A dedication ceremony for the new station is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, followed by an open house and public tours at 11 a.m.
“We have an area of development in our southeast portion of the township,” said Deputy Chief Nick Bergman. “Moving the fire station, even though it didn’t move very far, it moved out of residential area and onto a main access road, which gets us quicker access to the road and gets quicker access to that southeast portion of the township.”
Washington Twp. purchased the land for the station from Centerville City Schools in 2021, after voters approved a 2.85-mill levy in 2019. The station is next door to Centerville High School.
The new station is opening as fire and emergency medical calls in the township continue to rise, going from 7,751 in 2018 to 9,316 in 2022.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re moving Station 41 from where it currently is to where it’s going to be now, is based off of data that supports our response efforts,” Fire Chief Scott Kujawa told the Dayton Daily News.
Each year since 2018 has seen increases except 2020, when the start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw numbers dip slightly.
The role of the township’s fire department has expanded over the years, Kujawa said. In 1969, the township opened the Maple Avenue station to house smaller fire vehicles and accommodate a department comprised mostly of volunteers. Now, fire and EMS crews respond from five strategically located stations that are staffed 24 hours a day and cover 31 square miles.
The new Station 41, which cost nearly $7.3 million to construct, has been designed to meet community needs “for many years,” according to township Administrator Mike Thonnerieux.
The structure features more room than ever for vehicles, training and fitness, faster-opening carriage doors and an increased amount of bunk rooms, Bergman said. The building layout is designed to help crews respond quickly, he said.
“We’re not having to walk 1,000 feet to get to the apparatus bay,” Bergman said. “The main office area, the bunk rooms, the day room, all dump out straight onto the base floor so that they can respond to calls quickly or not traveling very far within the station.”
Washington Twp. fire and emergency medical calls
2018: 7,751
2019: 8,068
2020: 7,808
2021: 8,759
2022: 9,316
SOURCE: Washington Twp.
Dedication ceremony
WHAT: New Fire Station 41
WHERE: 716 E. Franklin St.
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 29.
DETAILS: A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will feature remarks from township officials and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. An open house at 11 a.m. will allow the public to tour the new fire station.
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