Springfield to open Fire Station No. 5 March 4; officials say realignment will speed response times

Jacob King, a representative of Springfield Fire Rescue, announced on ChiefChat that Fire Station No. 5 will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 4 at 1:30 p.m. at 50 North Thompson. He said the new station is the third in a series of facilities intended to replace older stations and realign the department's footprint to improve citywide emergency response.

"It is the third of our series of new fire stations," King said, adding that the new houses are replacements rather than additions. He stressed planning to make the station useful for decades, noting "we are operating at 6 minutes and 15 seconds on average across the entire city" and citing the commonly referenced national benchmark of seven minutes from call to arrival.

King described station designs that aim to accommodate changes in apparatus size and capability over the next 50 years and said the project is intended to maximize the "best use of those dollars" for community service and faster responses. He also said Station 6, opened last year, includes an incorporated police substation, and Station 8 has partnerships with Clark State College to host academy students for recruiting and training.

The department asked residents to attend the March 4 ceremony and said station openings are part of broader recruitment and readiness plans; King noted 10 recruits are currently in the fire recruit academy and will raise staffing when they join the street crews. The city gave the ceremony time and location as part of its public information on the City of Springfield website.

The broadcast did not include a formal vote or ordinance; officials presented the station as part of ongoing capital and operational planning and encouraged residents to attend the ribbon-cutting.