becomes available.