When Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Gerry Connolly (D) served as Providence District supervisor, his office adjoined Fire Station 30. He learned from the firefighters that during the anthrax scare in October 2001, the county's fire department received more than 900 calls about suspicious substances.
"I got to see my firefighters every day go out on calls," Connolly said. "We celebrate the sacrifice they're always prepared to make."
Connolly was among the officials, project staff and firefighters attending a groundbreaking ceremony on March 18 for a fire station that would house the county's hazardous materials unit, or hazmat, as well as a regular complement of firefighters.
Fairfax Center Fire Station 40 will be located at 4621 Legato Road in Fairfax, with its front facing Legato Road.
Construction has already begun on Fairfax Center Fire Station 40, a $6.1 million, environmentally friendly building, which will use sustainable materials. Designed by Hughes Group Architects and constructed by Zadmer Enterprises, Fairfax Center Fire Station 40's estimated completion date is spring 2005.
"It's going to be a brand-spanking-new facility," Connolly said.
While the hazmat unit will serve the whole county, the regular fire safety crew will serve the areas surrounding it, toward Fairfax City and Centreville, and up to Fairview Fire Station 32 toward the south and Fair Oaks Fire Station 21 to the north. Fairfax Center Fire Station 40 itself is situated in the Springfield District of the county.
Fairfax Center Fire Station 40, an approximately 24,000-square-foot building with five bays, will have a 900-square-foot training room, a 2,000-square-foot storage space for hazardous materials, a curriculum development office and a battalion chief's area. It will also have quarters to house 25 personnel for each of the three shifts.
"The growth in this area has been tremendous," said Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), whose district had included Fairfax Center Fire Station 40 before a boundary change. "They knew they needed to build this station. This is going to be in the heart of one of the exciting areas."
The equipment housed at Fairfax Center Fire Station 40 will include a fire engine, medic unit and a ladder truck.
"The groundbreaking today symbolizes keeping the best possible service for the county," said county fire chief Michael P. Neuhard.