On Monday November 9th the newly constructed Grand Junction Fire Department Station 6 began responding to calls. The station is the first of three new fire stations to be built and funded by the voter-approved First Responder Tax that went into effect in 2020.
Traditionally GJFD would host a community-wide open house to share the facility with the public. In light of the pandemic, GJFD is re-creating that opportunity in the online environment. “With the help of Step Beyond Media, we’ve taken a page from the real-estate industry to provide an immersive and educational tour of the station,” said Fire Chief Ken Watkins. By using Matterport to map the station, community members can virtually walk through and explore the features of the new building.
Since opening, Station 6 has been slightly busier than anticipated. Between the fire truck, the 24-hour ambulance, and the 12-hour daytime ambulance, the station is averaging 10 calls per day. Like most other GJFD stations, the bulk of calls are EMS calls, with only a small portion requiring lights and sirens. “We really reserve the lights and sirens for life and death calls. It’s dangerous for drivers on the road and it’s dangerous for our crews," said Watkins.
The online station tour is now available and open to the public.
For questions about the station or the online tour contact the Community Outreach Office at (970)549-5858 or by email at GJFirepio@gjcity.org.