Latest Issue: May 26, 2022
New Southern Stone County Fire Station now complete, ready to staff 24/7
Fire Station Two, located on Business 13 between Branson West and Kimberling City, is now complete.
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The new fire station has bunk rooms for full time staff, a large kitchen, a workout room, and four bays for the department's fire trucks and equipment.
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Kadee Brosseau DeCourley
The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District now has a new fire station. Fire Station Two, located on Business 13 between Branson West and Kimberling City, is now complete.
“[The area of Station Two] is busy. That’s why we built this station here. The Kimberling City area is just busy, busy, busy. A lot of our calls are Station Two calls, which will be this station,” Chief Keith Wolven explained.
The new station is more than 14,000 square feet and full time staff will soon work out of the building around-the-clock.
“We already man Station One in Branson West 24/7. It’s a two person shift. We started hiring for this station a few months ago. So, actually we have three people on shift up there [at Station One] now. One of those [firefighters] is designed to come here,” Chief Wolven said.
Chief Wolven said once the department is fully staffed, Station One will have two people per shift and Station Two will have two people per shift.
“Basically, normal staffing will be two people 24/7 out of each station, which will give us four people on shift,” Chief Wolven said.
Chief Wolven said, even with the new station, the department will still rely heavily on volunteer firefighters.
“So, we have a mix of volunteer and career [firefighters],” Chief Wolven said.
The department plans to have staff working out of the station by about June or July. They are currently looking to hire career firefighters to staff the station. They are also still waiting to receive some of the items that will make the station fully operational, like furniture for the bunkrooms and the refrigerator for the kitchen.
“The doors for the weight room are also not here yet,” Chief Wolven explained.
The new station sits right next to the department’s maintenance building, which was in-use prior to the new station being built. There is a short, enclosed walkway between the department’s maintenance shop and the new building.
The former Station Two, which is located off Joe Bald Road, will still be owned by the department, but used for storage. Chief Wolven said the new location of Station Two will make it easier for firefighters to respond to calls more quickly and safely.
“With this access and approach out front, we now have easy access north or south,” Chief Wolven said. “Our other station, you had to come out of Fire Station Road to a blind corner, hang a left, then make a hard right to a stoplight. Then, go north or south from there. This is a lot easier. We are out the door and rolling down the road without having to take as much time and effort.”
Chief Wolven said the main purpose of the new station was for it to be functional. It has four large bays to accommodate the department’s vehicles.
“We are big enough here that we can get more trucks in here and it doesn’t matter the size of the truck. These are 14 foot tall doors. So, we are not going to have a problem with bigger, taller trucks. We don’t want to be that fire department that buys a brand new truck and realizes it won’t fit in any fire station,” Chief Wolven said.
If you’re interested in becoming a career firefighter with the department, visit: sscfpd.org/employment
The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District now has a new fire station. Fire Station Two, located on Business 13 between Branson West and Kimberling City, is now complete.
“[The area of Station Two] is busy. That’s why we built this station here. The Kimberling City area is just busy, busy, busy. A lot of our calls are Station Two calls, which will be this station,” Chief Keith Wolven explained.
The new station is more than 14,000 square feet and full time staff will soon work out of the building around-the-clock.
“We already man Station One in Branson West 24/7. It’s a two person shift. We started hiring for this station a few months ago. So, actually we have three people on shift up there [at Station One] now. One of those [firefighters] is designed to come here,” Chief Wolven said.
Chief Wolven said once the department is fully staffed, Station One will have two people per shift and Station Two will have two people per shift.
“Basically, normal staffing will be two people 24/7 out of each station, which will give us four people on shift,” Chief Wolven said.
Chief Wolven said, even with the new station, the department will still rely heavily on volunteer firefighters.
“So, we have a mix of volunteer and career [firefighters],” Chief Wolven said.
The department plans to have staff working out of the station by about June or July. They are currently looking to hire career firefighters to staff the station. They are also still waiting to receive some of the items that will make the station fully operational, like furniture for the bunkrooms and the refrigerator for the kitchen.
“The doors for the weight room are also not here yet,” Chief Wolven explained.
The new station sits right next to the department’s maintenance building, which was in-use prior to the new station being built. There is a short, enclosed walkway between the department’s maintenance shop and the new building.
The former Station Two, which is located off Joe Bald Road, will still be owned by the department, but used for storage. Chief Wolven said the new location of Station Two will make it easier for firefighters to respond to calls more quickly and safely.
“With this access and approach out front, we now have easy access north or south,” Chief Wolven said. “Our other station, you had to come out of Fire Station Road to a blind corner, hang a left, then make a hard right to a stoplight. Then, go north or south from there. This is a lot easier. We are out the door and rolling down the road without having to take as much time and effort.”
Chief Wolven said the main purpose of the new station was for it to be functional. It has four large bays to accommodate the department’s vehicles.
“We are big enough here that we can get more trucks in here and it doesn’t matter the size of the truck. These are 14 foot tall doors. So, we are not going to have a problem with bigger, taller trucks. We don’t want to be that fire department that buys a brand new truck and realizes it won’t fit in any fire station,” Chief Wolven said.
If you’re interested in becoming a career firefighter with the department, visit: sscfpd.org/employment