City of Davenport Celebrates Grand Opening Of Fire Station No. 2
by James Coulter
Nearly three months after opening for operation, Davenport’s second fire station celebrated its grand opening last Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce.
The 3,000 square-foot building, which includes a 1,200-square-foot drive-through bay, houses two trucks and a mini-pumper, and will be manned by six recently-hired firefighters, as reported by Four Corners News-Sun.
The new facility was constructed to help service Davenport’s growing population, which is likewise expected to see an increase of emergency calls, with the city now home to approximately 11,000 residents, the News-Sun reported.
Davenport Fire Chief J.T. Torrance proudly boasted about how the constructed project was finished on budget, not once going over its $700,000 funding, the News-Sun reported.
Nearly three months after finishing construction, the new facility celebrated its grand opening with an inauguration ceremony hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. Attending the event that afternoon were many important local figures, including State Representative Sam Killebrew and County Commissioner Martha Santiago.
The ceremony started with opening comments from City Mayor H.B. Robinson III and Fire Chief Torrance. Polk County Fire Chaplain Murphey Hanley offered the opening invocation, and the national anthem was performed by students from Ridge Community High School.
Vice Mayor Brynn Summerlin mentioned how the new fire department shows how much the city has grown over the past few years. As a local resident since 1969, he remembers fondly how his father and his father’s friends worked for the volunteer fire department, which answered calls from a fire horn at City Hall.
“We outgrew them,” Summerlin said. “We became a town large enough that we needed something bigger and better than a volunteer fire department. This will not be our last firehouse. I think this is the second of many to come.”
During his opening invocation, Chaplain Hanley praised God for providing the city with the blessings of growth and size, and by offering it with the necessary resources to construct a new facility to better provide necessary services.
“We thank you for this facility and the people who dedicated their lives to the service of others,” he said. “We will have this place to call their house to train, to hone their skills, and when the call is over, to gather, regroup, and refresh.”
Most prominent about the new facility is how it helps betokens the city’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, which helps determine homeowner’s insurance rates.
The city’s ISO currently stands at 2, the closest rating to the lowest rating. The lower the rating, the lower homeowner insurance rates. The city hopes to eventually reach an ISO rating of 1, Vice Mayor Summerlin said.
“That is a reason we are jumping up and down with these ratings: because it can be higher, and your rates can be higher,” he said.
The new fire station is located at 1461 North Blvd. West in Davenport. For more information, visit https://www.mydavenport.org/fire
