CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Chesterfield County Fire and EMS celebrated the opening of a new fire station Wednesday morning in Matoaca.
Community members came together at Fire Station 8 to symbolically cut a ribbon during a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The 15,000-square-foot facility on Hickory Road replaces the station that was on Pickett Road for over 60 years.
Chesterfield County Fire and EMS Chief Loy Senter said the new station has been in service since June and has already responded to over 400 calls.
“When the opportunity presented itself to relocate the fire station, we wanted to find a good strategic location where we could serve the broader community in a much shorter time period,” Senter said.
Officials said that a crew of eight firefighters per shift can now cover 24% more territory and respond to calls faster by being within 5 road miles of 2,800 homes.
“When you dial 911, you want them there yesterday,” said Kevin Carroll, Matoaca District Supervisor. “Each time we build a station, we learn more about what we can do better in the future.”