St.Marys firefighters are getting to calls faster since they moved into their new station.
In the year that the fire hall on James Street South has now been opened, officials say the department’s response time has shortened from 7.78 minutes to 6.19 minutes.
Fire Chief Richard Anderson says a study was done on where the new hall should be, based on where the majority of calls come from, and he says they learned it was best to build on the same property where the old hall was located.
Anderson adds it makes it a lot easier now that all of their equipment is in one place.
“Now that we have our bunker gear stored in the fire hall, the firefighters actually respond to the fire hall, they get dressed in the fire hall, jump on the trucks and go.”
Another reason being credited for the quick response is the hall’s bay doors now facing James Street, making it easier for trucks to hit the road in the event of an emergency.