[Scan-DC] COMING SOON: Mont Co. FD Co. 22

[Alan Henney]

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

Tom Carr, Fire Chief   Pete Piringer, Public Information Officer
Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, 12th Floor, Rockville,
Maryland, 20850

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   November 27, 2007

GROUNDBREAKING – New Fire/Rescue Station in Germantown Area
First new, expanded fire and rescue service in over 25 years

On Thursday, November 29, 2007 ground will be broken for one of five
new fire and rescue stations to be built in the next couple of years
in the upcounty area of Montgomery County. County Executive Isiah
Leggett, Fire Chief Tom Carr and County Council Vice President Michael
Knapp and other community leaders will ceremoniously ‘break ground’
for a new fire and rescue station in the West Germantown/ Kingsview
area.  The Germantown/Kingsview fire station is the first new,
including an expanded emergency service, fire and rescue station to be
built in Montgomery County in over 25 years.

The Germantown greater area currently has one fire rescue station,
Fire Station 29, serving a population of approximately 86,000.  Fire
Station 29, located at 20001 Crystal Rock Drive, serves a first due
area of about 28 square miles, including Germantown, Boyds, Clarksburg
and areas south and west.  In the last decade or so there has been a
rapid population growth and added development and no new fire and
rescue facilities to serve the call load in this area has been added
since the 1980’s. The original building serving this area, Fire
Station 29 was opened on January 7, 1981, as a sub-station to
Hyattstown's Fire Station 9.  Twenty years ago, in 1988, an additional
apparatus bay, a new enlarged commercial kitchen, 10 more bunks, and a
separate women's shower and dressing room were added with a remodeling
in order to better serve the growing community.
2 – Groundbreaking

In February 2000, the Montgomery County Council approved amendments to
the Fire, Rescue, and EMS Master Plan, including recommendations to
build two new fire stations in Germantown (east and west).  In
February 2001, the recommended site near the intersection of
Germantown Road and Clopper Road was approved.

In November 2005 an interim fire and rescue station was opened in an
existing warehouse facility in an industrial area in Clarksburg to
serve the growing area between Germantown and Hyattstown.  This was a
newly delivered service to this area, the first in decades for the
County, but the new fire and rescue station has yet to be built.

The new Germantown/Kingsview Fire Station, designated as Fire Station
#22, will have six apparatus bays, administrative space, living space,
private quarters, support spaces, and will encompass 16,150 square
feet. The one-story fire station will be situated on a 3.9 acre lot
and construction costs are projected to be about nine (9) million
dollars

The initial planned apparatus/staffing assignments and complements
will include one (1) engine staffed with four persons and two (2) EMS
units staffed with two personnel each, to be supplemented by volunteer
staffing. Other response units may be added in the future as resource
allocation is continually evaluated.

Fire Station #22’s first due area will cover over 20 square miles,
which include residences, commercial properties, and schools in
Clopper Village and Kingsview Village, as well as the recreation
facilities at South Germantown Recreation Park.

The projected station opening is winter 2008.