The new stations all include accommodations for both male and female firefighters and more space for additional and larger engines and equipment than what was used when the older stations were built. The oldest station, Station 1, was built in 1953, Fire Chief Jacob King said during an opening celebration for Station 6.
“As it is the first in Springfield’s history to co-house a police substation along withfire and EMS operations, [it is] a physical and symbolic step forward in how we will serve our community,” King said. “I’ve said for years, collaboration is the foundation of effective public service, and today, the collaboration takes shape in bricks and mortar.”
The police substation will be a place for officers working on the east side to file reports and complete other work, rather than having to return to headquarters downtown, City Manager Bryan Heck said.
Springfield Police have another substation on the south side at 17 W. Johnny Lytle Ave., recently renamed in honor of retired former Chief Roger Evans, who died in January 2024.
Station 6 is fully operational as of Tuesday and the previous location at 422 Ludlow Avenue — built in 1957, about three miles west of the new station — is closed and will be used to house reserve engines and apparatus.
The new station expands services to the east side, particularly to the large employment centers like those at the PrimeOhio Corporate Park, Heck said. It also will increase response times to residential areas currently in development, like Melody Parks.
Ross McGregor, president of Pentaflex Inc. located at PrimeOhio, said during the ceremony that having emergency services close by is important to manufacturers.
“Whenever you’re doing heavy manufacturing, there is always the possibility that you’re going to need help, that you’re going to need to pick up the phone and call the first responders,” McGregor said.
Fire Rescue Division members had a say in design choices at Station 6, like countertops and cabinet handles, IAFF Local 333 Vice President Jim Frantz said. This was important because the station becomes a second home to its members, he said.
“We’re here for 24 hours at a time. I’ll spend 1/3 of my life here during the course of my career,” Frantz said. “It’s not just an office place.”
Overall fire station plan
The city opened a new Station 8 at 2040 S. Limestone St. last year, a joint venture with Clark State College to enable emergency services training and classes on site. Before it was complete, the newest city fire station had opened in 1981.
Station 6 was originally expected to open in April but construction was delayed due to increased pricing for materials, King told the News-Sun.
“We were still working through delays associated with COVID and increase in pricing for materials that, strategically if we waited on some of the materials, we received a significant savings,” King said.
A third new station, planned for the former site of The Villager Inn on Thompson Avenue just south of North Street, is expected to open within the year. King said there was no specific opening date yet, but construction on that west-side station “appears to be far ahead of schedule.”
The fire rescue division is seeing “the exact same number” of staff over the past several years, and King said that this is neither good nor bad.
“We’ve been able to effectively provide service to our citizens based on the hard work of the members of the Springfield Fire Rescue Division,” King said.
In 2026, 19% of the department will be eligible to retire but can continue working eight more years, King said.
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