Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Matthews Fire Chief: Station 3 on track for March move-in; open house planned for spring
Summary
At the Jan. 27 meeting the chief reported the town’s new Fire Station 3 is nearing completion, the department hired new staff and an ISO grading review is scheduled for May. The chief said the department is expanding mutual-aid ties with Charlotte and expects to move into the new station in March with a public open house planned for May.
Matthews Fire Chief Rob Kinenberg told the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 27 that Fire Station 3 is nearing the end of construction and the department is preparing to occupy the facility this spring.
Kinenberg said contractors completed a punch walk and the department remains on schedule to move in on March 1, while the final certificate of occupancy will follow once furniture and appliances are installed. "We still are on schedule to move in March 1st... We cannot get our final certificate of occupancy until we get all the furniture, all the appliances and everything in it," Kinenberg said.
Kinenberg also reviewed 2024 activity: the department responded to 3,935 calls for service, completed 19,506 hours of training, hired 13 new firefighters and added three battalion chief positions. He told commissioners the department will host a community open house and celebration for the new station in early May; a precise date will be announced when details are finalized.
Mutual aid and ISO grading
The chief reported Matthews now has an automatic aid agreement with the City of Charlotte and is expanding reciprocal coverage arrangements with departments in Union County and neighboring jurisdictions. He said those deployment and mutual-aid improvements, together with Station 3, would improve the town’s standing in the upcoming ISO review in May; the department missed a class‑1 rating by a point and a half in the prior review.
Why it matters
The new station is intended to reduce response times for much of the town; Kinenberg said Station 3 and the mutual-aid agreements will place nearly 80% of the town within about 1.5 miles of a first-response station. Commissioners asked about the station’s exterior work and landscaping; the chief said outdoor tasks remain but the interior is nearing readiness.
Ending
Kinenberg said the department hopes to be fully operational at the new station by April 1 and will announce the community open-house date as soon as it is set.
