ODESSA, Texas — If you live in the Lawndale area or near Grandview Avenue, you might hear the sound of construction going on. That is all because progress is being made on two new fire stations in Odessa.
NewsWest 9 spoke with John Alvarez, Fire Chief for the City of Odessa Fire Rescue. He said the city is growing and therefore public services have to as well.
"If you look at our stats from last year, we had over 20,800 runs within this department," said Alvarez. "When I started almost 30 years ago, we were making 10 to 11,000 runs a year. Since I have been here the amount of incidents is much higher and has practically doubled."
Alvarez said public services always have to be kept in mind when any city expands.
"This city has grown in square mileage in the city limits," said Alvarez. "When you have growth like that and you have new houses coming, you have to look at providing public safety. That public safety is from fire rescue to police departments or putting in a parks department. That all has to grow as well."
Alvarez told NewsWest 9 Fire Station 9 will serve the Lawndale area that has seen growth in the last few years.
"The north side of town is growing and it was expanding because we see new homes left and right," said Alvarez. "We are putting that station next to an elementary school. "That is a good location for us because it will give us the ability to respond quicker out there in that part of our community."
Alvarez said that as for Fire Station 6, that station is getting an upgrade.
"Our current station number 6 was built in 1959 and it is in dire need of repairs and updates," said Alvarez. "It was the only station that we had that you backed up an apparatus into. That can be very difficult for our guys especially when the fire trucks are getting bigger."
The new fire station 6 at Grandview Ave. and Penbrook St. will be ready in July. Station 9 should be ready to go by April.