Starkville”s newest fire station lives up to the hype.
From the outside, there isn”t much to set Fire Station No. 5 from the other four around the city. It”s actually a prototype of two other Starkville Fire Department stations.
The bells and whistles are scattered through the guts of the structure — energy-efficient heating and cooling units, motion-censored lighting to reduce energy waste and materials made without carcinogenic volatile organic compounds. It”s also equipped with a generator that can provide power for any function; most stations around the state either don”t have a backup generator or have one with limited range.
Fire Station No. 5, which had its grand opening Wednesday, is designed to accommodate an engine company and Emergency Medical Services company if growth in the west side of Starkville dictates the need.
Located at the corner of Garrard Road and the Highway 25 bypass, the 5,000-square-foot station will reduce run times and enhance current EMS operations.
“We”re shooting for the two-minute mark (for average response time),” SFD Chief Rodger Mann said.
Station No. 5 solves a coverage-radius issue in west Starkville, which fell out of all four of the other stations” areas. That, along with a projected 25-percent saved in energy consumption, will have an economic impact on the entire city.
The city of Starkville”s fire rating is currently a 5 out of 10, 1 being the highest rating; if it lowers to a 4, commercial business owners would save significantly in fire insurance.
Cities are rated every four years, and Starkville will be rerated in the fall.
“There could be some savings for residential homes but the savings for commercial property can be a major recruiting tool for the city,” Mann said. “There”s not many Class 4s in the state, and getting us there was one of my primary goals.”
Starkville”s initiative to build a “green” facility could make it the first city in the state to have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified station.
Through the help of consultant Chris Cosper, LEED standards were at the forefront of planning and construction. In just 15 days, the city finalized mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans to meet a short deadline to qualify for a chunk of the $8.07 million. Mississippi was awarded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Starkville navigated the narrow time frame to secure a construction bid and to get the plans environmentally cleared by the Mississippi Development Authority, all the while making sure LEED standards were met.
“Chris initially did some thing that weren”t met with agreement,” Mann said. “But we”re sure glad he stuck with it.”
Cosper anticipates the city applying for LEED certification, which will include a detailed checklist for its rating system, in the next year.
“We took the prototype and we incorporated sustainable design features into the prototype,” Cosper said. “The important thing was staying on budget. We had to have an awardable project in a short time, considering the complexity of this building. That means you”re going to be hit with some inflation, but they did a very good job picking systems that are LEED compliant and cost-effective.”
One of 18 geographically dispersed projects in Mississippi, Starkville received a grant of $937,328 to build the station. Golden Triangle Planning and Development project analyst Phyllis Benson wrote the grant application. She was responsible for making sure the project met federal guidelines of the grant.
“She was instrumental in bringing this idea to the city,” Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman said. “It needs to be noted that something like this doesn”t happen by accident; this is something that happens in a place where people care enough to keep eyes pealed and pounce on opportunities.
“It was going to have to be built in the near future anyway, so to be able to build this without taxpayer expense is a tremendous boost to this community.”
The station is currently operated by the SFD battalion chiefs, but Mann said it will eventually have a four-man crew.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
