VIDEO: Cedar Rapids recently did a study on its nine fire stations, and the recommendation is to build four new fire stations to replace outdated ones.
This wouldn’t add to the total number of stations, but the fire chief said it would allow firefighters to be more responsive to the needs of the city.
Fire stations Five on Wilson Avenue Southwest and fire station 6 on Mount Vernon Road Southeast were both built in 1957.
Fire Chief Greg Smith said firefighting has changed since then.
“If you take a fire truck in 1957 versus a fire truck in 2024, you’re gonna notice a dramatic difference,” Smith said.
Smith said because modern firefighting demands a broader expertise, some older facilities have fallen behind.
“In 1957, fire trucks were going to fires. Now we go to fires, medical calls, water rescue calls, a lot of different things, and we carry a lot more water,” Smith said.