Some West Palm Beach firefighters are getting used to a new home. Fire station 9 on North Haverhill Road has been open one week and it’s already improved response times in the western part of the city.
Firefighters are always on standby in an emergency.
“Every tick of the clock counts,” said Chief Daniel Hanes, of the West Palm Beach Fire Department.
Lives are at stake.
Fire Station 9 covers a relatively small area in West Palm Beach. At least once a day firefighters respond to a call at MorseLife Health System, a geriatric facility on Fred Gladstone Drive.
“If you've ever been with a patient who needs to be stabilized, who needs medical response, a minute can seem like an hour,” said Marie Hankinson, a nurse at MorseLife Health System.
Until the station opened, firefighters from another station four miles away, responded to calls.
“We were seeing response times of about five to six minutes,” said Hankinson.
Thanks to the new fire station on North Haverhill Road response times have improved dramatically.
“Since they moved in down the street, we're happy to say we cut our response times in half, which is huge for us,” said Hankinson. “Minutes save lives.”
Three firefighters work in shifts 24 hours a day. They’re ready to respond to emergencies on a moment’s notice.
“There's a lot of planning involved,” said Lt. Manny Garcia, a firefighter at Station 9. “So even with getting through the intersection, making sure you do it safely.”
The fire chief says the average response time in the city is about six and a half minutes. With the new station, they’ve cut their average response from nine to two minutes.
“The whole idea about being out here is about saving lives,” said Chief Daniel Hanes.
The new station is a temporary facility. The fire chief hopes to move to a permanent one in the next three years.
