The Columbus Division of Fire’s resources became strained on the Far East Side as the city expanded eastward with new development starting in the late 1990s.
The long-awaited remedy will arrive in early January with the opening of the division’s newest facility: Station 35 at 711 N. Waggoner Road. “We are estimating over 9,000 people will see a direct impact of reduced response times,” said Battalion Chief Steve Martin.
City residents now depend on firefighters coming to North Waggoner from Station 5 at 211 McNaughten Road 3.7 miles away via East Broad Street. Many times, fire and paramedic units have to contend with congested traffic on East Broad Street, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.