SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Fire Department opened Station 5 on the city’s southwest side, marking the completion of a multi-year plan to improve emergency response times.
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This facility is the last of three new fire stations built to serve the community.
The development of Station 5 took more than five years to complete.
The relocation was a deliberate move to address coverage gaps across the city.
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The department previously sought to move two of its three stations to the south end of town, with Station 8 moving to the southeast and Station 5 to the southwest.
Springfield Fire Chief Jacob King said the strategic placement of the stations is designed to manage the department’s efficiency as the city changes.
“So spreading out and realigning where we’re responding from is going to allow us to maintain and not enhance our response times to the community,” King said.
The new facility also serves as a permanent home for Box 27, a volunteer firefighting group.
The organization has maintained a partnership with the Springfield Fire Department for 91 years.
Members of the volunteer group previously lacked a dedicated home base despite their long-standing collaboration with city fire crews.
Chief King noted that the inclusion of Box 27 in the new station expands the volunteers’ ability to assist other agencies.
“Now they’re able to support every fire and Police Department in the entire county,” King said.
Crews responded to a fire call shortly after the event concluded and arrived at the scene in record time.
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