Strafford Fire Protection District is looking ahead to construction of a new fire house

STRAFFORD, Mo. (KY3) - The Strafford Fire Protection District will break ground this fall on a new fire station.

More than 60% of voters approved $8 million in bonds in early April.

The district will spend $5 million on a new station and renovations to existing ones. The other $3 million will buy a new ladder truck. Strafford Fire Chief Jake Agee says the 1992 model fire truck does not have a long enough ladder. The chief says its technology is outdated. Chief Agee said the nearly 30 year old truck has seen its time in the field.

“That’s the truck that you go out and get the key and it always starts, it’s always ready to go,” said Chief Agee. “Being a 92 model, it’s one of the oldest trucks in our fleet.”

Chief Agee said the future would be different without the bond.

“Without it with the amount of growth, we were really facing hardships in the future,” said Chief Agee.

Chief Agee said this money will set them apart to give good help to not only their community but other fire districts for 20 years.

People who live in Strafford, like Toni Fournier, and Linda Compton, appreciate that service.

“Every time she hears a siren, she runs out there to watch them. really appreciative of what they do and how close they are,” said Fournier. “Feel a lot safer.

“I think it’s great,” said Compton. “We need good coverage to protect people in their homes.”

Chief Agee also said their Insurance Safety Office rating or ISO could have gone up if the bond didn’t pass because this office rates fire departments based off equipment and area.

“The problem is with the growth, we needed that second station on the South side of town to where we could maintain that ISO,” said Chief Agee.

Insurance officials said insurance rates could go down with a new station and firefighters couldn’t be happier.

“It was a great relief and get done, it was a lot of hard work,” said Chief Agee.

He said they should be breaking ground on the new station in the fall, and you should be seeing some of that new equipment soon.

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