VIDEO: Marion Fire Department has a new headquarters on the growing north side of the city.
The project saw several months of delays because of the pandemic and derecho, but firefighters are finally moving into the new building, Fire Station 1. The city held a ceremony today to celebrate its opening on Irish Drive, just north of the new YMCA.
This is Marion’s third fire station. Its two stories include de-contamination and training areas, as well as a storm shelter. It’s also home to the city’s disaster emergency operations center.
Fire Chief Deb Krebill said the building’s design has a special emphasis on improving the physical and mental health of its firefighters.
“Biophilia. And I don’t know if you know what biophilia is, but it’s bringing nature into the building,” Krebill said. “By bringing nature in it helps calm our firefighters throughout the day, when they come back from a bad call, there’s areas of the building that bring in nature, we have a green roof.”