Nearly two years ago, Tucson voters approved a half-cent sale tax increase for road repair and public safety improvements. The city has begun a campaign called "Tucson Delivers" to show voters what they are getting for their money. On Wednesday, city officials revealed one of the largest projects is a new fire station.
Battalion Chief Jeff Thompson led visitors single-file down a narrow hallway through the dorm area of Tucson Fire Station Nine, where firefighters sleep on twin beds in rooms the size of a closet. "It's really hard to make those beds too," Thompson said. "If you look at those mattresses, they barely fit in that cubbyhole."
Station Nine, on Tucson's east side, was built in 1966. It's nicknamed the "House of Pain" because it houses 14 firefighters and paramedics in a space designed for nine.