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Glenwood Fire Station Dedicated

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services dedicated the county's 12th station on Monday morning.

 

 

Local officials dedicated Howard County's 12th fire station at a small ceremony on Monday morning.

The 10,000-square-foot, $3.8 million fire station will service western Howard County and will employ 41 firefighters. The Glenwood station is the first entirely new station to be built in the county since 1994, according to the fire department.

The station caused some controversy earlier this year when the County Council voted to raise the fire tax from 13.55 cents per $100 of assessed value in the eastern part of the county and 11.55 cents in the western part, to a unified tax of 17.6 cents, which will help pay for the new station's expenses.

The additional tax is expected to generate $63.1 million in Fiscal Year 2012 and $78.1 million in FY 2013, according to Raymond S. Wacks, the Howard County Budget Administrator. The additional funds would pay for the new staff at the Glenwood station and offset lost revenue from declining real estate assessments, according to Wacks.

The new station has three truck bays, sleeping quarters for eight firefighters, an exercise room, kitchen and dining room and offices, according to the fire department.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and HCDFRS Chief William Goddard helped lead the dedication ceremony on Monday.

"Proud to be in western [Howard County] for the dedication of the Glenwood fire station," wrote Ken Ulman on Facebook. "Response times are critical & this station will fill an important void to help save lives faster."

 

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Related Topics: Fire Department, Fire Tax, Glenwood Fire Station, and Howard County

H.R. Pufnstuf

8:51 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

"The Glenwood station is the first entirely new station to be built in the county since 1994, according to the fire department."

The Fire Department is shockingly ignorant about their departments if that is actually what they said. West Friendship built a new station a few years ago. The WFVFD paid for it themselves, however, without tax dollars.

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Andrew Metcalf

12:34 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Per the fire department, the West Friendship station was not an entirely new fire station, it replaced an old one at that location. This one is in a new location where no station had been before.

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H.R. Pufnstuf

1:07 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Andrew, you are completely incorrect and if the HCFD gave you that information, they are clueless to their own departments. The WFVFD was built in a new location. The old WF firehouse remains standing and is owned by the county.

I think what the fire department meant is that this is a brand new station added to the number of stations in the county (i.e. a new fire department district).

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Andrew Metcalf

1:28 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Here's an article from May of 2008 - http://archives.explorehoward.com/news/8637/new-volunteer-fire-station-track-august/ - The station was paid for by the county, and also it was built about a mile from the old station, which was purchased from the volunteer fire department by the county.

Joe

10:02 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Glenwood Station is the first new station added to the county since 94. Not the first new station built.
I would also check your facts on the WFVFD paying for their station themselves without county tax dollars.

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LF

12:26 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Elkridge Fire Station is so old, new fire engine's won't fit through the door. They no longer make fire engines that fit the station. Yes, we're getting a new fire station sometime in 2013, but they certainly took their time responding to the needs of the eastern part of the county.

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