The area’s newest fire station opened this week, and will benefit the entire region

The City of Brookville’s Fire Department is moving into its new 12,000-square-foot Fire Station 76 on E. Upper Lewisburg Salem Road. TY GREENLEES / STAFF

The City of Brookville’s Fire Department is moving into its new 12,000-square-foot Fire Station 76 on E. Upper Lewisburg Salem Road. TY GREENLEES / STAFF

Brookville’s new fire station will serve as a state-of-the-art training center and allow the city to close two older fire stations.

The new Fire Station 76 is the flagship of the city’s facilities and will set the tone for future development on the new Market Street, said City Manager Gary Burkholder. The facility — which the city issued $6.3 million in bonds to pay for — is expected to be used for the next 50-70 years.

The new station was put into service on Thursday morning. Captain Jim Hart raised the city flag, Captain Dan Wolfe raised the Ohio flag and captains Ed Ullery and Mike Hensley raised the American flag.

“It’s a much-needed improvement,” said Lt. Tyler Ullery. “It’s big.”

The 23,000-square-foot station, at 775 E. Upper Lewisburg-Salem Road, sits on 2.74 acres. The city broke ground for the new station in November 2016.

Up to nine firefighters will be housed at the new building around the clock, said Brookville Fire Chief Ron Fletcher. The department now staffs five firefighters and the chief on a 40-hour shift.

The facility will be used regionally as a training center and Emergency Operations Center. The station will serve the communities of Brookville, northern Perry Twp. and southern Clay Twp.

Burkholder praised what he called a timely decision to build the facility.

“With rising interest rates and the scarcity of workforce, the city made the right decision to move forward when it did. If we were to start this project today, the cost could be up to $500,000 higher,” he said.

The other two stations in the city will close. Station 1 has been in operation for 67 years and will likely be sold, Fletcher said. Station 2 has been in service for more than 35 years and will be re-purposed for the Service Department to use for the storage of equipment.

The fire department will have an open house from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., July 22. The event is open to the public. Visit the fire department's website or contact the chief at 937-833-2345 for more information.

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