Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Fire Chief Micheal Despain will welcome seven new fire engines at a public event at 10 a.m. Thursday, December 12 at Fire Station 15, 6601 Pine Lake Road.The new fire engines were proposed as part of the city’s 2018 to 2020 budget when Mayor Chris Beutler was in office. In the budget about $2.3 million was set to get up to five new fire engines and an ambulance.
In an interview back in January with KFOR, Fire Chief Despain, noted that firefighters and paramedics responded to more than 26,000 calls for service in 2018, a 9% increase from 2017. Chief Despain says the 3 to 5 year trend shows LFR demand for services is increasing at 3-times the city’s population.