By Breven Honda
Triple-digit heat at 9 a.m. did not stop the Mesquite Fire and Rescue Department from holding its groundbreaking ceremony of the new fire station No. 2 on June 11.
Located near the intersection of Horizon and Canyon Crest boulevards, this new fire station comes at an important time when new houses and buildings will arise in the area in the coming years.
“It very well. We had a good turnout,” Mesquite Fire and Rescue Chief Jayson Andrus said of the groundbreaking`“I feel super proud and proactive, that we’re putting the infrastructure in before and not reactive years after we need it. So, it’s exciting. Health care is a big issue in our country, and the emergency medical services that we provide is a really important link in that chain.
“That infrastructure for a city that has a median age of 60 years old and that has substantial health care needs, we play a big role in that.”
Besides Andrus, some of the notable personnel in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony included City of Mesquite Mayor Jesse Whipple, City of Mesquite Public Works Director Travis Anderson and Hoyt Hsiao, the CEO of Shaw Lundquist, the contractors of the new fire station.
All four talked leading up to the shoveling portion of the ceremony.
During Mayor Whipple’s speech, he talked about this new fire station, which will help response times while also making a personal connection.
“Right now, we’re operating at fire station three, which carries most of the calls to that area, so it’s going to save them about half the amount of time,” Whipple said. “We can cut that in half.
“I didn’t bring this up in the speech, but my dad died years ago from a heart attack. We lived in Bunkerville, and if we’d have had that short response time that this fire station can provide for those people up there, he might still be alive today.
“It’s nobody’s fault that the response times they had. They did an excellent job back then, you know, 30 years ago when my father passed away. You still have to drive a certain amount of time. The less amount of time that they have to be in transit, the better chance they have at saving somebody’s life.”
Whipple also praised his gratitude to everyone for reaching the groundbreaking stage of construction.
“As the mayor, I speak for the citizens of Mesquite, and I think I can freely do so and say every citizen of Mesquite is grateful that we’re getting these new fire stations, these new facilities,” he said. “It was an honor for me to get up there and thank everybody that was so integral and being part of making it happen, and not only all those (on the planning committee), but also the taxpayers, the citizens that their money helped make that happen.”
Because of how much funds were set aside and budgeted, they did not have to dip into the town’s general fund to pay for the construction.
While not having to dip into the general fund, Andrus said they expect some challenges along the way.
“We’ve already experienced lots of uncertainty with tariffs and what that looks like, what it doesn’t look like,” Andrus said. “I think the economic questions that are out there is a concern. But I don’t want to foresee a lot of major challenges with the construction process. It’s already started.
“We’re moving forward. It’ll take approximately one year for construction. I don’t anticipate a lot of major challenges there.”
Within the new fire station, there will also be amenities for the firefighters in between calls, from individual living spaces and potential expansion, if needed.
With construction expected to take around 12 months, the ribbon cutting ceremony is expected for some time next June.
Despite all the challenges, Whipple praised Andrus for the work that the Mesquite Fire and Rescue Department do on a daily basis.
“I’d like to thank our Chief Andrus and our fire department, because they do an amazing job,” Whipple said. “I never get any complaints. Everybody compliments them. They run a good department, and they’ve saved a lot of lives. Hopefully this will allow them to do it and save even more.”
