First Look at North Phoenix Fire Station 55
In preparation for groundbreaking in September, a sneak peak of the designs for the City of Phoenix’s new Fire Station 55 were unveiled recently.
The roughly 11,000-square-foot station is to be built at the northeast corner of I-17 and Jomax Road, greatly improving response times to nearby Norterra-area neighborhoods and allowing fast access to the freeway, fire officials said. It’s slated to open by midsummer 2019.
The station will have folding doors in front that will open within seven seconds, said Gerald Adams of Perlman Architects, the firm that designed the project. Standard overhead doors, which take 21 seconds to open, will go on the opposite side.
The design also allows for an additional future wing, if needed, Adams said at a public meeting at Beuf Community Center July 31.
The plan is to have both an engine and ambulance at the ready, allowing four firefighters (two EMTs and two paramedics) to respond to calls along with one EMT and another paramedic assigned for rescue, Deputy Chief Elby Bushong said at the meeting.
“This will provide for an urgent need right now in our area and will help with [station] 56 and 36 and all of the north-side stations within our city for better coverage,” Bushong said.
Station 36 is near Deer Valley Road and 7th Avenue, and Station 56 is in Tramonto. The new Station 55 will replace a temporary station operating out of Residence Inn, at 2035 W. Whispering Wind Drive, just south of Happy Valley Road.
Plans also include widening Jomax Road from the new station to Norterra Parkway to help with traffic flow.
