As Bryan continues to grow, the demands on the fire department have also increased.
Last year, the fire department received more than 11,000 calls for service. That's 3,000 more calls than it received in 2006. The increasing demand has put a strain on the department's resources.
Fire Station 2 was built in the 1960s and the crew inside has outgrown the walls. Bunk space is limited, kitchen space is limited, garage space is limited, and even workout space is hard to find.
"In order to workout, because of limited space, especially here in the bay, we actually have to pull our medic out and in pulling it out we lose the ability to run it on our shoreline," said Robby Williamson, a paramedic with Station 2. "We have to burn our gasoline with the generator."
At Tuesday's city council meeting, the council addressed the issues Station 2 is facing. The council voted on and approved a construction contract to build a replacement for station.
"It will be five apparatus bases instead of two," said Chief Randy McGregor. "It's going to have a training room, a weight room, it's going to have office space for administrative personnel as well."
The council also asked the department to come up with a plan for the future. Things being looked at include new stations and extended coverage to accommodate growth.