Ground broken for new Canyon Creek Fire/EMS station

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department, Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin’s Capital Delivery Services Department broke ground Tuesday on a new joint fire/EMS station in northwest Austin.

The new Canyon Creek Fire/EMS station (AFD #54/EMS #43) is the last of five high-priority stations being built to keep up with the city’s population growth.

City council voted in 2018 to build five new stations in six years. The project aimed to address the need for enhanced emergency response capabilities in areas with low response times and high population growth.

Related: New fire, EMS station opens in west Austin, Travis County

“This area is growing rapidly as are many other areas in the city of Austin, we are seeing the density increases, and this will help us to have the adequate response times,” Chief Robert Luckritz of ATCEMS said. “We are excited to break ground on the last of five new stations in six years. Working to meet the goal of constructing and opening multiple new EMS and fire stations while renovating some of our current facilities has been interesting.”

The station is being built on FM 620 south of Anderson Mill Road.

AFD Chief Joel Baker said the station will be more than 13,000 square feet in size, with four apparatus bays, 11 fire dorms, four EMS dorms, a day room, kitchen, gym, plenty of parking for station personnel, and an outdoor space with a walking trail, which will also be used for wildfire training.

The goal is to have the station ready this time next year.

With Tuesday’s groundbreaking, Capital Delivery Services currently has 11 stations under construction, according to Capital Delivery Services Director James Snow.

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